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If it's not repossessed, you're immune from arrest?

May 20, 2009

Now here's an interesting defense to a tax evasion charge, from attorney Ed Hinson:

"The last time I checked it wasn't a crime to drive nice cars," Hinson said in a hallway of the federal courthouse uptown. "He's always made his car payments."

So making car payments is a defense against tax evasion charges? If you aren't paying taxes, it would make it easier to pay for your cars.

The defendant is Bishop Anthony Jinwright, a man of the cloth, but not of cloth seats. It doesn't appear that Rev. Jinwright is accused of having nice cars, which would be an easy charge to prove:

The indictment lists ownership in a BMW 530i, a Mercedes-Benz S550V, five (yes, five) Lexus vehicles, a Bentley GT and a Maybach 57 (worth $250,000). Leases during that same time included a Cadillac, an Acura, a Volkswagen, a Maxima, a Durango, a Neon and a Toyota.

Rev. Jinwright is accused of evading taxes for five years.

Another pastor rises to Rev. Jinwright's defense:

"The press told us of the cars, of the houses, of the perks, but told us nothing of the ministry that has occurred over a 28-year period," Woods told his congregation on May 3. "We heard nothing of the baptisms, the weddings, the funerals, the hospital visits, the Bible studies, the sermons or the new church that was built since Bishop Jinwright came to Salem."

I wonder if you feel more saved if you are baptized in a Bentley.