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Jesse Powell, co-founder of Kraken exchange, has publicly supported Bitcoin Cash advocate Roger Ver, who is currently battling tax-related charges from the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
In a Jan. 27 post on X, Powell questioned the integrity of the evidence presented by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and highlighted potential flaws in the case.
According to him:
“[The authorities] just don’t like [Ver] 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.”
Ver, a long-time crypto promoter, was indicted in April 2024 on accusations of tax evasion, mail fraud, and filing false returns. US prosecutors claim he failed to disclose over $48 million in capital gains from crypto trades.
Ver was arrested in Spain in May 2024 but later released on bail under conditions that restricted his travel to the country while awaiting a decision on his extradition to the US.
IRS criticism
Ver’s legal team has argued that tax regulations at the time of the alleged offenses were ambiguous, especially for crypto innovators.
Powell echoed this sentiment, suggesting that the IRS should be responsible for proving the allegations beyond reasonable doubt. He also noted concerns about how some evidence against Ver was obtained, hinting at possible procedural violations.
The Kraken founder expressed disbelief that a prominent Bitcoin advocate like Ver would jeopardize his freedom over a relatively minor tax liability.
He pointed to interviews conducted during the investigation, where witnesses reportedly supported Ver’s claims of compliance. Powell believes Ver anticipated scrutiny when he renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2011, taking steps to settle his obligations before moving to St. Kitts and Nevis.
He stated:
“All communications suggest that Roger is telling the truth and went above and beyond, even overpaid, in anticipation of such an attack (which was the entire impetus for his expatriation in the first place).”
Powell concluded that the case against Ver may be driven more by personal animosity than legal grounds. He suggested that political intervention might be necessary and called on President Donald Trump to examine the situation.
Ver’s bid for clemency
Powell’s support comes as Ver attempts to get Trump to intervene in his case.
On Jan. 27, Ver released a video describing what he called years of government harassment due to his stance on individual freedoms and crypto.
According to him:
“For decades, I’ve been terrorized by rogue US government agents who hate American freedom.”
However, his chances of getting a Presidential pardon appear slim as Elon Musk, a close associate of Trump, dismissed the possibility.
Musk stated:
“Roger Ver gave up his US citizenship. No pardon for Ver. Membership has its privileges.”
Moreover, crypto bettors on the prediction platform Polymarket place Ver’s odds of receiving a pardon in Trump’s first 100 days at only 14%.
[Editor’s Note: While many are referring to Ver as an early Bitcoin advocate, his stance on Bitcoin began to shift in 2017. He became concerned about Bitcoin’s scalability issues and high transaction fees, which he believed compromised its utility as a currency. This led to his support for increasing the block size limit, a proposal that eventually resulted in the Bitcoin Cash hard fork.
After the fork, Ver became one of the most vocal advocates for Bitcoin Cash. He argued that BCH was more aligned with Satoshi Nakamoto’s original vision of Bitcoin as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system.]
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