Roger Ver, an early investor in Bitcoin, is at the center of conflicting international interests. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged him with several crimes, including fraud and tax evasion.
He was arrested in Spain, but despite extradition requests from US authorities, a Spanish court released Ver on bail.
Appeal against acquittal dismissed
A step Article by Bloomberg Spanish authorities arrested Ver in late April. He was released on May 17 after posting bail of 150,000 euros.
As a condition, Ver surrendered his passport, stayed in Spain and reported to the court every two days. The lawyer appealed against his acquittal, but the appeal was dismissed two weeks later.
The US DOJ accuses Roger Ver, also known as ‘Bitcoin Jesus’, of buying Bitcoin for himself and his companies since 2011.
In 2017, he failed to report capital gains and pay taxes on his bitcoin holdings, despite selling about 240 million euros worth of bitcoins.
The long arm of the US tax authorities
In 2014, Roger Ver renounced his US citizenship and became a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis. Despite this, he still had to pay taxes on his global assets, including his bitcoin holdings, under US law.
The indictment alleges that Ver provided false information to his legal representatives and appraisers and understated the value of his companies and bitcoin holdings. This led to him filing false tax returns, which allowed him to evade his tax obligations.
US extradition requests
US authorities want Ver extradited for tax fraud. DOJ says that at least Ver $48 million He has to pay taxes on his Bitcoin transactions and he has undervalued his assets.
Jaime Campner, Roger Ver’s legal counsel, said Ver had been in contact with US authorities through his lawyers in California. He insisted that Vere’s arrest was unnecessary based on his cooperation.
