Ross Ulbricht, the recently pardoned creator of Silk Road, has publicly supported Roger Ver, who currently faces serious tax evasion charges in the United States.
On February 20, Ulbricht posted on X, stating, “Roger Ver was there for me when I was down and needed help. Now Roger needs our support. No one should spend the rest of their life in prison over taxes. Let him pay the tax (if any) and be done with it.”
Ver, often known as ‘Bitcoin Jesus’, was arrested in Spain in April 2024 based on criminal charges from the United States. He is currently fighting extradition to face multiple charges including tax evasion, filing false tax returns, and fraud. If convicted, Ver could face up to 109 years in prison.
The case centers around Ver’s decision to renounce his US citizenship in 2014 when he became a Japanese citizen. The US Department of Justice claims Ver:
- Concealed 131,000 Bitcoin valued at nearly $240 million when sold in 2017
- Significantly underreported the value of two companies he owned
- Failed to pay approximately $48 million in exit taxes required when renouncing US citizenship
Ver has denied these allegations, arguing that Bitcoin markets lacked sufficient liquidity at the time, making it difficult to properly calculate and pay the exit tax. In December, he attempted to have the case dismissed, claiming that US exit tax laws are unconstitutional and too vague.
In January 2025, Ver made a direct appeal to US President Donald Trump in a video posted to X, saying, “Mr. President, I am an American and I need your help. Only you, with your commitment to justice, can save me.” This plea follows Trump’s pardon of Ulbricht, who had served 12 years of a life sentence for founding the darknet marketplace Silk Road.
With Ulbricht now free after receiving clemency as part of Trump’s outreach to the cryptocurrency community, many crypto supporters hope Ver might receive similar consideration.
