Roger Ver apprehended for alleged $50 million tax fraud
Roger Ver, an early investor in Bitcoin, has been charged with tax evasion and arrested in Spain, according to an unsealed indictment from the US Department of Justice (DOJ). The indictment alleges that Ver promoted Bitcoin and acquired the cryptocurrency through personal funds and two companies starting in 2011. Ver, also known as “Bitcoin Jesus,” renounced his US citizenship in 2014 and obtained citizenship from St. Kitts and Nevis. However, he was still obligated to file tax returns for his Bitcoin holdings and disclose the fair market value of his assets under US laws. Ver reportedly owned around 131,000 bitcoins personally and another 73,000 through MemoryDealers.com Inc. and Agilestar.com Inc., both of which were subject to US legislation. The DOJ claims that Ver liquidated thousands of bitcoins in 2017 but failed to pay capital gains or exit tax, despite no longer being a US citizen. The indictment states that Ver concealed his accounts from the IRS and hid proceeds from the Bitcoin sales, resulting in a tax bill of over $48 million. The US government plans to extradite Ver and prosecute him on American soil. Ver was a prominent figure in the early days of Bitcoin and served as the CEO of Bitcoin.com.
