He taught that the biblical book of Genesis must be taken literally, which means that the universe is only about 6,000 years old. Whether you agree or not with Kent Hovind's interpretation of the Bible and science, you undoubtedly acknowledge that he is well within his first amendment rights to preach it. His other message was less divinely inspired, the Internal Revenue Service has determined. For years, Hovind argued that the federal income tax only applies in limited circumstances and that he had not filed a tax return with the IRS for years. After investigations, an audit, a 58-count indictment, and a 2006 trial and conviction, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Cleveland readers familiar with Hovind know he has always insisted that he's not a tax protester. You also know then that he uses a variety of tried-and-failed tax protester arguments, including the claim that the federal income tax is voluntary.
After another trial earlier this year, Hovind was convicted of contempt, but prior to a retrial on tax fraud and conspiracy charges, the government dismissed the counts against him and the judge threw out the contempt conviction. Hovind recently walked out of prison and is now on supervised release.
Many observers believe that because Hovind refused to negotiate with prosecutors, he paid a heavy price. It was a price that those who fail to file returns often need not pay. If they have their criminal tax attorney enter talks with prosecutors, favorable plea agreements can be the result.
At Robert J. Fedor, Esq., L.L.C., we help clients get back into compliance, file past income tax returns and help you get your life back on track and bring to a close the endless worries about the IRS. Please see our Effective Defense Against Failure To File Charges page to learn more about how our Ohio office can help you.
