In a significant development, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged and arrested early Bitcoin investor, Roger Ver, also known as 'Bitcoin Jesus', for alleged tax evasion amounting to $50 million. The indictment, unsealed on April 29, accuses Ver of filing false tax returns and committing mail fraud and tax evasion between 2011 and 2017 through his companies, MemoryDealers Inc. and Agilestar Inc.

Ver, who began purchasing thousands of Bitcoin (BTC) in 2011, had acquired approximately 131,000 BTC by February 2014, trading on several crypto exchanges for about $871 each. The DOJ alleges that Ver provided misleading information to U.S. authorities, concealing the number of bitcoins he owned.

In 2014, Ver renounced his U.S. citizenship and obtained one in the Caribbean country St. Kitts and Nevis. Despite this, the DOJ states that Ver was required to report capital gains from the sale of his assets, including bitcoins, and pay an exit tax on his capital gains. However, Ver allegedly failed to comply with these requirements.

The U.S. government is set to commence the process of Ver's extradition to the U.S. to face trial for the allegations against him. Despite this setback, the overall market sentiment remains optimistic, reflecting the resilience and potential of the blockchain industry.