Crypto veterans have called the DOJ a target for Roger Vern, a decade after he left the US.
The arrest of early Bitcoin investor and Bitcoin financier Roger Ver on US tax evasion charges has sparked mixed reactions from the crypto community.
Many in the community criticized the arrest, while some justified it because of Ver's anti-Bitcoin stance in the latter part of his career.
Dan Held, a long-time Bitcoin supporter, was one of the few to applaud the arrest and say, “He (Ver) is negative for Bitcoin.”
Crypto-centric X Account Pleader suspects that Roger Ver's arrest is related to his name popping up in several investigations such as Binance, Genesis and 3AC.
Despite losing his citizenship in 2014, several cryptocurrency veterans have condemned the US Department of Justice for pursuing tax evasion charges against America Ver.
Ver has been a Japanese citizen since 2014. He was arrested in Spain on April 30 on criminal charges filed in the United States, which include mail fraud, tax evasion and filing false tax returns.
A US DOJ notice alleges Ver evaded an estimated $48 million in taxes on bitcoin and crypto sales in 2017. Ver is now going to be extradited to the US
Ver's arrest prompted several crypto veterans to call out US law enforcement agencies for abuse of power. Social Media Crypto Users Ver 2018 They quickly disclosed that they renounced their US citizenship in 2014 and that the tax evasion changes were for property sales in 2017.
Paul Sztork, founder and CEO of LayerTwo Labs, tweeted that Ver had done everything he could to legally leave the US for Japan.
Sztorc Ver paid his taxes in Japan, he paid his taxes in the US, and although he had been legally paying his taxes for nine years, he was arrested in Spain ten years later. The situation is “not exactly government by the will of the governed…” he said.
Kim Dotcom, a crypto veteran who has been on the receiving end of government enforcement, said the charges against Ver had nothing to do with tax evasion, but rather “a witch hunt against a man who has turned his back on America's wars and rogue foreign forces.” and domestic policy,” he added. “Roger is a supporter of Julian Assange and freedom of the press not only in words but in action.”
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Jane Adams, a 2024 US House candidate and bitcoin supporter, said Ver's arrest was a clear attack on dissent. She added that the US government's action against Vere was a retaliation for his advocacy of press freedom and opposition to US imperialism.
A few others speculate that Ver's arrest is part of a larger crypto targeting by the US government. David Shears, a Bitcoin proponent at X, says the US is coming after crypto in force.
In another post, he revealed that the Biden administration is trying to push more anti-cryptocurrency enforcement and regulations ahead of the November election.
Magazine: Roger Ver's Next Life: Cryonics Meets Crypto.
