Kraken founder Jesse Powell has expressed his support for Bitcoin entrepreneur Roger Ver’s appeal for a presidential pardon. In a post on X, Powell noted that Ver, who renounced his US citizenship, is a victim of government overreach rather than the tax evader that authorities paint him to be. According to the Kraken founder , the available evidence of tax evasion against Ver, popularly known as Bitcoin Jesus, is highly doubtful. Thus, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) ‘s attempt to prosecute and convict him appears to be a witch hunt. 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 comments follow a recent campaign by Ver for a presidential pardon similar to what President Donald Trump recently granted Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht. Ver is also one of the earliest Bitcoin investors and claimed that rogue US agents have been terrorizing him over allegations of tax evasion. In 2024, the US Department of Justice charged Ver with tax evasion, filing false tax returns, and mail fraud. The charges were connected to his Bitcoin holdings and failure to pay exit tax after he renounced his US citizenship in 2014. He is currently in detention in Spain, awaiting extradition to the US. Bitcoin community divided in support of Ver’s appeal Unlike Ulbricht’s pardon campaign, which garnered universal support from the crypto industry, Powell is one of the few crypto stakeholders openly supporting Ver’s campaign for pardon. While most do not support taxes , they also believe that Ver is not under any government persecution and is likely guilty of the allegations against him. Taproots Wizards Advisor Dan Held believes that Ver engaged in tax evasion. He says the entrepreneur falsely claimed to have gifted his Bitcoin holdings to his partner in 2011. Held points to IRS evidence of communications between Ver and his tax advisors in 2016, showing he might have done it simply to avoid 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.” Early Bitcoin user Jameson Loop also observed that the IRS is demanding taxes on Ver’s US companies, and the aggressive actions against him are likely because he refused to cooperate. Loop noted that MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor had a similar issue but settled in 2024 by paying $40 million. However, Powell believes that the government should not persecute Ver, especially for crimes he did not commit. The Kraken founder noted that he cannot fully defend Ver against other allegations against him, but he will still support him against any form of government corruption. Cryptopolitan Academy: FREE Web3 Resume Cheat Sheet - Download Now
