Roger Ver
Born 1979 · Age 46
Entrepreneur and early Bitcoin investor/promoter (aka 'Bitcoin Jesus'), later Bitcoin Cash advocate; founder/operator of MemoryDealers, Bitcoin.com and early backer of many crypto startups. Renounced U.S. citizenship in 2014; indicted for tax evasion in 2024.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in San Jose, California
Roger Keith Ver was born in San Jose, California.
Attended Valley Christian High School (graduation year approx.)
Attended Valley Christian High School in San Jose area prior to college.
Enrolled at De Anza College
Attended De Anza College (studied economics, math, astronomy) for approximately one year (1997–1999 per sources).
Studied physics at Stanford (per his website)
Roger Ver has said he studied physics at Stanford in 1998 (reported on his website).
Bought and Stored Explosives (period)
Between Jan 1999 and Aug 2000 he bought/possessed ~49 pounds of 'Pest Control Report 2000' firecracker materials later deemed explosives by DOJ.
Founded MemoryDealers.com
Started MemoryDealers.com, an online reseller of memory, transceivers and networking equipment; served as CEO.
Ran for California State Assembly (Libertarian)
Attempted to enter politics as a Libertarian Party candidate for the California State Assembly (2000 race).
Arrested for selling explosives
Arrested by U.S. authorities for dealing in explosive materials sold via eBay (related to Pest Control Report 2000).
Pled guilty to explosives charges; federal sentence
Pled guilty to selling and mailing explosive materials without license; sentenced to 10 months in federal prison.
Reached millionaire status from MemoryDealers success
By age ~25 he had become a millionaire from his computer parts business (MemoryDealers).
Founded Agilestar.com (fiber-optic transceivers)
Founded Agilestar.com (sold fiber-optic transceivers globally); reported run 2004–2018.
Moved to Japan and obtained residence
Relocated to Japan (maintained residence there as of later reports).
Estimated accumulation of large BTC holdings (early 2010s)
By some estimates he accumulated more than 400,000 BTC in the early 2010s (figures are contested; holdings likely redistributed over time).
Began investing in Bitcoin (early adopter)
First started investing in bitcoin in early 2011 when BTC was under $1; became an evangelist and early backer of many crypto startups.
MemoryDealers.com first to accept Bitcoin
MemoryDealers became one of the first companies to accept bitcoin payments (2011).
Seed investment in BitInstant (first bitcoin startup investment)
Invested in Charlie Shrem’s BitInstant (his first announced bitcoin startup investment); funds allowed the company to hire staff.
Attempted to re-establish Mt. Gox during June 2011 crash
With Jesse Powell attempted to help re-establish Mt. Gox during the June 2011 bitcoin-price crash.
Major early investments into Bitcoin startups
Invested over $1M into various bitcoin startups (investments reported in 2011–2013) including Ripple, Blockchain.com, BitPay and Kraken.
Co‑founded the Bitcoin Foundation
One of five founders of the Bitcoin Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at promoting Bitcoin and restoring confidence after early scandals.
Launched Bitcoinstore.com
Launched Bitcoinstore.com, a large online retailer that accepted bitcoin for thousands of items (2012).
Organized Sunnyvale Bitcoin meetups
Organized local Bitcoin community meetups in Sunnyvale, CA as part of grassroots adoption efforts.
Competed in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu championships
Took part in BJJ competitions (e.g., 2013 match vs David Garmo) and later attained ranks such as brown belt (reported by 2017 interviews).
Donated >$1M in Bitcoin to Foundation for Economic Education
Late 2013 donation of more than $1 million worth of bitcoin to libertarian think-tank FEE.
Guest on Fox Business
Appeared as a guest on Fox Business to discuss Bitcoin (April 2013 appearance).
Published video defending Mt. Gox (July 17, 2013)
Released video attributing Mt. Gox withdrawal problems to banking system; Mt. Gox collapsed ~7 months later.
Publicly prominent during Bitcoin media coverage
Featured in multiple high-profile stories in 2013 as a leading Bitcoin advocate (e.g., Wired, Bloomberg coverage).
Email account hacked and ransom attempt
An old email account of Ver's was hacked and used in a failed bitcoin ransom attempt (May 2014).
Became citizen of Saint Kitts and Nevis; renounced U.S. citizenship
Obtained St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship and renounced U.S. citizenship in 2014, citing libertarian beliefs and tax opposition.
Gained control of bitcoin.com domain and created Bitcoin.com company
Gained control of bitcoin.com in April 2014 and used the domain to build services around Bitcoin/BCH.
U.S. visa later approved by Tokyo embassy
Later in 2015 the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo approved his visa; he subsequently visited the U.S. to speak at conferences.
Denied U.S. visa at Barbados embassy
U.S. embassy in Barbados denied him a visa to reenter the U.S. for a conference (Jan 2015) citing insufficient ties outside U.S.
Hosted large Bitcoin AMA on Reddit
Hosted what was reported as the largest bitcoin AMA on Reddit in late 2015 to engage community and promote adoption.
Paid Bitcoin.com team in BTC (reported)
Reports indicate in 2016–2017 his Bitcoin.com team (~40 people) were paid in bitcoin and ran without traditional bank accounts.
Appointed chairman, Cryptocurrency Advisory Board at MGT Capital
In June 2016 appointed chair of Cryptocurrency Advisory Board for MGT Capital (John McAfee-led cybersecurity firm).
Became vocal critic of Bitcoin developers; advocated larger block size
Expressed concerns about Bitcoin's future amid speculation and pushed for larger block size and hard-fork approaches to scaling.
Publicly said he was 'really, really concerned' about Bitcoin's future
In interviews in 2017 he said Bitcoin's speculative direction risked damaging its utility as money and promoted BCH as the solution.
Bitcoin Cash hard fork launched (BCH)
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) was created as a hard fork of Bitcoin on Aug 1, 2017; Ver became a leading proponent of BCH.
Backed SegWit2x and spoke at conferences
Appeared on Bloomberg and Max Keiser Report in Sept 2017 and backed SegWit2x before it was called off.
Name published in Federal Quarterly Expatriate List (Q1 2018)
His name appeared in the U.S. Federal Register 'Quarterly Publication of Individuals Who Have Chosen to Expatriate' (Q1 2018).
Fortune 'Ledger 40 under 40' recognition (ranked)
Fortune placed him on a Ledger '40 under 40' list (reported rank #36 in some outlets in 2018).
Bitcoin Cash split into BCH ABC and BSV
On Nov 15, 2018 BCH forked into BCH ABC (backed by Ver) and BSV (backed by Craig Wright); led to community feuds and litigation.
Denied Australian visa
Reportedly denied a visa to travel to Australia in 2019 (visa/entry issues continued after renunciation).
Reported value of his Bitcoin holdings (reported figure)
Some reporting cited the (then) worth of his bitcoin holdings at about $179 million (2019 figure cited by Investopedia for his BTC holdings specifically).
Publicly accused by some of manipulating social media/threads (community disputes)
Over many years he faced community accusations (vote manipulation, buying social accounts, censorship claims) tied to the Bitcoin/BCH disputes.
Stepped down as Bitcoin.com CEO; became Executive Chairman
On 1 August 2019 he transitioned from CEO of Bitcoin.com to Executive Chairman.
Obtained citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda
Became a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda in 2020, adding to his St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship.
Donated $2M in Bitcoin Cash to Foundation for Economic Education
Donated ~ $2 million worth of BCH to FEE (reported 2021 donation).
CoinFLEX pauses withdrawals after liquidity crisis linked to Ver
CoinFLEX paused withdrawals on 23 Jun 2022 after a counterparty later named as Roger Ver failed to meet a margin call; initial reported shortfall $47M.
CoinFLEX claimed larger exposure (reported later)
By April 2023 some reports revised the figure of Ver's exposure/owed amount to CoinFLEX to about $84M (reported by exchanges/press).
Fought U.S. extradition in Spain
Following arrest in Spain, Ver is fighting extradition to the U.S. and his legal team sought dismissal on constitutional grounds (late 2024 filings).
DOJ alleges $48M tax liability
U.S. prosecutors allege Ver failed to pay at least $48 million in taxes related to sales of bitcoin assets (charge in April 2024 indictment).
Self-published book 'Hijacking Bitcoin'
Published 'Hijacking Bitcoin' (self-published), chronicling his perspective on Bitcoin's history and the BCH split.
Arrested in Spain at U.S. request
Reported arrest by Spanish authorities on or about 28 April 2024 following a U.S. indictment alleging tax fraud/evasion.
Indicted by U.S. DOJ for tax fraud/evasion
U.S. Department of Justice indicted Roger Ver (April 30, 2024) on counts including tax evasion and fraud; DOJ alleged at least ~$48M unpaid taxes related to BTC sales.
Attorneys filed motions to dismiss indictment (Dec 2024)
In December 2024 his legal team filed motions to dismiss the U.S. indictment arguing government overreach; Ver remained in Spain fighting extradition.
Elon Musk inquires about presidential pardon
In Jan 2025 Elon Musk tweeted that he had asked Donald Trump about possibly pardoning Ver; Musk later said 'No pardon' because Ver had renounced U.S. citizenship.
Paid Roger Stone $600,000 to lobby on his behalf
Reportedly paid political consultant Roger Stone $600,000 (April 2025) to lobby regarding law he was charged with violating.
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