Be
wary of anyone who states they can eliminate your tax burden or teach
you a way around it. There are no magic wands for making your taxes go
away. And the government isn’t allowing those who claim to have magic
wands to prosper.
The Journal of Accountancy recently reported that on
July 29th, sentencing is set to take place for James Timothy Turner, a
proponent of the “sovereign citizens” movement, which maintains that
citizens can decide which laws they want to obey.
Turner
and a co-conspirator, Billy Ray Hall, hosted a series of seminars
throughout the country, teaching attendees how to file fictitious bonds
and other false financial documents as a way to pay their taxes. They
charged each attendee $150 and one pre-1964 silver dollar for the
seminar. Turner had filed a fictitious bond of $300 million in 2008, and
taught seminar attendees how they could do the same.
In
September of 2012, Turner was indicted by a federal grand jury on 10
counts, including a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
The indictment stated that he helped co-conspirators file fictitious
$100 billion bonds with the IRS.
After a trial, a jury found Turner guilty of:
-
Conspiracy to defraud the United States;
-
Attempting to pass a false or fictitious instrument;
-
Aiding and abetting an attempt to pass a false or fictitious instrument;
-
Corruptly endeavoring to obstruct or impede the due administration of the internal revenue laws;
-
Failing to file a tax return; and
-
False testimony under oath in a bankruptcy proceeding.
According to the Justice Department, Turner faces up to 164 years in prison and a potential fine of up to $2,350,000.
