In brief
- Crypto mogul Roger Ver—also known as "Bitcoin Jesus"—has reportedly sued Spain.
- U.S. authorities are seeking his extradition from Spain after alleging that he dodged paying taxes.
- Ver wouldn't comment on the lawsuit, but is campaigning to have the charges dropped.
Crypto entrepreneur Roger Ver—also known as "Bitcoin Jesus"—has reportedly sued Spain as one of the technology's earliest adopters fights extradition to the U.S. over tax evasion charges.
Bloomberg Law first reported that the crypto mogul filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights, claiming that the country violated his legal protections when it ruled that he should be sent to the U.S.
According to Bloomberg, which reviewed the lawsuit, Ver's legal team argued that the extradition order would amount to "illegitimate restrictions on his right to liberty." They further alleged in the filing that Spanish authorities failed to assess the legal "uncertainty and insecurity" surrounding the tax treatment of crypto in the U.S. during the period when the charges stem from.
Ver refused to comment on the matter to Decrypt or acknowledge the lawsuit.
Ver is facing jail time after the feds last year charged him with avoiding paying $50 million in taxes, along with alleged mail fraud and filing false tax returns. He has since embarked on a campaign to get the charges dropped.
The cryptocurrency entrepreneur was one of the earliest investors in top digital asset firms like Kraken, Ripple, and others, and gained the moniker "Bitcoin Jesus" because he was an early investor and reportedly used to give away digital coins for free.
But he then became known in the crypto space for promoting controversial BTC spinoff Bitcoin Cash, claiming it was the "real Bitcoin."
Ver, who served prison time in 2002 for selling explosives on eBay, renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2014 and became a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Spanish feds last year arrested Ver in Spain after U.S. authorities ordered his arrest, alleging that he sold Bitcoin in 2017 but had not informed the IRS about the gains he had made.
Ver previously told Decrypt that he was hopeful the campaign would help catch the attention of President Trump, who pardoned Bitcoin icon and Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht in January. Trump also later pardoned the founders of crypto exchange BitMEX, including outspoken crypto bull Arthur Hayes.
President Trump has been friendly towards the crypto space after receiving financial backing—and votes—from people in the industry. A number of SEC lawsuits and investigations against crypto firms have been scrapped since the Republican came to power.