TechFlow, October 15 — According to TheBlock, Roger Ver, an early Bitcoin advocate known as "Bitcoin Jesus," has officially reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, admitting that he intentionally failed to report his Bitcoin holdings when renouncing his U.S. citizenship in 2014.
According to the Department of Justice, Ver signed a deferred prosecution agreement and paid nearly $50 million in back taxes, penalties, and interest to the Internal Revenue Service. Prosecutors stated that Ver's omission caused a loss of $16.9 million to the U.S. government. The charges against him have now been dropped.
"Mr. Ver is taking responsibility for his actions and has agreed to pay a substantial penalty," said Acting Federal Prosecutor Bill Essayli in a statement on Tuesday.
