!!New Militia Sentencing-- Ed Brown!! Update 3

[Joseph Pothier]

Good Afternoon Newsgroup Readers,

I reference my pervious postings in the threads '!!New Militia Bust-- Ed
Brown!!', '!!New Militia Conviction-- Ed Brown!!, and previous postings
in this thread.

I am delighted to post that today's Boston Globe reports that
militiaman, tax evader, and convicted felon Ed Brown and his wife were
taken into custody late yesterday afternoon without incident. This
development brings to an end this sordid affair. I also note in passing,
although I have not posted on it, that federal authorities had arrested
several of the Brown's followers in the past weeks who had aided the
anti-tax couple while on the lam.

+++++++++++++

Marc Robins, `Marshals Arrest N.H. Couple, Ending Holdout by Tax
Evaders,` Boston Globe, 071005.

A tense five-month standoff ended peacefully last night when US marshals
took custody of convicted tax evaders Ed and Elaine Brown at their
Plainfield, N.H., home, authorities announced.

"We had no indication that the Browns intended to voluntary surrender,"
US Marshal Stephen Monier said in a statement, "so we had to move
forward with an operation that promised the safest possible outcome.
That day was today."

The arrests occurred without incident about 7:45 p.m., he said.
"High-profile situations like this are always difficult, but they don't
have to be tragic.

"I'm glad no one was injured, and that the community remained safe
throughout the operation," Monier said.

The Browns were turned over to the US Bureau of Prisons last night and
will begin serving their 63-month federal prison term, Monier said. In
June, he said the Browns would eventually be charged with obstruction of
justice for resisting arrest.

The Browns had stopped paying taxes in 1996, mostly on income generated
by Elaine Brown's dental practice.

Ed Brown, 65, and Elaine Brown, 67, were convicted of federal tax
charges on January 18th and sentenced, in absentia, during an April 24
court hearing.

Since about the time of their conviction, the Browns had been holed up
on their property and had refused to surrender.

"I'm in my house," Ed Brown told the Associated Press by phone the day
before his conviction. "I won't leave it."

During the stay at their home, the Browns kept weapons, got power from a
wind turbine generator and solar panels, and communicated with the
outside through satellite dishes.

Followers and friends who had heard about the case brought food, water,
and supplies.

The Browns garnered much of their support via the internet.

Ed Brown kept a blog that at one point received a million hits in a
month, and Brown supporters kept a MySpace page for the couple.

Randy Weaver, who infamously resisted arrest at Ruby Ridge in Idaho in
1992, joined Brown at his compound in June to offer his support.

However, visits to the Brown household declined after four men were
arrested Sept. 12 for providing guns or other supplies to the couple.

That, along with other factors, were used in determining the time of the
arrest, Monier said.