Roger Ver, the cryptocurrency advocate known as “Bitcoin Jesus,” has sued Spain to block his extradition to the US to face tax evasion charges . His lawsuit, filed last month with the European Court of Human Rights, claims that Spain violated Ver's legal protections when it ruled that he should be sent to Los Angeles to face trial .
US prosecutors charged Ver with evading more than $48 million in taxes due from profits made by selling $240 million in crypto tokens . He was arrested by Spanish authorities but then released on bail on the island of Mallorca .
Born in 1979, Ver was an early investor in Bitcoin and an early promoter of it . He is also known for his early promotion of Bitcoin, earning the nickname “Bitcoin Jesus” . In 2014, he renounced his United States citizenship after obtaining citizenship in Saint Kitts and Nevis citing libertarian beliefs and opposition to U.S. tax policies . He was indicted in April 2024 for income tax evasion in the US .
The charges stem from failure to report capital gains on the sales of Bitcoin assets and the undervaluation of two companies, linked to his renunciation of U.S. citizenship in 2014 . Authorities allege that Ver hid over 131,000 BTC, resulting in nearly $50 million in unpaid taxes . Additionally, he faces charges of mail fraud and submitting false tax returns .
Ver maintains that he followed his legal counsel's guidance when fulfilling his tax obligations . In December 2024, Ver's attorneys filed a motion to dismiss all eight criminal counts, calling the exit tax unconstitutional and attacking the government's case as legally vague . While that motion remains unresolved, Ver's lawsuit in Europe appears aimed at delaying or derailing extradition efforts .
The case has garnered attention from figures in the cryptocurrency world. Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, and Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, have criticized the charges against Ver .