“Bitcoin Jesus” may avoid prison through tentative agreement after year-long legal battle
Roger Ver, widely known in the crypto community as “Bitcoin Jesus,” has reportedly reached a tentative agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) over tax evasion and mail fraud charges filed in 2024. According to reports, the deal would require Ver to pay $48 million in back taxes, potentially allowing him to avoid prison time after months of legal disputes and extradition proceedings.
Roger Ver’s Legal Dispute with the DOJ
Ver was charged in April 2024 by U.S. authorities for allegedly evading taxes related to his cryptocurrency holdings. The DOJ claimed that Ver and his companies, MemoryDealers and Agilestar, held around 131,000 Bitcoin in 2014, worth billions today.
After renouncing his U.S. citizenship and becoming a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis, Ver was accused of falsely reporting financial information to reduce his tax obligations.
“Even though Ver was not then a U.S. citizen, he was still legally required to report to the IRS and pay tax on certain distributions,” the Justice Department said in its original filing.
Spanish authorities arrested Ver in 2024 following the U.S. indictment, though he was released on bail within days. Since then, his legal team has been fighting extradition and negotiating with U.S. officials to reach a financial settlement.
The New York Times reported that Ver’s legal team includes lawyers previously connected to former President Donald Trump, and that he paid $600,000 to political consultant Roger Stone to lobby for changes to U.S. tax laws.
The tentative deal comes amid a broader regulatory shift toward crypto leniency under the Trump administration, which has recently softened its stance on certain digital asset cases.
Ver’s official X profile currently links to a petition urging Trump to issue a pardon, describing the case as “retaliation for his Bitcoin advocacy.”
Pardon Speculation and Crypto Community Reaction
Following Trump’s reelection in 2024, speculation grew that Ver might receive a presidential pardon, similar to the one granted to Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who publicly supported leniency for Ver.
“No one should spend the rest of their life in prison over taxes,” Ulbricht said earlier this year. “Let him pay the tax and be done with it.”
If finalized, the $48 million settlement could close one of crypto’s most high-profile legal battles — underscoring how early Bitcoin pioneers now face the consequences of navigating uncharted regulatory waters.
Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.