Bitcoin Jesus Claims DOJ's Smear Campaign Actually Targeted At His Lack Of "Obedience"

Roger Ver, widely recognized as “Bitcoin Jesus,” remains firm in his assertion that allegations brought against him by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) are baseless.

Ver was apprehended in Spain by U.S. authorities in April, facing charges including tax evasion, mail fraud, and filing false tax returns. Currently, U.S. prosecutors are seeking a court ruling to extradite Ver, presenting a strong case that accuses him of concealing the true value of his assets, including ownership of 131,000 Bitcoin (BTC).

In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Ver described the allegations as an attempt to tarnish his reputation.

"I wasn't an American citizen or living in the US at the time these claims were made."

Ver is currently accusing the government of being "angry" not about taxes but about his "lack of obedience."

An attempt to silence Bitcoin

According to the DOJ, Ver failed to report substantial capital gains from Bitcoin sales before renouncing his U.S. citizenship in 2014. Additionally, the DOJ claims Ver concealed the true valuations of two companies, allowing him to avoid $48 million in taxes on $240 million worth of BTC sold in 2017.

Ver and his legal team have denied these allegations, arguing that unclear crypto tax laws complicate compliance. They further assert that U.S. prosecutors violated legal protections by allegedly using confidential communications to build their case.

In the interview with Carlson, Ver insisted that the charges made against him doesn't stem from tax charges but from his high-promotion of cryptocurrencies, which he believes threatens government control of money system.

Ver also claimed that the US intelligence agencies orchestrated a campaign to suppress BTC's original goal of decentralisation.

He also referenced a recent publication he authored, which he claims exposes government interference in the crypto space.

Dismissing tax evasion charges

On December 3, Ver filed a motion to dismiss the charges, arguing they are unconstitutional. He specifically challenged the IRS’s exit tax, describing it as “inscrutably vague.”

Ver also argues that the charges relied on "provisions of the US tax laws" that was unclear about the application to digital assets of the kind that underlie the charges.

The IRS exit tax requires all US citizens to pay all required taxes before renouncing their citizenship and removing themselves from the country's taxation system.