Tax crusader Irwin Schiff found guilty on all counts

[Kat Kanning]

Tax crusader Irwin Schiff found guilty on all counts
Faces possible 43 years in prison, $3.25 million in fines for evasion
Posted: October 25, 2005
2:50 a.m. Eastern


? 2005 WorldNetDaily.com


Irwin Schiff seen promoting his book, 'The Federal Mafia: How the Government Illegally Imposes and Unlawfully Collects Income Taxes'

Irwin Schiff, the Nevada man who has made a career out of telling Americans that payment of federal income taxes is voluntary instead of mandatory, was convicted on all 13 counts by a federal jury in Las Vegas yesterday.

Among the charges he faced was income tax evasion and of filing false tax returns for the years 1997 through 2002.

"People who evade their tax obligations, or encourage or enable others to do so, are cheating all law-abiding taxpayers," said Eileen O'Connor, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Tax Division.

This marks the third time Schiff, who served as his own attorney during the five-week trial, has been convicted of tax-related offenses.

"Paying taxes is the price of citizenship. After three strikes, I would hope that even Schiff realizes that he has struck out," said Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Mark Everson.

Schiff, 77, faces a maximum sentence of 43 years in prison and $3.25 million in fines, and was ordered held without bail until his sentencing Jan. 20.

His co-defendant, Cynthia Neun, 52, faces up to 50 years and $3.3 million in fines for her conviction on 15 of 16 counts, including conspiracy, tax evasion, aiding in the filing of fraudulent tax returns.

Another co-defendant, Lawrence Cohen, 65, was found guilty of one count of aiding in the filing of fraudulent tax returns and acquitted on three other counts of the same charge, and of conspiracy.

For years, Schiff has been holding seminars and selling books such as "The Federal Mafia: How the Government Illegally Imposes and Unlawfully Collects Income Taxes" and "The Great Income Tax Hoax: Why You Can Immediately Stop Paying This Illegally Enforced Tax."

He believes the federal tax code doesn't require U.S. citizens to pay income tax, and contends the IRS has no legal authority to seize property.

In June of this year, as WorldNetDaily reported, a former IRS agent who believes citizens are not required to pay federal income taxes was acquitted on charges he attempted to defraud the government.


Joseph Banister

Joseph Banister, a certified public accountant in San Jose, Calif., had been telling his clients they don't need to file federal income tax returns because the 16th Amendment, which gives Congress "power to lay and collect taxes on incomes," was never properly ratified.

A jury in the U.S. District Court in Sacramento found him not guilty on a charge of conspiracy to defraud the government and on all three counts of aiding and assisting the filing of false tax returns for a client.

Banister's attorney, Robert Bernhoft, told WorldNetDaily the result has no direct bearing on the legitimacy of the 16th Amendment, but he insisted the implications are bigger than the issue of taxes.

"The outcome shows that average, law-abiding, hard-working citizens are not going to criminalize speech ? they're not going to send a man to prison for asking the federal government serious questions about a serious subject," he said.

[polyanarch]

Kangaroo courts.

Sounds like business as usual.

[Dreepa]

I mean, did Mike Fisher think he WASN'T going to be arrested for his protest after he told everyone under the sun that he was doing it? Sheesh.

First we elect a libertarian govenor, then we tell the Fed's to go fuck themselves...not before...

Sure.. but WTF does that have to do with Taxes and Irwin Schiff?

[Lloyd Danforth]

I'm not sure about the Governor part, but, I think he meant that prostelising non payment of taxes is a ?'shoe in' for a stay in a federal prison.
I'm pretty sure Irwin was edging on insanity when I knew him 30 years ago, when he lived in CT.
Some years ago he took the Fed's option of a stay in an institution to avoid prison.
If repeating the same actions expecting different results is the definition of insanity, then he fits the bill.
Yah, I know. ?He's a fucking Hero!

[Lloyd Danforth]

And a legislature that will back she or he up!

[Russell Kanning]

Why didn't the feds throw me in jail, when I told them I don't pay?

[Lloyd Danforth]

Why don't you write a book and go on the road telling others not to pay their taxes and see what happens?


Don't forget to mention you're in the FSP

[Dreepa]

I'm pretty sure Irwin was edging on insanity when I knew him 30 years ago, when he lived in CT.

Some say that not paying taxes was all Lloyd's idea in the first place.

[AlanM]

I'm pretty sure Irwin was edging on insanity when I knew him 30 years ago, when he lived in CT.

Some say that not paying taxes was all Lloyd's idea in the first place.

That's what I heard. 

[Russell Kanning]

I can't write a whole book.

[Caleb]

"Don't Pay Your Taxes"
By Russell Kanning

A One sentence tome by Mr. Kanning is raising eyebrows around the country.? Critics say that Mr. Kanning's book, consisting entirely of one sentence "don't pay your taxes" would be better written as a haiku.? Mr. Kanning responded that he considered the "haiku option" but found that he was missing a sufficient number of syllables.? ?

But critics say that is no excuse.? Traditional Haikus have seventeen syllables in three lines.? The first and last lines consist of five syllables, and the middle line consists of seven syllables.? Mr. Kannings tome consists of only five syllables total.? However, Hitachi Matsorishi of the American Haiku Insititute insists that Mr. Kanning could have modified it to fit the Haiku form.

"If Kanning-san wished to write Haiku, he could have done so.
? ? ?Taxes are evil.
? ? ?They claim property not theirs
? ? ?Use it to fight war.
If a simple Japanese man like me can come up with Haiku Kanning-san's ideas ... how much more so could an artist like Kanning-san?? His excuse is weak."

Kanning was unavailable for comment.

[Michael Fisher]

It is blatantly dishonest to say the income tax is unconstitutional or illegal when everyone knows it is legal.? The constitution is highly flawed and everyone knows it.? Just because you don't like it, that doesn't make it "illegal".? These people just try to use legal technicalities to get out of paying taxes but they fail to communicate the main point that taxation is theft.

If you're going to refuse to pay taxes, at least do it with an honest, righteous purpose, like Russell.

[Dreepa]

It is blatantly dishonest to say the income tax is unconstitutional or illegal when everyone knows it is.? The constitution is highly flawed and everyone knows it.?

Not everyone knows it.  In fact most people in the US can't find the US on a map let alone tell you what is in the constitution.

[Kat Kanning]

OMG, Caleb, that was funny!

[Russell Kanning]

Mr. Kanning was unavailable for comment.

That was painfully funny....and you are correct my dad was not available for comment.