‘Bitcoin Jesus’ to Settle U.S. Tax, Fraud Charges: NYT

Early Bitcoin (BTC) investor and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) advocate Roger Ver is close to settling tax fraud charges with the U.S. Department of Justice, the New York Times reported Thursday.

Often known as “Bitcoin Jesus” due to his early evangelization for the crypto, Ver was indicted last April and arrested in Spain on allegations he failed to file tax returns on capital gains he made after selling “tens of thousands” of bitcoins and giving up U.S. citizenship, the DOJ charged at the time. Ver fought his extradition to the U.S., filing a lawsuit earlier this summer.

According to the Times, the proposed settlement is subject to change but would see Ver paying about $48 million for the taxes he allegedly owes. It has not yet been filed to or approved by the federal judge overseeing the case.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Los Angeles office, which filed the indictment, referred CoinDesk to the DOJ’s main offices in Washington, D.C. A spokesperson for the D.C. office did not immediately return a request for comment. Ver did not return a request for comment.

Ver told the Times he could not comment.

The court docket shows there is a hearing scheduled for Dec. 15, 2025.

Ver tapped Roger Stone, an associate of U.S. President Donald Trump, to lobby for his assistance in resolving the case, according to a lobbying registration Stone filed earlier this year.

Trump has pardoned a number of other crypto figures since retaking office as president earlier this year, including Ross Ulbricht, Arthur Hayes and other founders of Bitmex — as well as Bitmex itself, after the company previously pled guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act.

Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the founder of Binance, has applied for a presidential pardon as well, after serving four months in prison after his guilty plea tied to Binance’s anti-money laundering compliance.