The creator of Ethereum, Vitalik Butein, has criticized Roger Ver’s prosecution of the United States, a Bitcoin defender and Bitcoin in cash.
In a publication X in March 1Buterin said that the possible life imprisonment of seeing alleged non -violent fiscal crimes is “absurd”, and added that other people and companies have faced more serious accusations but received lighter sentences.
Buterin said that seeing is being attacked for political reasons, namely his position on freedom and resistance to state power. BUTERIN wrote:
“The argument [is] than the flashlight [Ver] He is motivated by the things he said … It is worth putting against that, because selective prosecution for unrelated crimes is a common way of avoiding protections such as the first amendment. “
Buterin also criticized IRS for supposedly intimidating lawyers to see in revealing information, stating that the right to speak with a lawyer in confidence is “sacrosanct.”
Buterin concluded that anyone who accidentally pays taxes should have the opportunity to pay the amount with interest and sanctions.
Others are defending see
Other high -profile cryptographic personalities have also recently defended themselves to see. Kraken’s co -founder, Jesse Powell Similarly suggested That see was unjustly attacked and has urged the president of the United States, Donald Trump, to take note of the matter.
The creator of Silk Road, Ross Ulbricht, recently released from prison after a presidential forgiveness, also criticized The potential phrase to see. Ulbricht wrote: “No one should spend the rest of his life in prison for taxes.”
Elon Musk, meanwhile, He has argued That see should not be pardoned due to the fact that seeing previously his American citizenship. Musk’s position led to a generalized opposition from other commentators on the site.
The case against Ver continues
See was accused of tax fraud in April 2024. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) claimed that seeing had evaded almost $ 50 million in taxes related to capital profits in its acquisition and sale of assets, including Bitcoin (BTC).
Although seeing renounced its American citizenship in 2014, the Department of Justice states that it misrepresented its expatriation tax amounts and amounts related to two companies based in the United States.
Although the Department of Justice describes a maximum sentence that could be equivalent to life imprisonment, see has not been convicted or convicted of charges as of March 3, 2025.
At the end of April 2024, Ver was arrested in Spain and expected a possible extradition to the bail published in May 2024 and remained in Spain.
The legal team to see continues to fight against the case in court, after having presented a motion to dismiss the accusation in December. That motion cited unconstitutional fiscal rules and the selective use of evidence as reasons of the requested dismissal.
