Early Bitcoin investor and Bitcoin Cash co-founder Roger Ver has reached a tentative settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over criminal tax charges tied to an alleged $48 million loss to the government, The New York Times reported on Oct. 9.
Ver was arrested in April 2024 and charged with mail fraud, tax evasion, and filing false tax returns.
Prosecutors alleged that Ver concealed ownership of large Bitcoin holdings from the Internal Revenue Service while living abroad, thereby depriving the U.S. government of tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue.
People familiar with the matter told the newspaper that under the current proposal, Ver would pay roughly the same $48 million amount to the US government. If he agrees to the settlement’s terms, the Justice Department could move to drop the criminal charges.
Shifting climate for crypto enforcement
The tentative agreement comes amid a broader shift in Washington’s approach to digital assets under the Trump administration.
Since returning to the White House earlier this year, Trump has signaled support for the crypto industry by easing regulatory pressure on firms like Coinbase and Binance and appointing more industry-friendly officials to lead financial agencies.
Trump also granted clemency to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, during his first week in office. Ulbricht later publicly supported Ver, writing on X that “no one should spend the rest of their life in prison over taxes.”
Following news of Ver’s possible deal, traders on prediction platform Polymarket raised the odds of President Donald Trump issuing him a presidential pardon from 23% to 29%.
Mentioned in this article
AJ, a passionate journalist since Yemen’s 2011 Arab Spring, has honed his skills worldwide for over a decade. Specializing in financial journalism, he now focuses on crypto reporting.
