From: Mac Norton <mnorton@cavern.uark.edu>
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 1997 08:20:04 +0800
To: Alan <alano@teleport.com>
Subject: Re: Something of Interest (fwd)
In-Reply-To: <Pine.GSO.3.96.970718155454.22939J-100000@linda.teleport.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.96.970718185007.2373C-100000@cavern.uark.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



anyone know what the lowest he can get is, under the sentencing
guidelines, now that we know the max?
MacN

On Fri, 18 Jul 1997, Alan wrote:

> I recieved this today via e-mail.  I find it strange since I have never
> asked to be put on any sort of "interest list" by anyone at the IRS.  (And
> my Cypherpunks mail shows up at a different address.
> 
> Did anyone else get this?
> 
> alano@teleport.com | "Those who are without history are doomed to retype it."
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Return-Path: irsnwpr@net.insp.irs.gov
> Received: from tcs_gateway1.treas.gov (tcs-gateway1.treas.gov [204.151.245.2]) by desiree.teleport.com (8.8.5/8.7.3) with SMTP id PAA28119; Fri, 18 Jul 1997 15:49:41 -0700 (PDT)
> Received: by tcs_gateway1.treas.gov id AA19658
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> Received: by tcs_gateway1.treas.gov (Internal Mail Agent-2);
>   Fri, 18 Jul 1997 18:47:00 -0400
> Received: by tcs_gateway1.treas.gov (Internal Mail Agent-1);
>   Fri, 18 Jul 1997 18:47:00 -0400
> Date: Thu, 17 Jul 1997 12:29:08 -0400
> From: IRS Inspection <irsnwpr@net.insp.irs.gov>
> Message-Id: <199707171629.MAA02733@net.insp.irs.gov>
> To: Interested-Parties@net.insp.irs.gov
> Subject: Something of Interest
> 
> 
> 
> 					United States Attorney
> 					Western District of Washington
> 
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> July 18, 1997
> 
> JAMES D. BELL PLEADS GUILTY TO OBSTRUCTING THE IRS AND USING FALSE SOCIAL
> SECURITY NUMBERS
> 
> United States Attorney Kate Pflaumer announced that JAMES DALTON BELL, 39,
> pleaded guilty today in the federal court in Tacoma to two felony charges.
> BELL, a resident of Vancouver, Washington, pleaded guilty to obstructing and
> impeding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and to falsely using a social
> security number with the intent to deceive.  United States District Court
> Judge Franklin D. Burgess presided over today's proceedings.
> 
> The charges stem from an investigation initiated in October, 1996 by IRS
> Internal Security Inspectors into reports that BELL was gathering the names
> and home addresses of IRS employees. In previous court hearings, IRS
> Inspectors testified that BELL had obtained the names and home addresses of
> 70 IRS employees as part of  "Operation LocatIRS." In the eight page plea
> agreement signed by BELL, he acknowledged that he had gathered the names and
> addresses of the IRS employees in order to intimidate them in the
> performance of their official duties.
> 
> During the course of their investigation, IRS Inspectors discovered that
> BELL was advocating a scheme called "Assassination Politics", whereby
> persons would be rewarded with "digital cash" for killing certain
> undesirable people.  BELL identified these undesirables as government
> employees, such as IRS employees, who would be intimidated from enforcing
> internal revenue laws for fear of being assassinated.  In the plea
> agreement, BELL admitted that he suggested using "Assassination Politics" as
> an enforcement mechanism for the "Multnomah County Common Law Court", and
> that this was part of his effort to obstruct and impede the enforcement of
> internal revenue laws.  In affidavits previously filed in this case, IRS
> investigators identified BELL as a participant in the "Multnomah County
> Common Law Court", which was described as a self-appointed anti-government
> extremist group which purports to hold "trials" of IRS and other Government
> employees for the performance of their official duties.  The affidavits
> indicated that in January, 1997 the "Multnomah County Common Law Court" held
> a "trial" of IRS and other Government officials.  
> 
> In the plea agreement, BELL also admitted that on March 16, 1997, he
> conducted a chemical "stink bomb" attack on the IRS office in Vancouver,
> Washington, using the noxious chemical mercaptan.  In affidavits filed with
> the Court, IRS Inspectors tied BELL to two previous mercaptan attacks
> against non-government targets: one being a lawyer's office in 1984, and the
> other a vehicle in 1989.  The IRS investigators also linked BELL to two
> purchase orders for noxious chemicals, one in 1994 and one in 1996.
> According to the plea agreement, the attack on the IRS office resulted in a
> cost to the government of $1,359, and caused a number of IRS employees to
> have to leave work.  In an affidavit previously filed in this case, IRS
> Inspectors indicated that the mercaptan attack may have been linked to the
> February 20, 1997 seizure of BELL's vehicle by the IRS for unpaid taxes.
> 
> As part of the plea agreement, BELL also admitted that he used several
> different social security numbers in order to hide assets from the IRS and
> thus to impede the IRS's ability to collect taxes he owed and to prevent the
> IRS from levying his wages.
> 
> Federal agents had previously executed two search warrants on BELL's
> residence.  On April 1, 1997, IRS agents seized computers, documents, and
> firearms during a search.  In a follow-up search, the Environmental
> Protection Agency seized a variety of dangerous chemicals which had been
> discovered during the execution of the  IRS warrant.  BELL was arrested by
> IRS Inspectors on May 16, 1997.  BELL continues to be held in custody based
> on a May 23, 1997 ruling by Magistrate Judge J. Kelley Arnold that BELL
> posed a danger to the community and was a flight risk.
> 
> BELL faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine
> for the obstruction charge, and five years and a $250,000 fine for using a
> phony social security number.
> 
> The IRS received assistance in the investigation of BELL from the Portland
> Police Bureau, Oregon Department of Justice, Oregon State Police, Federal
> Bureau of Investigation, and the Vancouver, Washington Police Department.
> 
>