I ran across a reference to a lawyer named Steffan M. Bertsch challenging the authority of the IRS to levy on property, and decided to look into his background and history. Some of the stuff I found is some of the strangest s**t ever to have sunk to the bottom of the Internet.
He's what I found that seems reliable:
1. Bertsch was a lawyer in Washingon (state) in the 1990s. He's not listed in any lawyer listing I checked, and WA doesn't have it's attorney records on-line, but PACER reports that Bertsch did appear as counsel for a defendant in a minor criminal action in the Eastern District of Washington in 1996.
2. Bertsch is quoted in Joseph Banister's "report" that Banister presented to the IRS before being fired. There are lots of email messages, articles, and other stuff consistent with the idea that Bertsch and Banister knew each other and communicated (or collaborated) together for awhile. It appears that Bertsch was also mentioned in articles published in the newsletter for Save-A-Patriot.
3. Bertsch also reportedly wrote to the governor of WA, the AG, and other officials complaining about the activities of the IRS. Here is the text of a press release attributed to Bertsch:
Okay, so what happened to Bertsch? There are no Tax Court records, or current bar listings, so where did he go and what did he do?An Everett attorney, Steffan M. Bertsch, has spent over eighteen months examining the Internal Revenue Code and its regulations and has concluded that there is no authority for the IRS to seize any personal or real property in Washington State for alleged income tax liabilities from most citizens. Bertsch charges that the agency has been seizing property for decades through numerous deceptions and strong-arm methods, and has conducted an ongoing fraud that nearly everyone in the state believes is legal. The state of affairs is this: The IRS is operating outside the law and has placed the citizens of Washington State under governmental anarchy. Beginning in March of 1996, Bertsch sought the aid of the Attorney General of Washington, Christine Gregoire, in exposing the fraud. Ms. Gregoire’s office researched the issue and attempted to defend the unlawful acts of the agency, but has been totally unable to rebut Bertsch’s charge of fraudulent conversion of property by the IRS. On May 1, 1996, Bertsch also sought the aid of Edward Shea, the president of the Washington State Bar Association, to expose the fraudulent activity of the IRS seizing property without lawful authority. To date, the Bar Association has remained silent, which, considering the gravity of the charges, is most troubling. However, since the bar association, with the entire legal braintrust of the state at its disposal has been unable to respond, it is reasonable to assume that the bar association cannot defend the charges against the IRS in Washington State made by Bertsch. In April of 1996, Bertsch began correspondence with Governor Lowrey in an effort to halt the illegal seizures by the IRS in Washington State. The governor responded that "Because the issue raised is a federal matter, it is out of my jurisdiction as governor." Governor Lowrey added that, "I hope your efforts to resolve this matter prove worthwhile." The fraud Bertsch charges is too severe for the Bar Association to acknowledge, too egregious for the Attorney General to defend it, and originates from too great a power for the governor to act upon it. The duty of exposing a systematic fraud that only Charles Ponzi could admire falls upon the media.
Unfortunately, it looks like Bertsch got progressively weirder after that, and apparently went bat-s**t crazy.
The first sign I've found is an article under Bertsch's name dated 8/14/1999 that defends Banister, and states in part:
In an article under Bertsch's name that seems to have been written in 1999, President Clinton is accused of starting tornadoes in the midwest. "Clinton has at his disposal a weapon called HAARP, which has the ability to send enormously powerful pulses and waves into the atmosphere, and therefore, Clinton can conduct weather control and create storms." But the really spooky parts are the bibilical references and the conclusion:As long as that evil essence dominates this planet and keeps things running, the IRS will remain afloat. Evil keeps the people ignorant and uninformed. It haunts the judges and lawyers with bribes, threats and other persuasive tactics. It controls the minds of the masses. It is the current ruler of this world.
Not Skinner's, not Banister's, not Becraft's, not Kidd's, not Kotmire's, not Schiff's, not Bertsch's, not anyone's arguments will defeat against the IRS until the evil essence is destroyed. That is the vision that soldiers of truth should keep ever emblazoned upon their minds--the destruction of the evil essence--which will in turn destroy all of the IRS fraud, and all other fraud for that matter, and you won't need anyone's arguments . . . because evil will simply no longer be, and the IRS can't survive without the evil essence supporting it.
Other essays under the Bertsch name can be found here, all of which seem to have been written in the 1990s.Despite the gravity of the carnage in the Midwest and the terror it has caused, those who understand the war of Good and Evil, those who realize that America has become the part of the First Beast of Daniel, those who have patiently awaited Divine Judgment, those who Love God, will see these storms as a sign of the Most Glorious of Times on this Planet if they look into their hearts. That message is within for those who are somewhat awakened to this time, and comprehend at some level what is happening. Those with eyes and ears might well discern it is time for all who Love the True God to come out of the Harlot, time to stop serving evil and money and fraud, Time to Rejoice because Liberation from Evil is at hand.
What happened after that?
There are an alarmingly large number of messages scattered about suggesting that Bertsch changed his name to Steffan Stanford, moved to Australia, became a barrister in Queensland, married a woman named Amitakh who was (or is) married to a "Dr." Joseph Chiappalone. He may have also started an animal refuge, but he went into the weirdness business full time.
The following is dated 2008, and appears under the name of Amitakh Stanford:
Forget the announcements. You get the picture.Greetings to all Tarra-ha-tikas (Light Workers)
I am an extraterrestrial being - code name - Amitakh. I came to the Earth as a "walk-in".
One of my main responsibilities has been to keep close tabs on an evil alien being - code name - Ikluk.
The ruling elite are intimidated by my writings. The beings of Darkness try all sorts of ways to link me with Ikluk, who has "re-incarnated" on Earth many times over millennia. He has taken on many identities, such as: Aaron (brother/cousin of Moses), John the Baptist, Kirok, King Arthur, Hitler and, in his current "incarnation", he has taken on a relatively insignificant body as a small-town medical doctor known as Joseph Chiappalone.
In order to attempt to discredit me, the ruling elite have deliberately tried to link me and my work with Ikluk on the internet via many ruling elite websites, which include search engines, bulletin boards, and other types of websites.
It is now time to make certain announcements:
The most "complete" and somewhat objective compilation of this nonsense can be found here.
What I'm not sure about is whether all this nonsense is just the ravings of emotionally disturbed people using the Internet as a relatively harmless outlet for their schizophrenia, an inside joke/hoax that's just being perpetuated by some jerks who don't know when to quit, or some real cultists working themselves up to a Helter-Skelter ending.
But I think that it illustrates the very thin line between tax denial and full-fledged whacko-ville. An IRS agent (Banister) quotes this guy as an authority, and he and his wife are later writing about space aliens. Great authority.