Marla Maples, who was previously married to US President Donald Trump, has lent her voice in support of dismissing the federal case against early Bitcoin proponent Roger Ver, often referred to as “Bitcoin Jesus.”
In a post on X dated March 16, Maples expressed her views, sharing a video produced by a group advocating for Ver’s cause while tagging both Trump and Elon Musk, along with US Attorney General Pam Bondi.
In April 2024, the Department of Justice brought charges against Ver, claiming he committed mail fraud, tax evasion, and filed false tax returns. The accusations include failing to disclose his Bitcoin holdings when renouncing his US citizenship in 2014, which allegedly defrauded the IRS out of $48 million due to unreported gains.
Maples and Trump originally crossed paths in the mid-1980s during his first marriage to Ivana Trump and were married from 1993 to 1999. Throughout her life, she has been actively involved in philanthropic efforts, advocating for various charities and causes.
She appears to maintain a supportive relationship with Trump, who is the father of their daughter, Tiffany Trump. Maples was present at Trump’s inauguration and mentioned in an interview with the London Evening Standard in July that she was “open to whatever way that I can serve” the then-presidential contender.
Maples is among multiple prominent figures calling for an end to the prosecution of Ver, joining the ranks of Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the online black market Silk Road, who received a pardon from Trump in January after facing a double life sentence.
Ver has reached out to Trump for a pardon, asserting that he is being unfairly targeted and is a victim of “lawfare.”
While neither Trump nor the White House has publicly responded to Ver’s request, Musk, who is known for his cost-cutting initiatives, stated in a January post on X that Ver “gave up his US citizenship. No pardon for Ver. Membership has its privileges.”
Related: Roger Ver’s plea for a Trump pardon: A victim of ‘lawfare’ or a tax evader?
At the time of the US indictment, Ver was arrested in Spain while awaiting extradition but was later released on bail under the condition he remain in the country.
In December, he filed a motion to dismiss the charges, arguing that they are unconstitutional and asserting that the IRS’s “exit tax” for renounced citizens is “inscrutably vague” as applied to cryptographic assets.
Inquiries have been made to Maples for her comments.
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