The United States Department of Justice has brought forth charges against Roger Ver, an early investor in Bitcoin commonly known as ‘Bitcoin Jesus,’ for alleged tax fraud. Ver was arrested in Spain based on charges including mail fraud, tax evasion, and filing false tax returns in the United States.
The U.S. government asserts that Ver evaded nearly $50 million in taxes by failing to report capital gains from the sale of Bitcoin and other assets to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Ver purportedly took control of approximately 70,000 bitcoins in June 2017 and subsequently sold a portion of them for $240 million, according to the indictment. Despite not being a U.S. citizen at the time, Ver was legally obligated to report and pay taxes on certain distributions, including dividends from U.S. corporations.
Allegedly, he concealed from his accountant that he had received and sold bitcoins from these corporations, resulting in his 2017 individual income tax return omitting any gain or tax related to these distributions.
Additionally, Ver is accused of utilizing legal services to prepare and file false tax returns that undervalued his companies, concealed their substantial bitcoin holdings, and omitted his bitcoin ownership.
Roger Ver Faces Extradition Following Tax Fraud Charges
Roger Ver, former CEO of Bitcoin.com, is facing extradition to the United States after being charged with mail fraud, tax evasion, and filing false tax returns. Ver, also known as ‘Bitcoin Jesus,’ was arrested in Spain based on criminal charges brought forth by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The indictment alleges that Ver concealed his ownership of bitcoins from the IRS, resulting in a purported loss of approximately $48 million. Despite not being a U.S. citizen, Ver was obligated to report and pay taxes on certain distributions from U.S. corporations.
The indictment claims that Ver failed to disclose these distributions, leading to the evasion of taxes on substantial gains from bitcoin sales.
Furthermore, Ver is accused of using legal services to prepare and submit false tax returns that misrepresented the value of his companies, concealed their bitcoin holdings, and omitted his bitcoin ownership. Despite his renunciation of U.S. citizenship, Ver now faces extradition to the United States to stand trial for the alleged tax fraud charges.
