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Roger Ver, who renounced his U.S. citizenship, agreed to pay the IRS $50 million in owed taxes, Department of Justice officials announced Tuesday
Michele McPhee
Prosecutors have dropped an indictment leveled against an accused crypto crook named Roger Ver, who made a name for himself as “Bitcoin Jesus,” after the businessman ponied up $50 million in back taxes, penalties, and interest “stemming from his willful failure to properly report his bitcoin holdings,” when he renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2014.
Ver, who lives in St. Kitts, had been charged in February 2024 with three counts of mail
fraud after he underreported his net worth to the IRS. In hammering out his deferred prosecution agreement, with the help of Christopher Kise, an attorney who had worked for President Trump, Ver admitted that the understatement of tax caused by his failure to report ownership of all his bitcoins was willful, which is legally defined as the intentional violation of a known legal duty.
“Mr. Ver is accepting responsibility for his actions and has agreed to pay a substantial penalty,” said Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Every person, whether you’re a millionaire or not, is required by law to pay taxes and we will not hesitate to hold anyone accountable.”
Kareem Carter, Executive Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, said Ver’s repayment of his debt to the U.S. government, “demonstrates that there are consequences for those who intentionally conceal their assets and evade their tax obligations.”
Kise is not the only connection to Trump in the deal Ver made with the Central District of California. Associate Deputy Attorney General Ketan Bhirud, who had represented Ivanka Trump, said in a statement that the Justice Department deal with Ver: “sends a clear message: whether you deal in dollars or digital assets, you must file accurate tax returns and pay what you owe.”
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