The crypto community has been strongly reacting to the arrest of Roger Ver, an early Bitcoin investor and Bitcoin Cash proponent, on tax evasion charges in the United States. While many criticized the arrest, some justified it due to Ver’s adoption of an anti-Bitcoin stance later in his career. One long-term Bitcoin proponent, Dan Held, applauded Ver’s arrest, stating that he had been a negative influence on Bitcoin. Speculation arose within the crypto community that Ver’s arrest may be related to his involvement in investigations involving Binance, Genesis, and Three Arrows Capital.
Several cryptocurrency veterans condemned the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for pursuing tax evasion charges against Ver in the U.S., despite his renunciation of his citizenship in 2014. Ver, who has been a Japanese citizen since 2014, was arrested in Spain on April 30 on charges that include mail fraud, tax evasion, and filing false tax returns. The DOJ claims that Ver evaded taxes amounting to $48 million on his Bitcoin and crypto sales in 2017 and now faces extradition to the United States.
Ver’s arrest led many crypto veterans to criticize U.S. law enforcement agencies for their misuse of power. Social media users pointed out that Ver had renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2014 and that the tax evasion charges were related to asset sales in 2017. Paul Sztorc, founder and CEO of LayerTwo Labs, tweeted that Ver had followed all legal procedures when leaving the U.S. for Japan, paying his taxes in both countries. Despite this, he was arrested in Spain a decade later, raising concerns about government actions. Kim Dotcom, another crypto veteran who has faced government enforcement, stated that the indictment against Ver was not about tax evasion but rather a targeted attack on someone who opposes U.S. wars and policies. He emphasized Ver’s support for Julian Assange and press freedom.
Jane Adams, a Bitcoin proponent and candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, viewed Ver’s arrest as an attack on dissent and accused the U.S. government of pursuing him out of vindictiveness due to his advocacy for press freedom and opposition to U.S. imperialism. Some speculated that Ver’s arrest was part of a broader crackdown on the crypto industry by the U.S. government. DavidShares, a Bitcoin proponent, claimed that the U.S. was aggressively targeting crypto and suggested that the Biden administration was rushing to enforce anti-cryptocurrency regulations before the presidential elections in November.
In conclusion, the arrest of Roger Ver has sparked intense reactions within the crypto community, with some criticizing and others justifying the charges against him. Many have raised concerns about the U.S. government’s actions and its alleged misuse of power in pursuing Ver, who renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2014. The arrest has also led to speculations about a wider crackdown on the crypto industry by the U.S. government.