Buterin said it is “absurd” that Ver could face life in prison over tax charges. Others have also come to Ver’s defense.
Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin has criticized the United States’ prosecution of Roger Ver, a Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash advocate.
In an X post on March 1, Buterin said that Ver’s potential life imprisonment over alleged non-violent tax crimes is “absurd,” adding that other people and companies have faced more serious accusations but received lighter sentences.
Buterin said that Ver is being targeted for political reasons, namely his stance on freedom and resistance to state power. Buterin wrote:
“The argument [is] that the flashlight on [Ver] is motivated by things he said … This is worth standing against, because selective prosecution for unrelated offenses is a common way of circumventing protections like the First Amendment.”
Buterin also criticized the IRS for supposedly intimidating Ver’s lawyers into revealing information, stating that the right to speak to a lawyer in confidence is “sacrosanct.”
Buterin concluded that anyone who accidentally fails to pay taxes should be given an opportunity to repay the amount with interest and penalties.
Other high-profile crypto personalities have recently defended Ver as well. Kraken co-founder Jesse Powell has similarly suggested that Ver was targeted unfairly and has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to take note of the matter.
Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht, who was recently released from prison following a presidential pardon, also criticized Ver’s potential sentence. Ulbricht wrote: “No one should spend the rest of their life in prison over taxes.”
Elon Musk, meanwhile, has argued that Ver should not be pardoned due to the fact that Ver previously surrendered his U.S. citizenship. Musk’s stance led to widespread opposition from other commenters on the site.
Ver was indicted on tax fraud in April 2024. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that Ver had evaded nearly $50 million in taxes related to capital gains on his acquisition and sale of assets including Bitcoin (BTC).
Though Ver renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2014, the DOJ claims he misrepresented his expatriation tax amounts and amounts related to two U.S.-based businesses.
Although DOJ describes a maximum sentence that could amount to life in prison, Ver has not been convicted or sentenced on the charges as of March 3, 2025.
In late April 2024, Ver was arrested in Spain and awaited possible extradition to the U.S. Ver posted bail in May 2024 and remained in Spain.
Ver’s legal team continues to fight the case in court, having filed a motion to dismiss the indictment in December. That motion cited unconstitutional tax rules and selective use of evidence as reasons for the requested dismissal.
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