Here’s how much ‘Bitcoin Jesus’ Roger Ver will pay in U.S. tax case

Roger Ver, one of Bitcoin’s ( BTC ) earliest and most controversial champions, has agreed to pay $49.9 million to resolve a ￰0￱ evasion case, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) filing released October ￰1￱ settlement comes through a deferred prosecution agreement, which closes the door on mail fraud and tax evasion charges stemming from Ver’s decision to renounce ￰2￱ in ￰3￱ the IRS went after ‘Bitcoin Jesus’ Ver, often called “ Bitcoin Jesus ” for distributing BTC freely in the early 2010s to spread adoption, failed to properly disclose the full size of his Bitcoin fortune when he ￰4￱ law, individuals who give up ￰5￱ must pay an “exit tax” on all global ￰6￱ said Ver intentionally concealed holdings, causing a $16.8 million federal tax ￰7￱ in fraud penalties and accrued interest, his liability swelled to nearly $50 ￰8￱ change sparked tax clash The California-born investor became a citizen of ￰9￱ and Nevis in 2014 and filed his expatriation-related returns in ￰10￱ DOJ said those filings deliberately understated his Bitcoin wealth, violating federal tax ￰11￱ his status as a leading crypto evangelist, Ver’s omission placed him in direct conflict with the IRS at a time when regulators were sharpening their focus on digital ￰12￱ warn crypto investors ￰13￱ stressed that digital asset holders face the same obligations as traditional taxpayers .

“Whether you deal in dollars or digital assets, you must file accurate tax returns and pay what you owe,” said Associate Deputy Attorney General Ketan ￰14￱ settlement spares Ver from prison time but forces him to surrender a large portion of his crypto fortune, with the deal closing a decade-long dispute, but it also cements the IRS’s stance that cryptocurrency profits, no matter how early, remain taxable and enforceable.