Roger Ver, an early bitcoin (BTC) investor who was once known as “Bitcoin Jesus” for his support of the cryptocurrency, was indicted for alleged tax fraud last year and could be sentenced to life in prison.
Now, many industry veterans are coming to his support, including Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, who called the potential sentence “absurd.”
“Going to prison for the rest of your life over non-violent tax offenses is absurd,” Buterin said on a social media post. “The case against Roger seems very politically motivated; like with Ross Ulbricht, there have been plenty of people and corporations who have been accused of far worse and yet faced sentences far milder than what Roger is facing.”
His words come after Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to life in prison for creating the darknet marketplace and later pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump, showed support for Ver, saying no one should “spend the rest of their life in prison over taxes.”
Similarly, Kraken founder Jesse Powell has argued in Ver’s defense. “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.”
Ver and his legal team are challenging the case, arguing that the charges brought against him are politically motivated.