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Roger Ver
Kittitian-Antiguan promoter of Bitcoin (born 1979) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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 its 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]
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Early life and education
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
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
Bitcoin and Early Investments
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:
Bitcoin adoption
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
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
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
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]
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Published works
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
Roger Ver has made several significant donations to libertarian, civil liberties causes, privacy rights, and personal and economic freedom causes, including:
- Over $3 million to the Foundation for Economic Education[32]
- Over $1 million to organizations supporting an end to the War on drugs
- Over $1 million in seed funding to help start the Brownstone Institute
- Over $0.5 million to AntiWar.com
As well as significant donations to WikiLeaks and other free speech and free market, voluntaryist, and other aligned organizations.
Legal issues
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]
On October 14, 2025, Ver reached a resolution with the U.S. Department of Justice by entering into a deferred prosecution agreement to settle federal tax charges. As part of the agreement, Ver paid approximately $49.9 million in back taxes, penalties, and interest. The government subsequently dismissed the indictment against him.[38][39][40]
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See also
References
External links
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