Class acts

James Molen, owner of the now-closed Touch of Class Florist in Chico, was sentenced to 36 months in prison by a federal judge last week (Nov. 20).

Molen, 70, was found guilty in May on a number of tax-evasion-related charges dating back to 2000, including failure to withhold and pay federal employment and unemployment taxes from his four employees’ paychecks. He also filed false liens in 2004 against those involved in his case—two federal judges, the U.S. attorney, two Department of Justice attorneys and an IRS revenue officer. The liens claimed more than $93 billion in collateral.

Molen and his wife, Sandra, who died two years ago, argued that income generated outside of Washington, D.C., is not subject to federal income taxation.

“Mr. Molen thought he could evade the federal tax laws that apply to every American by objecting to federal jurisdiction, ignoring his obligations, and by attempting to harass and intimidate federal officials,” U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner said in a press release.

On the same day as the announcement from Wagner’s office, a Durham couple, David and Teri Schell, were indicted on federal drug charges in connection with the alleged growing and shipping of processed marijuana from a Chico UPS store via a post office box registered to Teri Schell and two non-existent businesses—Outdoor Living ENT and, coincidentally, A Touch of Class. Federal agents reportedly found 428 pot plants at the couple’s home earlier this month. The local investigation was triggered by the feds’ uncovering of the San Francisco-based Silk Road 2.0 drug-marketing website.