You'd think this story would be getting a little more attention. But it's not. If I didn't know better, I'd be inclined to write off almost the only current mention of it on Google News as the work of some outlet with an agenda. But I do know better.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - A couple convicted of tax evasion for concealing $1.9 million in income was sentenced to prison Tuesday, but they refused to attend the hearing and have vowed not to leave their fortress-like mansion.
Ed and Elaine Brown insist tax laws do not exist and have holed up in their hilltop home in Plainfield, which has a watchtower, concrete walls and the ability to run on wind and solar power. Ed Brown, 64, said he has stockpiled food and supplies.
"The world belongs to the creator. It doesn't belong to man," he said Tuesday. "It doesn't belong to the United States government."
The Browns were convicted in January of scheming to hide $1.9 million of income between 1996 and 2003. They were also convicted of using $215,890 in postal money orders to pay for their residence and for Elaine Brown's dental practice. The money orders were broken into increments just below the tax-reporting threshold.
U.S. District Judge Steven McAuliffe sentenced them each to 5 1/4 years in prison. They skipped the sentencing hearings, and in a telephone interview, Ed Brown said they will not surrender to federal authorities.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Morse said the former exterminator and his dentist wife have acted as though they are above the law.
U.S. marshals have been ordered to arrest the couple but said they are not planning to storm the home, blockade the roads or cut off supplies.
"We're not going to engage in that kind of game with them," U.S. Marshal Stephen Monier said. But, he added, "law enforcement is not going away and neither are the warrants."
In telephone interviews, Ed Brown said the couple will stay in their home despite convictions and warrants.
"I could care less what he does," Brown said of McAuliffe. "I can't talk to a fiction. You're a fiction, too."
The Browns based their defense on a theory that no law exists requiring tax payments.
Elaine Brown, 66, said Monday that she doesn't recognize the government, and that its officials are "a fiction in my life."
Ed Brown has been holed up in his "compound" in Plainfield, NH since January. Apparently, in addition to food and supplies, he's hinted that he's also stockpiled weapons. And if you read the rest of the article, you'll find that he also has friends picketing the courthouse.
Some are already invoking Waco and Ruby Ridge. So why is this not news?
