Key figures in the crypto space, including Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, are advocating for former Bitcoin evangelist Roger Ver to receive a presidential pardon from Donald Trump.
Ver, often called “Bitcoin Jesus,” was arrested in February 2024 while attending a crypto conference in Barcelona, Spain. He faces charges in the US for allegedly evading over $48 million in taxes and filing a false tax return.
Industry Figures Question Legal Motives Behind Roger Ver’s Prosecution
Over the past months, Vitalik Buterin and other industry players have raised concerns about the severity of Ver’s prosecution.
Today, Buterin suggested that authorities may be targeting Ver because of his outspoken views on personal freedoms. He argued that the government should focus on recovering unpaid taxes rather than pursuing harsh legal action.
“The case against Roger seems very politically motivated; like with Ross Ulbricht, there have been plenty of people and corporations who have been accused of far worse and yet faced sentences far milder than what Roger is facing,” Buterin argued.
Considering this, the Ethereum co-founder proposed that the authorities should allow Ver to settle any outstanding taxes instead of imprisonment.
“Genuine good faith mistakes should be treated by giving the actor the opportunity to pay back taxes if needed with interest and penalties, not with prosecution,” Buterin concluded.
Similarly, Ross Ulbricht, the former Silk Road operator who recently secured clemency, has also backed Ver’s case.
“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,” Ulbricht stated.
Ulbricht’s supporters had long argued that his own sentencing was excessively harsh, and now, many in the crypto space see parallels in Ver’s legal battle.
Jesse Powell, co-founder of Kraken, has questioned the credibility of the charges, suggesting that authorities are deliberately making Ver’s life difficult.
“The reality is, they just don’t like him and they want to get him, and they will use any excuse they can to get him or make his life hell for as long as they can,” Powell said.
Meanwhile, Ver himself has taken to social media, appealing directly to President Donald Trump. In January, he wrote that he needed the President’s help to deliver justice. He also shared a video describing himself as a victim of political persecution.
More recently, he suggested that his case was politically motivated, saying:
“I have always tried to pay what the law requires. This isn’t about taxes.”
Despite these efforts, predictions market odds on Polymarket show only a 7% chance that Trump will pardon Ver within his first 100 days in office.
This low probability may be partly due to Elon Musk’s stance on the matter. Now leading the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk has dismissed the possibility of a pardon.
The Tesla CEO argued that Ver forfeited his right to clemency by giving up his US citizenship.
“Roger Ver gave up his US citizenship. No pardon for Ver. Membership has its privileges,” Musk said.
Overall, most of the crypto community thinks Ver’s prosecution is extremely disproportionate to the alleged charges. Yet, Ver’s current residency in Spain might impact his plea to the US President.
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