By J.D. Gallop, Florida Today
A 40-year-old Melbourne man who told IRS agents he was not subject to man's laws but instead was an American national who "resided in the Kingdom of Heaven," pled not guilty this week to charges he filed false tax returns.
Russell P. Gentile also faces one count of obstruction of an IRS agent after a grand jury indicted him.
Gentile was taken into custody Wednesday and had an initial appearance before a U.S. Middle District judge in Orlando hours later. He was released on bond and will have another hearing Feb. 14 on the federal charges.
The indictment reported that in 2008 Gentile claimed that he had no reportable income for the years 2001 and 2002. Gentile sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service disputing the government's claims and stated that he didn't have to provide information about his income.
Investigators reported that Gentile told IRS agents that he would sue them in court if they continued to call him and ordered them to remove his name and Social Security number from the agency's databases.
"I have been as polite and patient as I can be," Gentile wrote agents in one letter.
". . . you have both violated the law by canvassing me outside your jurisdiction of the District of Columbia and exceeded the scope of your authority," the letter said.
Agents reported that Gentile did have income for the years he reported otherwise. The case was forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS and later directed to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Gentile could face up to six years in federal prison and a fine of up to $200,000.
Florida Today