Hovind Jailed! Praise Jesus!

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 9:49 pm

'Dr. Dino' guilty on all counts
Couple could get more than 200 years

Pensacola evangelist and tax protester Kent Hovind winked at his wife and gave her a reassuring smile as he was led away to jail.

Jo Hovind clutched the necktie he had been wearing. She kept her eyes on her husband until he was out of sight.

A 12-person jury deliberated for 2? hours on Thursday before finding the couple guilty of all counts in their tax-fraud case.

Kent Hovind, founder of Creation Science Evangelism and Dinosaur Adventure Land in Pensacola, was found guilty of 58 counts, including failure to pay $845,000 in employee-related taxes. He faces a maximum of 288 years in prison.

Jo Hovind was charged and convicted in 44 of the counts involving evading bank-reporting requirements. She faces up to 225 years in prison but was allowed to remain free pending the couple's sentencing on Jan. 9.

Kent Hovind briefly held onto her arm as the verdict was read. Neither reacted at first. But minutes later, she held her face in her hands.

"Nobody likes to pay taxes," Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Heldmyer said in her closing argument. "But we do because it's the law, and he is not above the law."

The jury also granted the prosecution's request for the Hovinds to forfeit $430,400. That amount equals the value of the checks signed and cashed by Jo Hovind in the 44 counts.

U.S. District Judge Casey Rodgers released Jo Hovind until sentencing but denied Kent Hovind's request to be released. He most likely will be detained at either Escambia County Jail or Santa Rosa County Jail until sentencing.

Heldmyer said Kent Hovind was a flight risk and a "danger to the community."

Read the rest here.

Post by **Savonarola** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 11:14 pm

There is a God!!
And He's proven it by showing that nutjobs who try to prove God's existence are criminally stupid.
Wait a minute.. We seem to have a paradox here...

Maybe that should be: God smites one of own; news at 11.
(I mean, Hovind did pray that he'd be found not guilty, right?)

How long until we hear a statement from Dr. Dumbass that this was obviously God's will so that all those amoral heathens in prison can be converted?

Post by **Dardedar** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 1:18 am

From a fan letter on Hovind's site:

"thank you again for sticking up for my beliefs"
Submited By: Andrew S.

First, thank you. I am a biology student at Central Washington University and am regularly persecuted for denying the so-called "mass of evidence" supporting evolution. I am, however, worried that your focus is too narrow. For example, in high school I was taught that civilization started in Iraq 10,000 years ago. Obviously this is not possible. The world is not even that old for starters. Historians attack our beliefs every bit as often and vehemently as scientists, and I think you are in an excellent position to start a campaign against them as well. Every field of academia has been infiltrated and fouled by athiests and followers of satan. Language, literature, science, history, philosophy, and nearly every other department on every college campus in America is attacking our Lord on a daily basis. I thank you again for sticking up for my beliefs and look forward to seeing you in Salem. "

Barbara Fitzpatrick · Mon Nov 06, 2006 11:00 am

Possibly Andrew S. will spend some time with Hovind - if he starts attacking the whole of society he might find himself in the neighboring cell. (I wonder if he believes in nuclear weapons - nah, nuclear science says the world is 4.5 billion years old, so it has to be lies, if nuclear science is lies, there are no nuclear weapons - or power plants).

Hogeye · Post by **Hogeye** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 5:56 pm

Greg's talk on Hovind was great, and very informative. Making fun of his anti-scientific supernaturalism is fine - his beliefs deserve ridicule. OTOH, the schadenfreude of gloating about Hovind going to prison for tax resistance seems unnecessary and misguided. After all, as far as I can see that's the one good thing Hovind did. Anyone who attempts to resist government plundering can't be all bad. Considering history, I'd think freethinkers would have a little sympathy for non-aggressive people hassled by the State.

Historically (and perhaps even today) many freethinkers have been tax resisters. Freethinking at its best rejects both the authority of church and State. My signature below is attributed to Diderot.

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 4:25 am

Hogeye wrote:Historically (and perhaps even today) many freethinkers have been tax resisters. Freethinking at its best rejects both the authority of church and State. My signature below is attributed to Diderot.

DOUG
Socrates refused to escape from jail while awaiting his execution on the grounds that his stay in Athens, his city-state, was tacit consent to its laws. (Among other reasons.) If Hovind did not want to pay taxes, he should leave a country in which one is forced to pay taxes. Hovind KNEW he was supposed to pay taxes, but he AND HIS WIFE conspired to defraud the U.S. government. I don't have sympathy for those taking in millions and yet don't want to pay taxes that (at least partly) contribute to the common welfare.

Barbara Fitzpatrick · Mon Nov 27, 2006 10:42 am

The "take everything and give nothing back" is an attitude usually attributed by those who do it to the liberals who don't. It's called projection. And Doug's absolutely right. If you don't want to pay taxes, move somewhere that doesn't levy them. Otherwise it is tax fraud and you deserve whatever you get when you get caught.

Post by **Savonarola** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:30 pm

This topic has been split. Discussion regarding land rights has been moved to this thread. This thread is for discussion of Hovind's legal troubles. Please continue discussion in the appropriate thread.

--Savonarola, Religion Moderator

Post by **Savonarola** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 1:57 am

Hovind's sentencing was moved from earlier this month to 9:00am on the 19th.

Frankly, I'm worried. I'm not sure we can put him in jail, because that would be subjecting whoever ends up being his roommate to cruel and unusual punishment...

Actually, Hovind released a statement not long ago asking people to pray for an acquittal (yes, at the sentencing). In it, he made it all too clear that he considers himself way above the people he'll be in close company with. I hope someone circulates it among the convicts...

Barbara Fitzpatrick · Thu Jan 18, 2007 12:54 pm

If he causes enough trouble, they'll put him in solitary - just him and his bible.

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 2:27 pm

Savonarola wrote:..he made it all too clear that he considers himself way above the people he'll be in close company with.

DOUG
The other prisoners will disabuse him of that notion. If anything, most of them have probably done less harm than Hovind.

Post by **Dardedar** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 3:48 pm

Barbara Fitzpatrick wrote:If he causes enough trouble, they'll put him in solitary - just him and his bible.

DAR
He gets to bring the dangerous instrument that led to all of his troubles in the first place?

Barbara Fitzpatrick · Fri Jan 19, 2007 10:22 am

"Gets to" - They'd force it on him, even if he didn't want it. It's the only thing they allow you in solitary. Many a "good christian" has turned into an aetheist after spending a few months with nothing but the bible to read, re-read, and start finding those interesting discrepancies chronicled in your (Darrel's) book.

Post by **Savonarola** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 6:19 pm

10 years for 'Dr. Dino'
Michael Stewart

Pensacola evangelist Kent Hovind was sentenced Friday afternoon to 10 years in prison on charges of tax fraud.

After a lengthy sentencing hearing that last 5 1/2 hours, U.S. District Judge Casey Rodgers ordered Hovind also:

-- Pay $640,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

-- Pay the prosecution’s court costs of $7,078.

-- Serve three years parole once he is released from prison.

Hovind’s wife, Jo Hovind, also was scheduled to be sentenced. Rodgers postponed her sentencing until March 1 to allow her defense attorney an opportunity to argue possible discrepancies in sentencing guidelines.

Prior to his sentencing, a tearful Kent Hovind, also known as "Dr. Dino" asked for the court’s leniency.

“If it’s just money the IRS wants, there are thousands of people out there who will help pay the money they want so I can go back out there and preach,” Hovind said.

Hovind, founder of Creation Science Evangelism and Dinosaur Adventure Land in Pensacola, was found guilty in November of 58 federal counts, including failure to pay $845,000 in employee-related taxes. He faced a maximum of 288 years in prison.

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 6:22 pm

Savonarola wrote:Pensacola evangelist Kent Hovind was sentenced Friday afternoon to 10 years in prison on charges of tax fraud.

DOUG
Yup, he's getting off easy. However, I suspect this spells the end of his "ministry." That, at least, is good news.

Post by **Savonarola** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 6:32 pm

10 years is actually more than I expected, but I also now expect that he'll be released early. (Whether it's more for good behavior or because the prison guards will finally be unable to put up with his idiocy is anybody's guess.)

Notice how he still feels that he's done nothing wrong. He just wants to move on, and if the IRS wants money, they should get it from other people on his behalf. What a jerk.

Doug wrote:However, I suspect this spells the end of his "ministry." That, at least, is good news.

I bet it doesn't. He'll peddle his bullshit while in prison, both to other prisoners (and guards) and also via written correspondence. He recently reiterated his goal to reach kids, and he'll have a lot of time to write books and whatnot with which to do that. You can be damn sure he'll be back to his old tricks as soon as he gets released, and his fans will think none the less of him. For evidence of this, see the two reader comments "Hovind..A Patriot and a Saint" and "Dr. Hovind - A Wonderful Christian" on the page linked above.

Post by **Dardedar** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 12:07 am

DAR
St. Paul had to go to prison too....

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 6:15 pm

Doug wrote:However, I suspect this spells the end of his "ministry." That, at least, is good news.

Savonarola wrote:I bet it doesn't. He'll peddle his bullshit while in prison, both to other prisoners (and guards) and also via written correspondence. He recently reiterated his goal to reach kids, and he'll have a lot of time to write books and whatnot with which to do that. You can be damn sure he'll be back to his old tricks as soon as he gets released, and his fans will think none the less of him. For evidence of this, see the two reader comments "Hovind..A Patriot and a Saint" and "Dr. Hovind - A Wonderful Christian" on the page linked above.

DOUG
On the other hand, I've seen some fundies already putting some distance between themselves and Hovind. I hope this trend continues.

Here.

Post by **Savonarola** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 7:16 pm

Doug wrote:On the other hand, I've seen some fundies already putting some distance between themselves and Hovind. I hope this trend continues.

But many have been doing that based not on his fiscal practices but his too-far-beyond-belief crackpot nonsense. Even AiG has a bunch of Hovindisms on their list of "arguments creationists should not use." As Darrel is fond of pointing out, even Jim "Nutjob" Holt regretted bringing him here to talk about evolution.

Either way, though, I agree with you; let's hope his fanbase decreases radically.

Barbara Fitzpatrick · Post by **Barbara Fitzpatrick** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:54 pm

I'm afraid Sav's right on Hovind. He'll write kids' books from prison that all the fundie groups will push. He'll probably write Sunday school teaching manuals to go with them. St. Dr. Dino will do his dirty work sub rosa for awhile, but he'll still do it.