Sentencing/Post-Conviction
Author Banned from Advising Others Not to Pay Taxes
Posted Oct 23, 2008, 02:11 pm CST
By Rachel M. Zahorsky
Senior U.S. District Court Judge Lloyd George has permanently barred convicted tax evader and author Irwin Schiff and co-defendant Cynthia Neun from preparing tax returns and marketing products advising people that Americans are not required to pay federal income taxes, the Associated Press reports.
The federal judge’s ruling made a 2003 restraining order and preliminary injunction against Schiff, 80, and Neun, 55, permanent on Oct. 14, the newspaper reports. Schiff and Neun are serving federal prison sentences after a Las Vegas jury found they were guilty of conspiracy, tax evasion and tax fraud.
“The Internal Revenue Service and Justice Department have strong civil and criminal enforcement tools available to stop tax defiers who promote fraudulent schemes,” Justice Department lawyer Nathan Hochman said in a statement, according to the Associated Press.
Schiff is the author of several books, including The Federal Mafia: How the Government Illegally Imposes and Unlawfully Collects Income Taxes, which the government banned from circulation as fraudulent commercial speech, the newspaper notes.