Christopher Kise Secures Nonprosecution Deal For Roger Ver

Christopher Kise negotiated a deferred prosecution agreement that allowed Roger Ver to avoid criminal charges and prison in exchange for a $49.9 million payment, Justice Department records show.

The agreement resolved an eight-year tax probe that produced a 2024 indictment accusing Ver of evading nearly $50 million and owning 130,664 bitcoin, prosecutors allege.

The Justice Department touted the deal as a win through associate deputy attorney general Ketan Bhirud's press release, but a current DOJ official familiar with the case called it 'stinks to high heaven,' officials said.

The resolution came after the department dissolved its criminal tax unit, amid a 25% drop in tax prosecutions and the departure of more than one-third of 80 experienced tax prosecutors, records show.

Defense lawyers said the Ver outcome prompted more clients to seek 'Friends of Trump' advocates like Christopher Kise and could spur congressional or inspector general scrutiny, according to interviews and court records.