How “Bitcoin Jesus” Avoided Prison, Thanks to One of the “Friends of Trump”

ProPublicaCenter-LeftEN 13 min read 100% complete by Avi Asher-SchapiroJanuary 22, 2026 at 11:30 AM

AI Summary

long article 13 min

Roger Ver, known as "Bitcoin Jesus," avoided prison for tax evasion charges after securing a deal with the Justice Department under Donald Trump's leadership. Ver, who had renounced his U.S. citizenship and was living in Spain, was facing extradition and potential prison time for allegedly evading millions in taxes. He appealed to Trump for help via social media. Ultimately, Ver's legal team, which included attorneys with ties to Trump, negotiated a settlement where he paid $49.9 million, the approximate amount of the alleged tax evasion, without admitting guilt or serving time. The case highlights concerns about the erosion of white-collar crime enforcement during Trump's presidency and the influence of Trump-connected individuals in securing leniency for clients.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Mallorca 30% Spain 40% Department of Justice ×260% United States ×270% Donald Trump ×680% Roger Ver ×890%

Keywords

tax evasion 90% cryptocurrency 80% roger ver 80% donald trump 70% white-collar crime 70% justice department 60% political influence 50% extradition 50% prosecution 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

ProPublica

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

No topic relationship data available yet. This graph will appear once topic relationships have been computed.

tax evasion cryptocurrency roger ver donald trump white-collar crime justice department political influence extradition prosecution

Explore Full Topic Graph