Ver reaches DOJ deferred prosecution over expatriation crypto taxes

Roger Ver, the early bitcoin investor known as Bitcoin Jesus, has reached a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, agreeing to pay nearly $50 million to resolve federal tax charges tied to sales of bitcoin after he renounced his U.S. citizenship. The Justice Department announced Tuesday that Ver admitted willfully failing to report bitcoin holdings and pay required taxes when he expatriated in 2014, and that his payment of back taxes, penalties and interest has prompted prosecutors to move to dismiss a 2024 indictment.

Prosecutors said the agreement covers capital gains and related tax years from 2014 through 2017. The department stated that Ver’s understatement of taxable income resulted in a tax loss to the United States of about $16.9 million, and that the settlement amount includes tax liability, statutory penalties and accrued interest. Under the terms, Ver acknowledged that his 2016 tax filings omitted portions of his bitcoin holdings and accepted responsibility for the omissions. The agreement includes a multiyear period during which prosecutors may seek to reinstate charges if he breaches the deal.

Ver was indicted in April 2024 on charges...