Feds Corner Home Of Convicted Tax Evaders
U.S. Marshals Cut Phone, Power, Internet To N.H. Couple Who Won't Report To Prison
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The concrete home of Ed and Elaine Brown in Plainfield, N.H., Jan. 17, 2007. (AP)
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Half Hollow Dental Center in West Lebanon, N.H., owned by convicted tax evaders Ed and Elaine Brown of Plainfield, N.H., was seized by the U.S. Marshals Office on June 7, 2007. (AP)
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It's unclear what effect that has on Ed and Elaine Brown, who have solar and wind power generators at their 110-acre spread, where they have been holed up for months.
Authorities say they don't think the Browns' equipment is sufficient to keep the home running for long.
U.S. Marshal Steve Monier acknowledged Wednesday that waiting out the Browns could take months, but he said time was on authorities' side. He said he hoped prison would seem like an agreeable option for the Browns after a summer without air conditioning and possibly a winter without heat.
The Browns, who insist federal income tax laws are invalid, were sentenced to 5½ years in prison in April. They were also ordered to forfeit $215,890 to the government — the amount the government says the Browns purchased in small postal money orders in order to avoid paying income tax on Elaine Brown's dental practice income of $1.9 million between 1996 and 2003.
Authorities surrounded their property last week and cut its utilities this week.
"We have seized their phone and Internet service, and two days ago, we cut their power," Monier said. "It's a continuing effort to move them along to understand they need to do the right thing, and this is to surrender to us."
Monier said last week's heavy law enforcement presence was a surveillance mission. Ed Brown predicted then that authorities would try to take him by force.
But Monier said he has no interest in raiding the house or harming the Browns. He said he just wants justice served. "We are committed to ending this peacefully," he told a newspaper.
"It's unfortunate that the Browns are taking this position they have been throughout the process," Monier said. "There's been an outcome, and they need to surrender."
Monier told the Manchester Union Leader his office was flooded with telephone calls Tuesday — at one point as many as 200 an hour — after Web sites implored federal authorities to leave the couple alone and urged supporters to call the Marshals Service, the governor and sheriff.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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See all 125 CommentsThey're probably changing their minds on the issue right now
They're probably changing their minds on the issue right now
Society is based on people paying their fair share for general emergency services and government to exist. No government is perfect. If they think they can do it better surely they can afford an island where they can institute a no-tax government of their own.
I am so sick of people showing our youth that consequences can be avoided by finding the right loophole.
A country cannot be the best if only a small percentage of people are fighting for it to be the best.
This couple is not fighting on principle. They are calling themselves victims because they are selfish. A percentage of their money just so happens COULD make a difference to those on waiting lists for those emergency services we all pay into and eventually need.
Selfish people bankrupt a society and government coffers.
Posted by harp1963 at 12:20 PM : Jun 14, 2007
...don't forget about wesley snipes...oh wait...that would be a 'black-collar' crime, wouldn't it?
I think removing the income cap limit on Social Security contibutions would go a long way towards evening out the playing field.
Let it be peaceful. We're all supposed to pay our part in taxes. Once they walk or tunnel out to get more food, capture them. Jail 'em for life. And not for $1000/day like they are little Paris... or offshore her and them to another country's jail if it costs that much to do.
Posted by cathaleen at 01:03 PM : Jun 14, 2007
Or as some of us spell it,
ridiculous!
Pay your taxes, I pay mine. Who supports these law breakers? Total idiots, that's who.
They're probably changing their minds on the issue right now.
They're probably changing their minds on the issue right now.
U.S. Marshal Steve Monier "
Ahem, yeah, like Waco, Branch Dividians, who else hmmm?
" who have solar and wind power generators at their 110-acre spread, where they have been holed up for months."
"Authorities say they don't think the Browns' equipment is sufficient to keep the home running for long."
"He said he hoped prison would seem like an agreeable option for the Browns after a summer without air conditioning and possibly a winter without heat."
LOL, well, they may be surprised, that's number one, number two- people before 1900 didnt HAVE air conditioning, it wasn't invented yet and people lived just fine without air conditiong, phone, OR electric which wasn't invented till the mid 1800's
If they are that type, they'll have a ton of guns, apocalyptic dreams of fighting off a horde of government agents, and a near suicidal dream of that happening. So, in some ways, better to starve them out. Kick back and wait for them to get tired of no power, no communications, and losing their business that funded all of this.
Yes it will cost a lot of money to put them prison, but not doing so will encourage thousands or millions others not to pay their taxes, and end up costing the gov't much more.
People years ago lived without power, phone and internet access.......they could be in for a very long wait
That sounds like an EXCELLENT idea......the 2nd American Revolution.....not a shot fired. We need to do something to get our country back from these lousy, inept politicians!
They won't do it!
Never trust the government, Germans trusted their government in the 1930's and we should all know what happened there.
It's cruel and unusual punishment, I tells ya!!!! Where's the ACLU???? It's TORTURE!!!! They are TORTURING American citizens!!!!!!
OUR FASCIST GOVERNMENT.
Every word spoken by the Police is a LIE. Don't support the Fascist Government? Go to jail. Don't go to jail? You get killed. Wacked.
We are all SLAVES in America. The Land of the "Free". Nazi America.
Mr. Brown said he would write the feds a check for the entire amount--if they would SHOW HIM THE LAW THAT SAYS HE HAS TO FILE A TAX RETURN-- neither the black-robed ambulance chaser on the federal bench, nor the minions of the IRS would do so. Why?
While they are surrounding his home, the Washington Regime is calling for tax amnesty for the illegals, amnesty for drug gang members, amnesty for child rapists and other felons.
If you think the government is going to 'protect' you, you must have missed the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, where FEMA cut emergency phone lines and soldiers conducted gun seizure operations in virtually unaffected neighborhoods as well as preventing the entry of supplies into the area.
EVERYONE THAT WANTS TO HELP WITH THIS SHOULD BE TALKING TO ALL MEDIA OUTLETS AND TELLING THEM THAT AMERICANS ARE READY TO TAKE WASHINGTON ON AND ITS NOT A FEW AMERICANS ITMILLIONS OF AMERICANS THAT WILL TAKE BACK THERE COUNTRY..
I AM WILLING TO GIVE MY BLOOD FOR ALL AMERICANS TO GET OUR COUNTRY BACK TO WHAT OUR FORFATHERS WANTED.
AM A VET AND AM READY TO TAKE CHARGE OF THIS AMERICAN BOYCOT/COOP IF WE THE PEOPLE DONT DO THIS NOW WE WILL BE GIVENING UP ON OUR CONSTITUTION AND WHAT ALL OUR VET HAVE DIED FOR..
DAVID A BELANGER,VET US ARMY,for-america@hotmail.com
ok so wants to join in on this great american REVOLUTION
they cant kill millions of americans at once so if we charge them all at once we will win and take them out and hang them all..
just like in the old days of the west...hang them from the trees in front of the whitehouse and see how many start telling the truth about what they have done to all us americans..
if the american NOW dont stand up and start a NATIONAL REVOUTION ON THIS WASHINGTON BULL S/H/I/T/ THEN we as TRUE AMERICANS can say nothing!!!
its time to take all this *** and take our government back now..
they are the ones that started this and we will finnish it now..we the people will take our country back and everyone in washington can sit there and thinks we the people are ok with what they are doing..go ahead and let them think that we are comming to take them out
Of course, the penalty for refusing to volunteer can be fairly severe.
If these people do not surrender and voluatarily pay their taxes, the government will murder them.
Volunteer appears to mean something far different in government speak than it does to normal people. Kind of like using the word "volunteer" to describe soldiers who receive pay & benefits. They should be called "employees," not "volunteers."
Posted by fascistusa at 01:47 PM : Jun 14, 2007
We are indeed.
And, the darkly humorous part is that Americans enslaved themselves.
The government owns everything in the US, including our lives. Those who claim we are free have a very limited view of freedom.
Prisoners are free to wander around their cells as much as they want. And, that is the type of "freedom" Americans have.
And, like prisoners, some of us are more free than others, but no one is totally free from government intrusion.
VOTE FOR RON PAUL in 2008! www.ronpaul2008.com
"He's your only hope"
- Princess Leia
VOTE FOR RON PAUL in 2008! www.ronpaul2008.com
"He's your only hope"
- Princess Leia
our entire goverment is corrupt and disgusting. taxes are disgusting and anybody who thinks rich people get a break and the poor middle class pays too much is brain dead. buy a calculator.
we wont fix this, every adult in this country will die one day and when we do, this embarassment we call a government will still be here.
I would think you people would be more pis_ed off about that then some minor taxes you pay for national defense and keeping the sick and elderly barely scraping by.
Course since huge amounts of our taxes go to the Energy companies and bribes, im not happy about the waste and fraud going on.
POSTED by TUCKERNDFW at 02:24 PM : Jun 14, 2007
THANK YOU,
your statement is exactly why I hate the Democrat Party.
All liberals want to do is have Big Government get bigger.
(nationalizing health care, energy, education, etc.)
THANK YOU, tuckerfdnw
And, show us the law that says you must file and that overturns the legal definition of income.
There is no difference between Dems & Repubs.
They are both controlled by slave owners. The only difference between the two is how they go about exempting slave owners from the law while ensuring slaves are provided with amusement or other diversions so they do not rebel against their owners.
Dems & Repubs both harshly punish disobedient, rebellious slaves and exempt slave owners from any known laws.
Anyone who supports either political party supports slavery. Tragic that there are so many incredibly stupid people who seriously believe there is any real difference between the two parties.
That's right, extortion.
They won't do it!
Posted by GunOwnerDan
There was a time when tariffs on trade supplied all the income necessary for the operation of the government. If we brought those back though, how would the cheap labor, outsourcing CEOs sleep at night?
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