Representations of the virtual currency Bitcoin stand on a motherboard in this picture illustration taken May 20, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
(Reuters) -An early cryptocurrency investor dubbed the "Bitcoin Jesus" has agreed to pay up to $49.9 million to resolve charges he evaded tens of millions of dollars in taxes, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a court filing on Tuesday.
Roger Ver entered into a deferred prosecution agreement resolving mail fraud and tax evasion charges in federal court in Los Angeles after publicly campaigning earlier this year for President Donald Trump to "help to end this lawfare."
Ultimately, Trump did not pardon him. But the deal Ver reached with his administration, which has taken a friendly view of the crypto sector, will ensure he can avoid being sentenced to prison had he were convicted someday at trial.
The agreement calls for the indictment against Ver, 46, to be dismissed after one month if he abides by the deal's terms, under which the Internal Revenue Service may collect up to $49.9 million, covering his tax liability, civil penalty and interest.
Ver was represented by Christopher Kise, a lawyer who had previously represented Trump. The top Justice Department official listed on Ver's agreement is Associate Deputy Attorney General Ketan Bhirud, who before joining the government represented the president's daughter Ivanka Trump in litigation.
“I am very grateful this case has been dismissed and appreciate the Trump administration’s leadership and professionalism in working towards this final resolution," Ver said in a statement.
Ver, who for a time served as the chief executive of the digital wallet developer Bitcoin.com, began acquiring the cryptocurrency bitcoin in 2011 and actively promoted it, earning him the name "Bitcoin Jesus."
He was arrested in Spain in April 2024 as the Justice Department unveiled an indictment charging him with not paying at least $48 million in taxes after he renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2014 after becoming a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston and Sarah N. Lynch in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Lisa Shumaker)
