A man from Skellefteå has been sentenced to prison for serious tax evasion related to cryptocurrency transactions, according to SVT Västerbotten. The 60-year-old man was convicted for failing to pay 40 million kronor in taxes on cryptocurrency profits from 2019.
The man was acquitted on five other counts of serious tax evasion covering the period 2018-2023. Prosecutors had alleged he failed to pay taxes on profits totaling 107 million kronor during that period.
He stated he started with Bitcoin in 2008 as a fun activity and contacted the Swedish Tax Agency in 2013 for clarification on tax obligations but received no response.
Senior prosecutor Linnea Hedström of the Swedish Economic Crime Authority stated, "It's leaning toward that I will appeal," expressing dissatisfaction that the man was only convicted on one of the six charges. She noted that the man had claimed he believed being registered in Georgia was sufficient to avoid Swedish taxes, but countered that Swedish tax regulations clearly require taxation of cryptocurrency profits.
The man was arrested at Amsterdam airport by Dutch police in November after being internationally wanted. He told the court he began trading Bitcoin as "a fun thing" in 2008 and had contacted the Swedish Tax Agency in 2013 for clarification on tax obligations but received no response.
He argued he had no intent to commit crimes, and the court accepted this explanation for the acquitted cases.
Skellefteå District Court sentenced the man to 3 years and 9 months in prison and ordered him to pay over 43 million kronor in additional taxes. Defense lawyer Jens Lindborg said they would discuss the verdict with their client before deciding on an appeal, which must be filed within three weeks.