Roger Ver

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Roger Ver
Ver, December 2016
Born1979 (age 45–46)
San Jose, California, U.S.
Nationality
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forPromoting Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash
MovementLibertarianism, anarcho-capitalism, Voluntaryism
Websiterogerver.com

Roger Keith Ver (born 1979) is an entrepreneur best known as the first investor in Bitcoin and the Bitcoin ecosystem. He was an early promoter of Bitcoin and Bitcoin-related startups and is sometimes known as "Bitcoin Jesus"[1] for his evangelism of cryptocurrency in its early days.[2][3]

While Ver has often been associated with Bitcoin Cash,[4] he has consistently emphasized that he supports any cryptocurrency that functions as "peer-to-peer cash", as originally cited in the Bitcoin whitepaper authored by Satoshi Nakamoto. He previously was CEO of Bitcoin.com, later becoming is Executive Chairman.[5]

In 2014, he renounced his United States citizenship after obtaining citizenship in Saint Kitts and Nevis. He has also acquired citizenship in Antigua and Barbuda (2020). In April 2024, he was indicted in the United States on tax-related charges, which he disputes.[6][7]

Early life and education

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Ver was born in 1979 in San Jose, California. He attended Valley Christian High School and then De Anza College for one year. He also completed one semester at Stanford University as a visiting student before leaving to pursue entrepreneurial ventures.

Career

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MemoryDealers.com

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From 1999 until 2012, Ver was the CEO of MemoryDealers.com, an online business that sold networking equipment.[8]

In 2000, he ran for the California State Assembly as a Libertarian Party candidate. During his campaign, he strongly criticized federal law enforcement agencies, referring to the ATF and FBI as "jack-booted thugs and murderers" for their role in the Waco Siege.[9]

Cryptocurrency

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Bitcoin and Early Investments

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Ver began investing in bitcoin in early 2011 when a single Bitcoin cost around $1 each.[10][11][2] His first investment was in Charlie Shrem’s Bitinstant, which allowed the company to hire its first designer and programmer.[12][13]

He went on to invest over $1 million in early Bitcoin startups, including:

  • Ripple (XRP) - where he was a co-founder and the second person ever involved after Jed McCaleb[14]
  • Blockchain.com - also as a co-founder, first investor, and second person ever involved after Ben Reeves[14]
  • BitPay - providing its initial seed funding[14]
  • Kraken - as the seed investor[15]

Bitcoin adoption

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2011 marked a year with substantial activity for Ver in his early Bitcoin evangelism and career. In 2011, Ver's company MemoryDealers became the first established business in the world to accept Bitcoin as payment.[16] Also, in this same year he co-founded the Silicon Valley Bitcoin Meetup, one of the earliest Bitcoin meetup groups worldwide, helping to organize events and expand awareness.[17] Ver began paying for national radio Bitcoin advertisements on the libertarian radio show Free Talk Live, which was aired on more than 100 radio stations. Ver additionally paid for the world's first Bitcoin billboard advertisement. It was posted along one of the busiest expressways in Silicon Valley. Lastly, in 2011, Ver made his now famous public "Bitcoin Bet" that Bitcoin would outperform gold, silver, platinum, and the US stock market by over one hundred times over the next two years.

He was also among the five founding members of the Bitcoin Foundation.[18]

Bitcoin philosophy and advocacy

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Ver has long promoted Bitcoin as a tool for economic freedom. In 2017, he helped lead the push for larger Bitcoin block sizes, supporting the Bitcoin XT project.

Although often linked to Bitcoin Cash, Ver has repeatedly clarified that he is not its creator. Instead, his role has been as a supporter of cryptocurrencies that function effectively as electronic cash. In contrast, he played active early roles in launching other cryptocurrencies, including Ripple (XRP) and what later became FIRO, by providing critical early funding and support.[19]

Mt. Gox

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In mid-2011, during Bitcoin's first major price crash, Ver and Jesse Powell assisted Mt. Gox with operational issues, helping the company to navigate technical and business challenges.[17]

CoinFLEX controversy

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In June 2022, the cryptocurrency exchange CoinFLEX halted withdrawals and publicly blamed Ver for an alleged $47 million debt. Ver has rejected these claims, stating that CoinFLEX itself defrauded him. He later sued the company, and a settlement confirmed over $100 million USD was owed to Ver.[20][21][22]

Published works

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In 2015, Digital Gold was published, highlighting the major role Ver had played in Bitcoin up to that time.

In 2024, Ver self-published the book Hijacking Bitcoin, a book detailing the history and evolution of Bitcoin.[23]

Personal life

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Ver describes himself as libertarian, anarcho-capitalist, and voluntaryist.[11][15][24] He has lived in multiple countries, including Japan (since 2006), Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua, and others.[25][24][26][27][28][29]

Ver has competed in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, earning a black belt and competing internationally.[30][31]

Philanthropy

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Roger Ver has made several significant donations to libertarian, civil liberties causes, privacy rights, and personal and economic freedom causes, including:

As well as significant donations to WikiLeaks and other free speech and free market, voluntaryist, and other aligned organizations.

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In 2002, Ver pleaded guilty to selling pyrotechnic products ("Pest Control Report 2000") on eBay without a proper license. He was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison.[15][25][33][34]

In April 2024, Ver was arrested in Spain on a U.S. indictment for alleged tax evasion. His attorneys have argued that the case violates constitutional protections, and extradition proceedings are ongoing.[35][36][37]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cheng, Evelyn (11 December 2017). "'Bitcoin Jesus' is 'really, really concerned' about the future of the digital currency". CNBC. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b Harjani, Ansuya (2 December 2013). "Meet 'Bitcoin Jesus,' a virtual currency millionaire". CNBC. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  3. ^ Picciotto, Rebecca (1 May 2024). "DOJ charges 'Bitcoin Jesus' with $48 million tax fraud, seeks extradition". CNBC. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  4. ^ Popper, Nathaniel (25 July 2017). "Some Bitcoin Backers Are Defecting to Create a Rival Currency". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  5. ^ "Bitcoin Cash Advocate Roger Ver Considers Launching Own Exchange". Bloomberg. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Lawyers for Silicon Valley's 'Bitcoin Jesus' say his tax case violates constitution". The Mercury News. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  7. ^ "'Bitcoin Jesus' Lawyers Say His Tax Case Violates Constitution". Bloomberg. Retrieved 31 December 2024 – via www.msn.com.
  8. ^ Farivar, Cyrus (1 August 2015). "Bitcoin investor who renounced US citizenship now can't get back in". ArsTechnica. Wired Media Group. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  9. ^ SmartVoter (3 February 2000). "Voter Information for Roger K Ver". League of Women Voters.
  10. ^ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  11. ^ a b Ver, Roger. "Biography". RogerVer.com. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  12. ^ Jeffries, Adrianne (13 December 2011). "Brooklyn-based Bitcoin Startup BitInstant Raises Seed Round". Observer. Observer Media. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  13. ^ Russell, Kyle (29 January 2014). "Meet The 'Bitcoin Millionaire' Arrested for Allegedly Helping Silk Road Launder $US1 Million". Business Insider Australia. Allure Media. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  14. ^ a b c Lunden, Ingrid. "With PayPal-like Ambitions for Bitcoin, BitPay Raises $2M Led by Founders Fund". TechCrunch. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  15. ^ a b c Clenfield, Jason; Alpeyev, Pavel (16 June 2014). "'Bitcoin Jesus' Calls Rich to Tax-free Tropical Paradise". Bloomberg. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  16. ^ McMillan, Robert (19 December 2013). "How Bitcoin Became the Honey Badger of Money". Wired. Conde Nast. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  17. ^ a b Vigna, Paul; Casey, Michael J. (2015). The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money Are Challenging the Global Economic Order. St. Martin's Press. pp. 178, 268. ISBN 978-1466873063. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  18. ^ Farivar, Cyrus (7 April 2015). "Bitcoin Foundation is 'effectively bankrupt,' board member says". ArsTechnica. Condé Nast. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  19. ^ Morris, David (8 January 2020). "In Cryptocurrency, It's Bitcoiners vs. Everyone Else". Fortune.com. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  20. ^ "Crypto Exchange CoinFlex to Issue Tokens After Withdrawal Freeze". Bloomberg.com. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  21. ^ FatManTerra. "Ver had a long on BCH, and the platform allowed him to run a deficit because he personally guaranteed he would pay them back". Twitter. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  22. ^ "Crypto Exchange CoinFlex Won't Resume Withdrawals as Planned". Bloomberg News. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  23. ^ Hijacking Bitcoin. Publishdrive Incorporated. 5 April 2024. ISBN 979-8-9894924-2-8. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  24. ^ a b Minsky, David (16 January 2015). "U.S. Won't Let 'Bitcoin Jesus' Who Renounced His Citizenship Come to Miami for Conference". Miami New Times (blog).
  25. ^ a b Sparkes, Matthew (7 January 2015). "Millionaire 'Bitcoin Jesus' denied entry to the US". Telegraph (UK).
  26. ^ Farivar, Cyrus (7 January 2015). "Bitcoin investor who renounced US citizenship now can't get back in: Roger Ver gave up US passport in favor of St. Kitts last year". Ars Technica.
  27. ^ "Initial Coin Offerings: A look at the future of the latest investing trend". ABC News. 7 October 2017.
  28. ^ "Quarterly Publication of Individuals, Who Have Chosen to Expatriate, as Required by Section 6039G". Federal Register. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  29. ^ "Antigua Government says Roger Ver's charges not related to his Antigua citizenship". Antigua News Room. 3 May 2024.
  30. ^ triforcebjj (31 May 2013), Roger Ver vs David Garmo in 2013 BJJ World Championships, retrieved 2 October 2018
  31. ^ "Roger Ver, World's First Investor in Bitcoin on His Passion for BJJ & Brown Belt". Bjj Eastern Europe. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2018.[dead link]
  32. ^ Bot, FEE org Web. "Roger Ver Gives FEE Highest-Valued Known Bitcoin Donation, Worth About $1 Million - FEE". fee.org. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  33. ^ "San Jose, California Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Explosives on eBay". U.S. Department of Justice, United States Attorney, Northern District of California. 2 May 2002. Archived from the original on 13 February 2015.
  34. ^ Raskin, Max (13 April 2013). "Meet the Bitcoin Millionaires". Bloomberg. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  35. ^ "Early Bitcoin Investor Charged with Tax Fraud". United States Department of Justice. 30 April 2024.
  36. ^ "'Bitcoin Jesus' Arrested in Spain for Evading U.S. Taxes". WSJ. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  37. ^ "Roger Ver's legal team moves to dismiss indictment citing government overreach". Fox News. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
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