It Isn't Nice To Fool With IRS

[The Observer]

Associated Press
April 29, 2010

Nampa Man Sent to Prison, Interfered with IRS
By Associated Press

BOISE -- A 67-year-old Nampa man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for interfering with an Internal Revenue Service investigation of his failure to pay taxes.

Fred Covey was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill in Boise, who also ordered Covey to serve one year of supervised release.

Covey was found guilty in February of interfering with internal revenue laws.

Prosecutors say Covey had failed to pay federal income taxes since 1993. During a 2005 investigation, Covey filed fraudulent liens against two IRS employees in response to their efforts to collect delinquent taxes.

Prosecutors say Covey filed similar multimillion dollar liens against the U.S. Treasury Secretary and Idaho State Tax Commission employees and in 2009, he sent fake money orders to the IRS to pay his taxes.

[grixit]

He could still find himself back at court getting addtional time for monetary fraud. And if he sent the bogus money orders electronically, it's also wire fraud.

[gottago]

Yippee!! Another senior citizen off to the big house. I feel so much safer now
They oughta crack down on the ones not reporting their bingo winnings as income

Gottago

[Nikki]

Are you in prison? No.

Did you file bogus liens against IRS and state tax agency employees? No.

Did you cooperate as much as possible with teh IRS to resolve your tax problems? Yes.

Sing along, please " Oh, one of the things is not like the other ..."

If he hadn't crossed the line into criminal acts, he'd still be on the streets, just working out his debts.

Or do you think people should get an automatic bye on a federal felony just because they're AARP members? If so, which felonies? How about bilking people out of millions of dollars or selling kiddie porn or, perhaps, selling a zero-income tax return scheme to hndreds of people who then have to fact the consequences on their own?

I'm sure your buddy Irwin would be a strong supporter of your get-out-of-jail-free plan for older people.

[Nikki]

I'm sure your buddy Irwin would be a strong supporter of your get-out-of-jail-free plan for older people.

<cough> Bernie Madoff <cough>

He was implied, but Schiffie was mentioned by name since he's the one who lured Gottago and her husband down the road to self destruction.

[gottago]

I was simply commenting on what appears to be a disproportionate number of postings on here regarding older folks going to prison. I do not know enough about what is considered criminal when it comes to dealing with the irs (other that obvious things like death threats) to know that filing a fake lien or sending a fake money order to them results in a jail sentence.

I certainly think murderers, child molesters and kiddie porn peddlers belong in prison, regardless of their age.

I think Schiff is in jail because that was the only way the government could stop him from peddling his BS. I am sure he will most likely die in there, but if he does get out he will immediately go back to doing what landed him in there. I feel no sympathy for him whatsoever and wish with all my heart that we had never heard of him. He is hardly my buddy.

Gottago

[Demosthenes]

You may just be sensitive to the age thing.

If I had to tally the various criminal cases posted on this site, my guess is that the average age would be in the low to mid 50s. For every Schiff, there are many more Springers/Hendricksons/Roses.

I think Schiff is in jail because that was the only way the government could stop him from peddling his BS.

I think that's an accurate assumption.

[The Observer]

I think Schiff is in jail because that was the only way the government could stop him from peddling his BS.

I think that's an accurate assumption.

Did the judge in Schiff's case make any comments along those lines when he sentenced Schiff?

[Demosthenes]

The judge didn't discuss why Schiff had been tapped for prosecution by the DOJ. He did express disgust.