Roger Ver, the founder of Bitcoin.com, has accused the US government of politically motivated persecution due to his statements and role in promoting Bitcoin.
Roger Ver is facing life in prison for revealing how the US government worked secretly to subvert cryptocurrency and prevent economic freedom. More people should hear this story.
(0:00) Roger Ver Facing Extradition
(7:49) The Hijacking of Bitcoin
(12:18) How the Government… pic.twitter.com/nchtsmsovn— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) December 10, 2024
In an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson, he explained that the charges of tax law violations were merely a pretext, with the real reason for the pressure being his “disobedience.”
“Suddenly, right after my book [Hijacking Bitcoin] came out, exposing the ‘hijacking’ of Bitcoin by people posing as intelligence agents, I was arrested, thrown into a Spanish prison, and they are trying to extradite me to serve a sentence of over 100 years,” Ver emphasized.
According to the entrepreneur, the authorities dislike his statements and role in promoting cryptocurrencies.
“I practically ‘seeded’ the entire first generation of cryptocurrency companies, so they are furious that I tried to compete with the dollar,” the activist added.
Ver also cited an incident over 25 years ago. At that time, he was running as a Libertarian candidate for a political office. During public debates, the future “Bitcoin Jesus” called agents from the ATF “murderers” due to a raid on a religious cult’s headquarters where children allegedly died.
“They really didn’t like that. At 21, I became the only person in the world convicted for selling a firecracker on eBay, even though many other sellers offered the same product,” Ver stated.
He stressed that the ATF, which acted as the prosecution, used the case as leverage and revenge for his statements about the agency’s work. As a result, Ver had to sign a confession and serve 10 months in prison.
“After that, I no longer felt safe in the US. I was persecuted for political reasons. […] The day I could leave the country, I did,” he noted.
In 2014, he renounced his US citizenship and obtained a passport from the Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
In May 2024, Ver was arrested in Spain on charges of tax fraud by the US Department of Justice. He is accused of hiding assets in Bitcoin, resulting in losses of $48 million, filing false returns, and embezzling 70,000 BTC from his companies’ corporate accounts. Later, “Bitcoin Jesus” was released on bail.
US authorities are seeking Ver’s extradition. He faces up to 109 years in prison.
On December 3, the activist challenged the charges in a California federal court, arguing that the exit tax for individuals renouncing US citizenship with more than $2 million in assets is unconstitutional and “incomprehensibly vague.”
Currently, Ver believes he needs to bring maximum attention to the situation to avoid repression and life imprisonment.
In December, former Celsius head Alex Mashinsky admitted guilt to charges of commodities fraud and manipulation of the CEL token’s prices.