Jim Bell Complaint
We offer the May 16 complaint against Jim Bell: http://jya.com/jimbell3.htm The complaint draws upon previous search warrants at Greg Broiles's site: http://www.parrhesia.com/jimbell/
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- In <1.5.4.32.19970523233752.00988164@pop.pipeline.com>, on 05/23/97 at 05:37 PM, John Young <jya@pipeline.com> said:
We offer the May 16 complaint against Jim Bell:
After reading the complainant I have to say that with friends like that who needs enemies? - -- - ----------------------------------------------------------- William H. Geiger III http://www.amaranth.com/~whgiii Geiger Consulting Cooking With Warp 4.0 Author of E-Secure - PGP Front End for MR/2 Ice PGP & MR/2 the only way for secure e-mail. Finger whgiii@amaranth.com for PGP Key and other info - ----------------------------------------------------------- Tag-O-Matic: Windows NT: From the makers of Windows 3.1! -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 Comment: Registered_User_E-Secure_v1.1b1_ES000000 iQCVAwUBM4ZEyI9Co1n+aLhhAQHnjQP6AlDV345PgDIkyt9739QtaSasunc7tBIZ wWfnoYQYyxm3+ygOh0ZNpb79VTszoL19xc97azx8iGxgQx/vhORL48Aa8RjGfGFT cb5RiAHWmr9WLlSqgP1OjBmnnjtpRE3b/cLcoWUL8NdxWnvv49JLO0eJ0gecY7sG IUBATSRLx88= =IVHA -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
WIlliam H. Geiger III wrote: : After reading the complainant I have to say that with friends like that : who needs enemies? Let's see. The only specific acts that are alleged are that Bell obtained names and addresses of IRS employees, that he twice conducted a high school type prank involving mercaptan, and that he used invented SS numbers to avoid paying taxes. SS numbers being those things the government swore up and down would never be used to identify citizens, and which are now required on all banking documents. Aside from these alleged events, everything else in the document is either hysterical hyperbole, or innuendo concerning Bell's feelings about the government, his interest in guerrilla warfare technology, or what chemistry experiments he may or may not have performed. I hardly think the government is in any danger of being "overthrown" by Mr. Bell. It is patently absurd to suggest that a military and political superpower which can project force to any part of the planet almost instantly with virtually no fear of consequences is going to crumble at the hands of one individual armed with a stinky chemical and an attitude. Any prosecution of Bell is just an attempt to frighten other sheeple holding similar sentiments into silence. -- Mike Duvos $ PGP 2.6 Public Key available $ mpd@netcom.com $ via Finger. $
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- At 06:58 PM 5/23/97 -0700, Tim May wrote:
So, I think Bell is in serious trouble on several charges: the tax evasion charges, the SS number charges (which may be subsumed in the tax charges), and the "stink bomb" charges.
The other various claims and charges in the complaint, things like the anti-government essays and the "assault" rifles found, don't seem likely to go anywhere.
Agreed. As we all know, tax evasion charges have been used by the IRS when the FBI has felt that it is unable to prove other charges. Its use against organized crime is a prime example. While I do not practice in Fed'l courts, in state courts the specific statute that a defendant is accused of violating must be cited. Hence, since I am not familiar with federal complaints, I did note with curiousity that Bell's complaint specifically cites statutes that Bell allegedly violated regarding the SS number charges and the failure to file income tax returns. Perhaps, the other acts, wherein no specific statutes are alleged to have been violated, are mentioned as a means to make a showing that Bell is a danger to the community and, therefore, a factor for asking the magistrate to set no bail.
Whether disappointingly or with relief, I noticed no mention of "Cypherpunks," a name which surely would have been scattered amongst the various documents on his computer.
I would be, however, very surprised if it was *not* "scattered amongst the various documents on his computer."
We'll see what comes up during the trial.
If there is one. As you stated above and IMHO based upon what I have read, the IRS has a strong case regarding the SS numbers/tax evasion charges. This matter may very well be resolved via a plea bargain. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 4.5 iQCVAgUBM4Zy/T5A4+Z4Wnt9AQF36QQAqeXTM1r67b/zN3mK9UFzFnuXUVjNPXVs m4/kbZgJQIZjgxd+aw+fqweu8HbGnrxIhS6VXJqaaoJHsYG+BomAXaaiyP2oUaGJ A0r5mlcoEw3SvXMJPzBDiQJ9fW75Y8pktFQYO4G+Wm0RfEnvFR8zkdqDtET7nkTp ME3YrkYFJLM= =b3MR -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- ********************************************************* Lynne L. Harrison, Esq. | "The key to life: Poughkeepsie, New York | - Get up; lharrison@mhv.net | - Survive; http://www.dueprocess.com | - Go to bed." ************************************************************ DISCLAIMER: I am not your attorney; you are not my client. Accordingly, the above is *NOT* legal advice.
On Sat, May 24, 1997 at 12:48:52AM -0400, Lynne L. Harrison wrote: [...]
Agreed. As we all know, tax evasion charges have been used by the IRS when the FBI has felt that it is unable to prove other charges. Its use against organized crime is a prime example.
IANAL, but in this case it looks like the IRS was involved from the beginning. [...]
the SS number charges and the failure to file income tax returns. Perhaps, the other acts, wherein no specific statutes are alleged to have been violated, are mentioned as a means to make a showing that Bell is a danger to the community and, therefore, a factor for asking the magistrate to set no bail.
And to establish motive. Is it perhaps possible that, since the charge includes the idea of "interfering" with the IRS, that there was an element of "intimidation", and so on, that there may be specific clauses in the statute cited that may have bearing? [...]
If there is one. As you stated above and IMHO based upon what I have read, the IRS has a strong case regarding the SS numbers/tax evasion charges. This matter may very well be resolved via a plea bargain.
It also seems to me that the IRS has a potentially strong case. Given that, what would be Bell's likely sentence, and how much could he reduce it with a plea bargain? It certainly seems like the weapons/AP/poison_gas/sabatoge stuff makes it *much* harder for him to plea bargain (which may be why it is there). -- Kent Crispin "No reason to get excited", kent@songbird.com the thief he kindly spoke... PGP fingerprint: B1 8B 72 ED 55 21 5E 44 61 F4 58 0F 72 10 65 55 http://songbird.com/kent/pgp_key.html
At 7:28 PM -0500 5/23/97, William H. Geiger III wrote:
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In <1.5.4.32.19970523233752.00988164@pop.pipeline.com>, on 05/23/97 at 05:37 PM, John Young <jya@pipeline.com> said:
We offer the May 16 complaint against Jim Bell:
After reading the complainant I have to say that with friends like that who needs enemies?
Not clear whom you mean...do you mean with friends like Bell, who needs enemies? Or do you mean, with friends like East and Daly, for Bell, who needs enemies? I was spellbound by the complaint John Young made available. It was, at the least, very clearly written and extremely interesting to read. We have focussed our comments on the charges related to Bell's essays, esp. his "Assassination Politics" stuff. I remain convinced that no charges per se will be successfully prosecuted on these writings. Whether he planted stink bombs, and what that means, is another matter. (I have to be honest and admit that it sure does look convincing to me that he planned the stink bomb attacks, executed them, and then bragged to friends that he'd gotten revenge. And I expect a jury to be similarly convinced.) However, I think they're going to have a real hard time proving that an interest in castor beans and ricin means that a *fatal* attack was planned. Having read Bell's stuff, off and on, for more than a year and a half, I just don't see the guy spreading botulism or ricin or Sarin. And proving future plans, as opposed to actual past events, is tough. The Social Security Numbers thing seems like a slam dunk to prove. Two of the numbers differ by only digit (501 and 510). While this is a standard ploy, based on my c. 1974 involvement in some libertarian tax avoidance seminars, to "throw off" computers, it is also arguably a natural mistake, a simple transposition of two digits. However, several of the numbers are wildly different...the Hamming distance is such that the only explanation is deliberate intent. So, I think Bell is in serious trouble on several charges: the tax evasion charges, the SS number charges (which may be subsumed in the tax charges), and the "stink bomb" charges. The other various claims and charges in the complaint, things like the anti-government essays and the "assault" rifles found, don't seem likely to go anywhere. The "plotting to poison the water supply and drop carbon fibers down air shafts" charges sound sensational. Indeed, Bell went further in terms of buying stuff than I would have (or ever have), but this may have been technical curiousity. In any case, I expect it will be hard to prove a "might have," as opposed to a "did." Whether disappointingly or with relief, I noticed no mention of "Cypherpunks," a name which surely would have been scattered amongst the various documents on his computer. We'll see what comes up during the trial. --Tim May There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws. Only one response to the key grabbers is warranted: "Death to Tyrants!" ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^1398269 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."
At 07:37 PM 5/23/97 -0400, John Young wrote:
We offer the May 16 complaint against Jim Bell:
The complaint draws upon previous search warrants at Greg Broiles's site:
"Beginning at a time unknown, and continuing to the present, at Vancouver, within the Western District of Washington and elsewhere, JAMES DALTON BELL did corruptly obstruct and impede and endeavor to obstruct and impede the due administration of the internal revenue laws, among other things, by collecting the names and home addresses of agents and employees of the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") in order to intimidate them in the performance of their official functions;" Maybe he just wanted their addresses so he could "petition the government for redress of greivances." Isn't it legal to picket the homes of government employees? DCF
"Beginning at a time unknown, and continuing to the present, at Vancouver, within the Western District of Washington and elsewhere, JAMES DALTON BELL did corruptly obstruct and impede and endeavor to obstruct and impede the due administration of the internal revenue laws, among other things, by collecting the names and home addresses of agents and employees of the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") in order to intimidate them in the performance of their official functions;"
It seems Jim was a might careless leaving sensitive information lying around unencrypted. If true he deserves to serve time for criminal stupidity. --Steve
participants (8)
-
frissell＠panix.com -
John Young -
Kent Crispin -
Lynne L. Harrison -
mpd＠netcom.com -
Steve Schear -
Tim May -
William H. Geiger III