Roger Ver, aka Bitcoin Jesus, has been released on bail in Spain. He faces an extradition charge to the US, owing to tax fraud charges.
A recent report pointed out that Ver was allowed to leave jail in mid-May after posting €150,000 [$163,000] in bail. A document containing the judge’s decision further revealed that the investor has agreed to hand in his passport, stay in Spain, and go to court every two days.
The prosecutor’s request to overturn the judge’s release decision was rejected two weeks later.
Commenting on the latest development, Ver’s lawyer, Jaime Campaner, said,
“[He] is not a fugitive at all, since he has been in touch with the US authorities through his Californian lawyers. Therefore, he was aware of the investigation and, in my opinion, his arrest didn’t make sense.”
According to the US Justice Department's allegations, ‘Bitcoin Jesus’ did not report his capital gains, nor has he paid taxes on his holdings of BTC. The investor has been accumulating the largest crypto asset since 2011. He sold BTC for about €240 million in 2017, but reportedly kept his accountant in the dark about the sale. In effect, he has a default of more than $48 million.
In another similar case, MicroStrategy’s founder, Michael Saylor, recently agreed to pay $40 million to settle a lawsuit alleging tax fraud. Per the accusations, he did not pay taxes worth $25 million for more than a decade, despite living in the District of Columbia.
MicroStrategy, allegedly helped him conspire and claim that he lived in Virginia or Florida - states that have a significantly lower tax rate. Saylor continues to dispute the charges against him, but has agreed to settle the matter to “avoid the continued burdens of the litigation.
Ver became a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis in 2014 after renouncing his American citizenship. However, he was still required to file tax returns in the US on gains from certain assets.
