Ross Ulbricht, the Silk Road founder recently pardoned by Donald Trump, joined calls to support Roger Ver, nicknamed “Bitcoin Jesus” for his early promotion of cryptocurrency, who is facing tax fraud charges in the United States.

“Roger Ver was there for me when I was down and needed help. Now Roger needs our support,” Ulbricht said on X, adding that “no one should spend the rest of their life in prison over taxes.”

Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the darknet marketplace Silk Road who was recently pardoned by former President Donald Trump, has joined calls to support Roger Ver, who is facing tax fraud charges in the United States.

Ver, known as "Bitcoin Jesus" for his early promotion of cryptocurrency, was arrested in Spain in April 2024 while attending a crypto conference. He is awaiting extradition to the U.S., where he faces up to 109 years in prison for crimes he insists he did not commit, alleging he is a victim of politically motivated “lawfare.”

"Roger Ver was there for me when I was down and needed help. Now Roger needs our support,” Ulbricht said on X, a decentralized social media platform. “No one should spend the rest of their life in prison over taxes.”

Ver's campaign draws parallels to Trump's recent pardon of Ulbricht, but reactions from the crypto community remain polarized. Some sympathize with Ver's claims, while others argue he deserves to face legal consequences.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk dismissed the plea, pointing out Ver's 2014 renouncement of U.S. citizenship and declaring, "No pardon for Ver." Following Musk's tweets, prediction market Polymarket materially lowered Ver's odds of receiving a pardon.

The U.S. Treasury alleges that Ver failed to report his full assets, including Bitcoin holdings, to avoid paying exit taxes upon renouncing his citizenship. Additional accusations claim his businesses in the U.S. failed to meet tax obligations after his departure.

Ver counters that these charges are part of a broader effort to suppress his promotion of Bitcoin and its disruptive potential.

Ver's supporters draw comparisons to Ulbricht's case, framing both as victims of overreach by U.s. authorities. Critics, however, note key differences. Ulbricht already served a decade of a life sentence before receiving clemency, whereas Ver has not yet faced trial. Additionally, Ulbricht has shown remorse for his involvement in Silk Road, while Ver insists he's innocent and keeps questioning the legitimacy of the charges against him.

Ver's contributions to the cryptocurrency ecosystem are widely acknowledged, but his hardline stance against cooperation with government investigations and refusal to settle with the IRS fueled skepticism. Some suggest Ver's unwillingness to pay what he owes could be a matter of principle—or simply a lack of liquidity.

While Ulbricht was serving two life sentences for running Silk Road—a punishment widely seen as excessive—Ver's case involves tax evasion, which some view differently.

Ver's past controversies, including his role in the “Blocksize Wars” that led to the Bitcoin-Bitcoin Cash split, also divided opinions within the crypto community.

Meanwhile, Trump's stance on crypto and pardons is fueling speculation. According to Polymarket, Ver has a 10% chance of receiving a Trump pardon within the first 100 days of the new administration. This puts him behind whistleblowers Edward Snowden and Julian Assange, but ahead of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, whose parents are also reportedly seeking clemency for their son.