In this post:
- Jesse Powell, the founder of Kraken, is backing Roger Ver, often known as Bitcoin Jesus, in his request for a presidential pardon.
- Powell notes that IRS activities appear to be lawfare and casts doubt on the validity of the evidence against Ver.
- In the crypto world, the majority of individuals think Ver is guilty and not being persecuted.
Jesse Powell, the founder of Kraken, has stated that he supports Bitcoin inventor Roger Ver’s request for a pardon from the president. Powell wrote in a post on X that Ver, who gave up his US citizenship, is not the tax evader that authorities portray him as, but rather a victim of government overreach.
The creator of Kraken claims that there is very little proof of tax evasion against Ver, also referred to as Bitcoin Jesus. Therefore, it seems like a witch hunt when the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tries to prosecute and condemn him.
He wrote:
“The reality is, they just don’t like him, and they want to get him, and they will use any excuse they can to get him or make his life hell for as long as they can.”
Powell’s remarks come after Ver recently ran for a presidential pardon, which President Donald Trump had just given to Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht. One of the first Bitcoin investors, Ver also said that he has been harassed by rogue US officials since he is accused of tax evasion.
Ver was accused by the US Department of Justice in 2024 of mail fraud, tax evasion, and submitting fake tax forms. He abandoned his US citizenship in 2014, and the allegations were related to his Bitcoin holdings and his failure to pay exit tax. He is presently being held in Spain while he awaits extradition to the United States.
The Bitcoin community is split over Ver’s appeal
Powell is one of the few cryptocurrency players who publicly supports Ver’s pardon campaign, in contrast to Ulbricht’s, which received widespread support from the industry.
Even while the majority oppose taxes, they also think Ver is innocent of the accusations made against him and is not being persecuted by the government.
Dan Held, an advisor with Taproots Wizards, thinks Ver evaded taxes. According to him, the businessman made up a story about giving his partner his Bitcoin holdings in 2011. Held cites IRS correspondence between Ver and his 2016 tax consultants as proof that he may have done it merely to evade paying taxes.
Held also debunked claims that Ver was a Bitcoin advocate, noting that the entrepreneur engaged in acts to sabotage the Bitcoin ecosystem, including supporting Dr Craig Wright’s claim as Satoshi and promoting Bitcoin Cash over BTC.
He said:
“Roger is not Bitcoin Jesus, he’s Bitcoin Judas. There is no other actor I can think of in crypto that has tried to destroy Bitcoin more than him by using everything in his power to promote bcash.”
Jameson Loop, an early Bitcoin user, has noted that Ver’s US companies are being taxed by the IRS, and that the harsh actions taken against him are probably due to his refusal to cooperate. According to Loop, Michael Saylor, the CEO of MicroStrategy, had a similar problem but resolved it in 2024 by paying $40 million.
Powell, however, feels that Ver shouldn’t be persecuted by the government, particularly for crimes he didn’t commit. The founder of Kraken stated that he will stand behind Ver in the face of any corruption in the administration, even though he is unable to completely defend him against other accusations.
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