Roger Ver will pay USD $48 million to reach an agreement with the US Department of Justice

The businessman and defender of Bitcoin, Roger Ver, reached an agreement with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) which will allow you to avoid jail in exchange for paying a large sum in back taxes.

Although there were reports published days ago that anticipated the agreement, this time it is the same DOJ the one who confirms the negotiations. According to a document published by the entity, Ver must pay USD $48 million as part of the settlement reached with the US tax authorities. The agreement puts an end to a long judicial process that began in April 2024, when his extradition was requested from Spain on charges of tax evasion and fraud.

Additionally, Ver accepted a deferred prosecution agreement, through which the accusations are resolved without him having to serve an immediate prison sentence.

An agreement that closes years of tension between Ver and the authorities

Roger Ver, one of the first defenders of Bitcoin and former businessman of the firms Memory Dealers and Agilestarwas accused of hiding information about his tax returns linked to his cryptocurrency holdings.

According to the DOJ, In 2014, Ver and its companies controlled approximately 131,000 BTC, and allegedly avoided paying taxes by renouncing his US citizenship to adopt the nationality of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Despite this, authorities argue that he was still required to report certain income and distributions to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

In April 2024, the Department of Justice maintained that “Although Ver was no longer a U.S. citizen, he was still legally required to report to the IRS and pay taxes on certain distributions.”

Political ties and controversy over alleged payments to Trump advisers

Ver’s case took a political turn when alleged ties to allies of the president were revealed donald trump. According to The New York Timesthe businessman hired lawyers linked to the Trump administration and would have paid USD $600,000 to the political strategist Roger Stoneformer advisor to the president, to lobby for changes in tax legislation.

These links revived the debate about political influence within crypto regulation, in a context where the Republican administration has shown a more favorable stance towards the digital sector.

Since his re-election in 2024, Trump has pushed for a friendlier policy toward cryptocurrencies, halting investigations against companies such as Coinbase and Binanceand installing officials with pro-crypto positions in key agencies.

Reports also indicate that Ver and his team have been attempting to seek a pardon from President Trump, although those plans never came to fruition.

Ross Ulbricht and the crypto community ask for mercy

The case also sparked support among well-known figures in the digital ecosystem. Ross Ulbrichtcreator of the disappeared black market Silk Road and beneficiary of a presidential pardon as soon as Trump took office, who publicly expressed his support at the time.

“No one should spend the rest of their life in prison for tax reasons. Let them pay what they owe and the case will be closed”declared Ulbricht in February 2024.

On social networks, sympathizers of the libertarian movement and defenders of Bitcoin promoted a campaign for President Trump to grant clemency to Ver. His X account links to an online petition requesting his presidential pardon, while his website publishes an open letter calling the judicial process a “reprisal” for his activism in favor of BTC.

The resolution of the Roger Ver case could set a precedent for other pioneers of the crypto ecosystem facing tax authorities. Its outcome reinforces the idea that, despite the ideals of decentralization and individual sovereignty that it promoted from the first days of Bitcoin, Even the staunchest defenders of digital currency must be held accountable to the traditional financial system.

Article written with the help of an AI content writer, edited by Angel Di Matteo / DailyBitcoin

Original image from DiarioBitcoin, created with artificial intelligence, free to use, licensed under Public Domain.

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