'Bitcoin Jesus' Roger Ver reaches tentative deal with DOJ over $48 million tax case: NYT

Early bitcoin investor Roger Ver reached a "tentative agreement" with the U.S. Justice Department over criminal tax charges, according to reporting from The New York Times.

Ver, also known online as "bitcoin Jesus," was arrested in April 2024 and charged with mail fraud, tax evasion, and filing false tax returns. Prosecutors at the time said that Ver concealed bitcoin ownership from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and caused the purported loss of $48 million.  

On Thursday, the NYT reported that Ver would pay close to that $48 million figure to the government and the charges could be dropped if Ver agreed to the terms, citing people familiar with the matter. 

The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Block. Ver, reached separately, replied: “No comment.”

Since President Donald Trump rolled into Washington D.C. this past year, the administration has taken numerous steps toward being friendlier to the crypto sector, from dropping probes into big-name firms such as Coinbase and Binance to designating supportive leadership at the helm of key federal agencies. 

Trump had also pardoned Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht during his first few days in office. Later, Ulbricht joined the call to "free" Ver as well. 

“Roger Ver was there for me when I was down and needed help. Now Roger needs our support,” Ulbricht said on X in February. “No one should spend the rest of their life in prison over taxes.”

Bettors on the predictions market Polymarket slightly increased the odds of Ver receiving a pardon from Trump from 23% to 29% on Thursday afternoon.