Bitcoin Jesus Roger Ver hides 130,000 BTC! Pays 48 million to escape prison disaster.

Early Bitcoin investor Roger Ver reached a temporary settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, agreeing to pay $48 million in taxes to dismiss criminal charges. The indictment revealed that he held about 131,000 Bitcoins in 2014 and transferred assets by renouncing his U.S. citizenship. The Trump administration's friendly attitude towards the encryption industry became a key turning point, with Polymarket indicating that the likelihood of a presidential pardon has risen to 29%.

Roger Ver Tax Evasion Case Settlement Insider

According to a report by The New York Times on October 9, Roger Ver, hailed by the crypto community as the “Bitcoin Jesus,” has reached a temporary settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice regarding criminal tax charges. The co-founder of Bitcoin Cash was arrested in Spain in April 2024, facing multiple charges including mail fraud, tax evasion, and filing false tax returns.

Informed sources revealed that Ver will pay approximately $48 million to the U.S. government, an amount roughly equivalent to the total tax liability that prosecutors allege he evaded. If he agrees to the settlement terms, the Justice Department may drop all criminal charges, sparing him from incarceration.

Roger Ver's Bitcoin holdings astonishingly revealed

According to the preliminary indictment, Ver and his two companies MemoryDealers and Agilestar held approximately 131,000 Bitcoins in 2014. Prosecutors allege that Ver concealed this large amount of Bitcoin holdings from the IRS while living abroad and attempted to evade taxes by the following means:

Renouncing U.S. citizenship: Actively renouncing citizenship around 2014.

Change of nationality: Become a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis

Filing false tax forms: Providing inaccurate information in cryptocurrency holding-related documents.

Asset Transfer: Hiding Bitcoin Holdings Through Offshore Company Structures

The U.S. Department of Justice stated that these actions resulted in the U.S. government losing tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue, constituting serious tax fraud.

Trump administration encryption-friendly policies become a turning point

The background of the achievement of this temporary protocol is a significant shift in the Trump administration's attitude towards digital assets. Since returning to the White House in early 2025, Trump has repeatedly expressed support for the encryption coin industry:

Relax regulatory pressure: ease enforcement力度 on CEX exchanges

Appoint friendly officials: Assign more industry-friendly individuals to lead financial institutions.

Presidential Pardon Precedent: First Week in Office Pardons Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht

Ulbricht publicly supported Ver on the X platform after his pardon, stating: “No one should spend the rest of their life in prison due to tax issues.” This statement resonated widely within the encryption community.

Roger Ver's political connections layout

According to a report by The New York Times, Ver has close ties with individuals related to the Trump administration, and its strategies include:

Hire presidential lawyer: Employ the legal team that previously worked for Trump.

Political lobbying investment: Paying $600,000 to Trump advisor Roger Stone to lobby for changes to U.S. tax law.

Predicting market reaction: After the reconciliation news broke, the probability of Trump issuing a presidential pardon on Polymarket rose from 23% to 29%.

As of the time of publication, this temporary protocol has not yet appeared in the public records of the United States District Court for the Central District of California in the Ver case, and the details of the final agreement are still pending official announcement.

Tax Warning for Early Bitcoin Investors

The case of Roger Ver highlights the significant risks that cryptocurrency holders face in terms of tax compliance. Even in a regulatory environment that shifts to a friendlier stance, the $48 million settlement amount is still a heavy price to pay, especially serving as a warning for early investors with substantial Bitcoin holdings.

As governments around the world strengthen tax tracking on encryption assets, transparent reporting and compliance will become a necessary strategy for large holders, rather than an optional obligation.