Subject: Zero tax returns trigger criminal indictment. Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 From: "otto" ZERO TAX RETURNS TRIGGER CRIMINAL INDICTMENT!!! The message below is from an e-mail message I received on May 1, 2000. This is not the first such message I have received. "Otto, I have been indicted under 7206 (giving false information on a return), for the years 91-94.. I filed "Irwin Schiff" type 0" returns w/ his attachment.. (big mistake) I was under CID investigation and being threatened w/ evasion... (had not filed since '79).. and didn't know what else to do (so I took Irwin's advice and filed the "0" returns and also wrote a letter to the U.S.Atty to "intimidate" him.. WRONG!)" This message is from a man who has been indicted under 26 U.S.C. 7206 for FOUR FELONY COUNTS for filing what is known as "Zero" tax returns. According to section 7206, the maximum criminal penalty is a fine of $100,000 and/or imprisonment for three years FOR EACH of the four counts. As stated above, this is not the first such message I have received, and I do not expect it to be the last. I believe the government is just getting warmed up in bringing criminal charges against people who have filed "Zero" tax returns. (Individuals who have studied my books and newsletters will probably be able to make a pretty good guess as to why the government chose to indict this individual under section 7206 rather than trying to indict him for attempted tax evasion under section 7201, as they had originally threatened to do.) I have also received many, many messages from people who have received three to four $500 civil penalties for having filed "Zero" tax returns. I have yet to talk with anyone who has filed "Zero" tax returns who had bothered to get copies of and study the court cases upon which they supposedly relied BEFORE they filed such returns. If these people had made such a study, I think most of them would not have filed "Zero" tax returns in the first place. For several years now I have been trying to warn people about filing this kind of tax return. On my web site at www.ottoskinner.com I have some special articles on this subject. In these articles, I refer to and explain various court cases which are supposedly relied upon by both the promoters of the "Zero" tax return as well as those who have filed such returns. I urge the readers of this messages to study the articles from my web site and also obtain copies of the court cases and study these cases thoroughly. I believe that those who will actually study these court cases will find that the cases do not really say what Schiff claims that they say. In other words, I believe you will find that the cases do not stand for the propositions that Schiff claims they stand for. But the only way you are going to know for sure is to STUDY THE CASES FOR YOURSELF. My articles are on my web site to sort of give you a helping hand in understanding the cases and to help you learn what to look for. I should add that I personally believe that Irwin Schiff has led his readers down the primrose path to legally flawed conclusions on at least 16 different issues. (I discuss these issues in my books, newsletters and on my web site.) I should also add that I personally believe that anyone who has recommended Irwin Schiff's material to you has not done you any favor. The reason I say this is because it is very hard to unlearn flawed information and I truly believe that Schiff's material is extremely flawed. In the long run, it will be UP TO YOU to make the right decisions regarding the correctness of your legal position. I am well aware of the fact that Schiff and a few other promoters have condemned and discredited my books for many years. But when you get to my web site, take time out to see what other readers have to say. Feel free to forward this message on to other individuals and groups you think may be interested. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ NOTE: Most Americans have been provided very little accurate information about the so-called "income" tax and the Sixteenth Amendment. They have also been tremendously misled and misinformed regarding these issues. Even people within what may be termed as the "patriot movement" (or "freedom movement" or "non-filing community") have been provided with a great deal of false information. Confusion and disagreements abound. My first book, The Best Kept Secret, provides the very clearest and best explanation of the so-called "income" tax and the Sixteenth Amendment ever written up to 1997. First written in 1986 and revised in 1996, it probably still provides the very best introduction into these issues, as well as providing a solid foundation for understanding the material provided in my next two books. While there is some duplication of information, not all of the information in The Best Kept Secret is carried over into the next two books. My second book, If You Are the Defendant, digs deeper into the Internal Revenue Code and introduces defense strategy information for those who may eventually be criminally charged for alleged violations of the tax laws. This book provides the important distinction between being charged by "information" as opposed to being indicted. Again, not all of the information in If You Are the Defendant is carried over into the next book. My latest book, The Biggest "Tax Loophole" of All, published in 1997, is two pounds of "dynamite" information. This book digs even deeper into the issues and also explains many of the legally flawed arguments and other items of misinformation that have been perpetrated upon non-filers and the rest of America. This book provides important information regarding summonses for books and records. This book also explains legally insufficient indictments and why they should be legally dismissed. This book also provides a sample motion to dismiss such legally insufficient indictments. Having been involved in these issues for over 19 years, I sincerely believe that individuals should study all three of my books and all 21 past issues of the newsletters, page by page, cover to cover, and in the order they were written. Additionally, I sincerely believe that individuals should study all of the applicable court cases in order to verify for themselves the material contained in my books and newsletters. (Along with other valuable information, the newsletters contain a trial transcript with pleadings, and with my comments and analysis added as the trial moves along.) Individuals who have followed these admonitions have learned a great deal and appreciate the value of thoroughly studying the issues in this manner. I should add that my first two books were entered by a defendant as evidence in a federal criminal trial, with the defendant walking away with NOT GUILTY verdicts on all counts. This case involved charges of attempted tax evasion and failure to file tax returns. For more information about the above material, see www.ottoskinner.com Feel free to forward this message on to individuals and groups you think may be interested. Constitutionally yours, Otto Skinner