The IRS is under fire for seizing small business bank accounts without filing criminal charges
Back in October of 2014 America’s Watchtower covered the story of Carole Hinders–a restaurant owner who had her bank accounts seized by the IRS for committing the “crime” of making bank deposits under $10,000 even though she was never charged with a crime. You can read that story here.
Carole Hinders is not alone: under a law which is supposedly used to catch traffickers the IRS also seized $1 million from Andrew Clyde’s business account even though he is not suspected of a crime. He just happens to be a gun dealer and we know how the Obama regime feels about this business.
Now the IRS is coming under fire from the Oversight House for this practice. Here is more:
“There is a strong indication that the IRS has been involved in civil forfeiture that has hurt innocent people,” said House Ways and Means oversight subcommittee chairman Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) in a brief interview, calling it an “abuse by the federal government against citizens.”
And, just in case you think this is a Republican witch hunt, this has bipartisan support:
But Wednesday’s hearing struck a rare bipartisan accord as Democrats joined their counterparts in lecturing the IRS.
“Whether or not it is within the law, it is wrong to, without any criminal evidence, seize somebody’s property,” New York Democrat Charles Rangel fumed. “Common sense and decency says that when the Congress screws up, we expect you people to come back and say this is not working.”
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle expressed interest in doing more. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), for example, who apologized to the witnesses “for what IRS did to you,” told POLITICO after the hearing that he is interested in legislation that would allow the victims to regain money lost from their predicaments. That’s something the majority also has brainstormed.
There has been bipartisan backing to increasing the threshold for seizing assets before, including bills by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), former Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and ranking member Sander Levin (D-Mich.).
IRS Commissioner John Koskinen apologized to the innocent victims (although we do not know if the IRS actually returned the money) and stated the agency was just following the law–which apparently it was which shows us the need for a change in the law. He also stated that since this story first broke last October the IRS has only seized bank accounts when there is probable cause. And there is no reason to doubt him on this because, after all, there is not even a smidgen of corruption here…
Malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium.
America's Watchtower 
Reblogged this on A Conservative Christian Man.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What ever happened to due process? The agents who ordered these seisures without probable cause should be fired whether they had the “right” to do it or not.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I guess there is no due process when it comes to the IRS! Yeah, they might have followed the law in this case but this means the law needs to be changed.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Freedom Is Just Another Word… and commented:
Government under Obama….Pretty much like Chicago and Al Capone..
Crooks and crooked Politicians..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Nevada State Personnel Watch.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you.
LikeLike
Time to take the IRS to court!
Leslie
LikeLiked by 1 person
Unfortunately it will probably take years for these people to get their money back.
LikeLike
That has to change!
Leslie
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amen to that!
LikeLike
Ain’t it cool? The amazing part is that it’s all in accordance with the law.
I had a cop neighbor at one time and we had a debate about the law vs. ethics. I took the position that you hope your elected representatives enact ethical laws, but they don’t always.
It wasn’t hard to find examples of questionable laws (The Nuremberg Laws will stand as a classic example for 1,000 years.) and the cop got a little rattled. It’s an easy step after that to the idea that sometimes ethics and/or morals compel an individual to defy the law, even a sworn officer of the law.
Since our old representatives created this monster, let’s hope the survivors and victors of the last election are paying attention move to kill it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are right, the worst part is that the IRS seems to have followed the law in this case. If there were ethical people in charge they would be able to use judgement to determine when there was legitimate probable cause to seize bank accounts and when there was not. But because these people are not ethical and only see dollar signs they jump at the opportunity to seize money whenever possible and they do not care who it hurts.
LikeLike
I guess about 90 percent of us could have a target on our backs that put in less than $10,000 at a time. That seems pretty stupid, but then again look who we are talking about. How many small businesses will be under fire, or will this draw attention to what they were doing and now they will back off? Who the hell knows anymore! I would say it will be the middle class business owners that are trying to survive that will be the victims.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What bothers me the most is there is no need for probable cause so it looks as if the IRS was following the law. Raising the amount higher than $10,000 is not the answer and neither is making probable cause acceptable for taking the money, a person should have to be convicted first.
LikeLike
First it was the drugs, and now the purchase of guns, then the manufacture of guitars.Maybe America will wake up in time. All agencies will be used to achieve the agenda.
LikeLiked by 1 person
By the time enough Americans wake up it may be too late!
LikeLike
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, …” Romans 1:28-29 Looks like God gives us a chose, it’s either Him or be enslaved by the enemy. Just like Israel in the old days, they chose idols over the Living God and God allowed them to go into slavery. Was it God’s will, no. His will is for us to believe His Word (KJB rightly divided), not the liars that are running things.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I doubt that GOD would have needed styrofoam columns, like someone that wants to be top dog!
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL Lou!
LikeLike