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Roger Ver is back in the headlines for a reason that feels straight out of crypto theater. The man once called "Bitcoin Jesus" has suddenly shot to the top of Polymarket’s betting boards, with traders giving him a 23% chance of being the next high-profile figure to get a pardon in 2025. That is more than double Sam Bankman-Fried’s 9% and even higher than Diddy’s 14%.
For those who missed the early days of the crypto market, Ver was one of Bitcoin’s earliest and loudest believers. He spent years promoting BTC when hardly anyone cared, then turned into the face of Bitcoin Cash after the infamous split in 2017.
More importantly, he owned Bitcoin.com, backed countless startups and earned a reputation as both a true believer and a constant agitator.
The legal troubles came later. U.S. prosecutors accused him of ducking taxes after he gave up his American passport back in 2014. They said he concealed assets, costing the government millions.
The law hurdles dragged on for nearly a decade until earlier this year, when Ver agreed to pay almost $50 million in back taxes, penalties and interest. That deal kept him out of prison, but it also carved a big chunk out of his fortune.
Binance founder receives pardon; Ver next?
The timing of Ver’s odds surge is not random. Just yesterday, CZ confirmed he had been granted a pardon, thanking U.S. leadership for "supporting innovation and fairness" and vowing to help push Web3 forward worldwide.
That announcement shook the market, and there are now speculations that Zhao may eventually become the official CEO of Binance again. He had ceded his "throne" to Richard Teng, who was previously head of compliance at the world's biggest crypto exchange.
So, Ver looks set to remain a central character in crypto’s ongoing soap opera. Whether he follows CZ’s path or not, "Bitcoin Jesus" has a way of staying right where the drama is.
Dan Burgin
Vladislav Sopov
U.Today Editorial Team