Posted on 02/26/2006 12:04:05 AM PST by XR7
Anti-tax crusader and author Irwin Schiff has been sentenced to more than 13 years in federal prison for advising people that no U-S law requires them to pay income tax -- and for contempt of court during trial.
The 78-year-old Schiff used his sentencing to again declare his innocence -- accusing what he called a "fascist" government of trying to stifle his truth.
His lawyer pleaded for leniency -- arguing that Schiff is mentally ill. But U-S District Court Judge Kent Dawson in Las Vegas used against Schiff his own witness stand boast that he'd helped thousands of followers legally avoid paying two (B) Billion dollars in taxes.
Schiff took people's money and left them holding the bag, the judge said. Schiff is the author of "The Federal Mafia: How the Government Illegally Imposes and Unlawfully Collects Income Taxes" a book the government has banned as fraudulent commercial speech. He promised to appeal.
Any FReepers out there still believe this guy?
His website still touts his message that you can legally not pay taxes.
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
Just 13 years?
Enron left a lot of people holding the bag as well. How many years did their corporate executives get?
He's 78. That's essentially a life sentence.
Your right, all the birthday cakes he gets in the future will be checked for files.
Be stepped on the IRS's blue suede shoes. A no no.
LOL. What does Enron have to do with Schiff? Nothing.
Schiff is a delusional tax cheat, now convicted of serious tax offenses for the THIRD time. The only similarity to Enron is that Schiff's followers were also so self-interested that they refused to see that he was full of it.
Just as anyone owning Enron and refusing to get out after it fell 10 or 20 or 30% from its high was nothing but greedy and out of touch with market reality.
I have no sympathy for either crowd. In any case, you didn't seem to have the necessary patience regarding Enron (an extremely complicated prosecution) a few years ago and still don't. Why don't you wait until any Enron sentences are determined? You sound like you are holding an Enron bag.
Schiff got what he deserved, the equivalent of a life sentence.
Thirteen years is a lot of years - who did he murder?
Nah, I'm sorry but the Enron people should have been put away quite some time ago. Look, I don't particularly have a problem with the sentence handed down in this case. The guy was an idiot and begged for the sentence IMO.
What got my goat was someone's comment about him leaving others holding the bag. He was a piker on that count, compared to others.
Literally. 12 months of his total time was for the 15 or so contempt of court citations he earned while representing himself in this trial.
but the Enron people should have been put away quite some time ago
What, are you an authority on federal prosecutions?
The wheels grind slowly but exceedingly fine. Especially in complicated cases like Enron. It took them many years to bring Schiff to trial, and he was a big deal in terms of revenue loss.
Enron is perhaps the most complicated corporate fraud case ever brought, so it's not the least bit surprising that it has taken as long as it has.
Why, do murderers get 13 years where you live, or are you just soft on white-collar crime?
Where most people live, murderers get 25-to-life or the death penalty.
Schiff was sentenced at the top end of the sentencing guidelines (which are no longer mandatory). 12 months of it was for his contemptuous behavior in court during trial.
The guidelines increase the penalty severely if the convicted individual has a previous record (Schiff has two previous felony tax convictions) and for monetary loss to the government due to the criminal acts. Schiff cost the U.S. Treasury a LOT of money via both his own fraudulent returns (he's grossed at least 4 or 5 unreported millions from his idiotic marks over the years) and the fraudulent acts of thousands of marks he advised or who bought his BS book.
He got what he deserved. I'm glad that they finally managed to put this lunatic away for good.
Interesting bunch of friends you got there.
The trail is still on going. The sentencing will come when it's finished.
Nothing is fair when the IRS is involved.
What is disturbing to me is that millions of US citizens lost their life savings in the Enron fiasco. Years after their savings were destroyed, the Enron folks are still out on the street. I'd suspect they'll be out for a few more years too. In fact, I've questioned from the start if any of them would ever do time.
Your posts sounded very precise and by the book. Thats ok, but I disagree with the spirit of your posts.. Now when you really lost me was when you said murderers get 25 to life or the death penalty. Im wondering what era are you stuck in? Cause today, murderers rarely get that kind of sentence, unless they kill a valued citizen. All animals are equal but some are more equal. Murdering regular people doesnt count for much anymore in the sentence dept.
How true, how true.
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