On March 16, US President Donald Trump’s second ex-wife Marla Maples urged the US government to dismiss the prosecution against early
Bitcoin
investor and promoter,
Roger Ver
. Ver has been accused of defrauding the US government of $48 million by evading taxes.
After President Trump
pardoned Silk Road creator
Ross Ulbricht, a chorus of voices has risen in support of Ver too.
Last week, Ryan Fournier, co-founder of the youth group Students for Trump, shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) in support of Ver. The video highlighted the philanthropic efforts of ‘Bitcoin Jesus.’
Maples retweeted the video and commented, “Sharing more re the call to dismiss the prosecution against Roger Ver.” She also tagged Trump, tycoon and Trump’s senior advisor Elon Musk, US Attorney General Pam Bondi, and White House Counsel member Dave Warrington.
Maples is the latest in a series of high-profile figures who have voiced their support for Ver. Silk Road creator
Ross Ulbricht
, Ethereum co-founder
Vitalik Buterin
, and conservative political commentator
Tucker Carlson
have also extended their support to Ver.
In April 2024, the Department of Justice
charged Ver with
tax evasion among other charges. The authorities claimed that Ver defrauded the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) out of $48 million by failing to report capital gains on his sale of Bitcoin and other assets.
Authorities in Spain arrested Ver the same month based on the criminal charges in the US. Once he agreed to stay in the country, the court in Spain granted him bail. The US is seeking Ver’s extradition to stand trial in the country.
On Jan. 26, Ver
appealed to President Trump
for a pardon but the appeal has gone acknowledged so far.
However, Musk
opined
that since Ver has given up his US citizenship, he shouldn’t be pardoned. "Membership has its privileges," Musk added.