Gordon Kahl
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Gordon Wendell Kahl was a tax protester best known for his involvement in two fatal shootouts with law enforcement officers in the United States in 1983.
In 1967, Kahl wrote a letter to the Internal Revenue Service stating that he would no longer pay taxes to the, in his words, "Synagogue of Satan under the 2nd plank of the Communist Manifesto." During the 1970s, Kahl organized the first Texas chapter of the Posse Comitatus, although he later left the group and was not a member at the time of the 1983 shootouts. In 1976 he appeared on a Texas television program stating that the income tax was illegal and encouraging others not to pay their income taxes.
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[edit] Criminal conviction and prison
On November 16, 1976, Kahl was charged with willful failure to file Federal income tax returns for the years 1973 and 1974, under 26 U.S.C. § 7203. He was found guilty, and was sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of $2,000. However, one year of the sentence was suspended, as was the fine. The court placed Kahl on a five year probation. Kahl appealed his conviction, but the conviction was affirmed in 1978 by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit,[1] after Kahl's release from prison on probation. Kahl served eight months in prison in 1977.
[edit] Activity after prison
Following his parole from prison, Kahl become active in the "township" movement, an early version of the "sovereign citizenship" belief which later became well known because of the Montana Freemen standoff. This movement sought to form parallel courts and governments purportedly based on English Common Law, and to withdraw recognition of the U.S. federal government. Township movement supporters as well as the Posse Comitatus attempted to organize among farmers in the American Midwest during the early 1980s farm crisis.
[edit] The Medina, North Dakota killings
On February 13, 1983, because of an alleged parole violation, U.S. Marshals attempted to arrest Kahl as he was leaving a meeting of township supporters in Medina, North Dakota. In the car with Kahl were his wife Joan, his son Yorie, and three others who had been at the meeting. During the ensuing shootout, Kahl shot and killed two United States marshals. Kahl then took the vehicle of a Medina law enforcement officer and fled to Arkansas.
[edit] The Smithville, Arkansas killings
A tip was received by authorities from the youngest daughter of the owner of the 'Bunker' home of a man named Leonard Ginter, where Kahl was hiding in Smithville, Arkansas. Another shootout ensued on June 3, 1983, in which Kahl and Sheriff Gene Matthews were killed. Ginter was arrested and convicted of harboring a fugitive, and was sentenced to a federal prison.
Yorie Kahl and Scott Faul received prison sentences on charges in regard to the Medina shootout; Joan Kahl was acquitted.
Various witnesses have come forward to dispute the "official version" put forth by the United States marshals. Among the dissenters is the Medina chief of police at the time, Darrell Graf. He has stated: "The feds would set up a roadblock, and Kahl would get out of his car with his weapon. . . and Kahl would be dead. I wanted no part of this! Kahl was not a bank robber or violent criminal but had only a minor problem with the government. I could imagine this 5'7", 160 pound, 63-year-old farmer lying dead on the road, with all these heroes celebrating their victory - then they go back to their jobs far from Medina, leaving local law enforcement to bear the brunt of a farmer killing. I almost threw up!"[citation needed]
Barry Bachrach, Kahl's attorney, has been quoted as saying that "Newly discovered evidence shows that key prosecution witness Bradley Kapp lied on the stand."[citation needed] Bachrach reportedly says: "Medical records withheld by government prosecutor Lynn Crooks unequivocally establish that Kahl did not shoot Kapp. Kapp was not shot by 'bullets,' but by a 'shot gun from 25 feet' as evidenced by 'small pellets.' Kahl—none of the defendants in this case—had shotguns. Kapp was shot by a fellow law enforcement officer."[citation needed]
[edit] Notes
- ^ United States v. Kahl, 583 F.2d 1351, 78-2 U.S. Tax Cas.(CCH) paragr. 9842 (5th Cir. 1978).
[edit] References
- Corcoran, James: Bitter Harvest (1990) (ISBN 0-14-009874-7)
- Graf, Darrell and Steve Schnabel: It's All About Power (1999) (ISBN 0-942323-31-9)
- Turner, Capstan and A.J. Lowery: There Was a Man (1986) (ISBN 0-9614465-0-1)
- Death & Taxes (1993 film documentary)
- Anti-Defamation League briefing paper on the Sovereign Citizen Movement, [1]
