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Santa Clarita woman releases the hounds on IRS, gets probation
Daily News ^ | 3.31.08 | the wires

Posted on 03/31/2008 8:22:30 PM PDT by BurbankKarl

A Santa Clarita Valley woman apologized today as she was sentenced to probation for two years for unleashing two dogs, including a pit bull, on an Internal Revenue Service employee in October.

Lisa Hriczo Blechman, 47, had no comment other than "I'm sorry" at her sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson.

Blechman pleaded guilty in January to one misdemeanor count of assaulting a federal officer.

She unleashed the dogs on IRS employee Ruth Seidman, who was attempting to post a summons on Blechman's home. At the time, the IRS was auditing the business of Blechman's husband, Gregg.

Seidman was frightened by the animals, even though they didn't run toward her, prosecutors said.

In court papers, Deputy Federal Public Defender Kimberly Savo argued the dogs were harmless and the pit bull was suffering from a bad case of arthritis.

Savo also wrote in a Nov. 28 letter to prosecutors that Seidman had no authority to be on the Blechmans' property since Gregg Blechman gave power of attorney to his accountants during the audit.

Her client's medical history of anxiety attacks and other ailments contributed to the assault, Savo said.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: attackdog; govwatch; irs; taxes
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To: dragnet2
but then again, she was probable threatened by the IRS enough times into just complying.

With her bank accounts most likely tied up, she probably wasn't able to pay any large legal fees.

21 posted on 03/31/2008 9:28:48 PM PDT by murphE (I refuse to choose evil, even if it is the lesser of two)
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To: traviskicks

What do you think of this?


22 posted on 03/31/2008 9:33:17 PM PDT by murphE (I refuse to choose evil, even if it is the lesser of two)
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To: murphE

This seems to be a classic case of the feds sending the message to the peasants of, “Pay up and comply or else”.


23 posted on 03/31/2008 9:34:14 PM PDT by dragnet2
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To: dragnet2; Proud_USA_Republican
unleashing a pitbull on someone should get a attempted murder charge.

Is this fedgov speak? This clearly implies she set the dogs upon the federal tax collector. Yet further down the article it states, "They didn't run toward her, prosecutors said." Which is it? What crime was committed?

Attempted assault.

"Attempted" is the key word.

Claiming that there was no crime because the dogs did not carry out the intended attack is like claiming that there was no crime when you took a swing at the IRS employee because your intended punch missed his jaw.

24 posted on 03/31/2008 10:06:18 PM PDT by Polybius
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To: Polybius
Attempted assault. "Attempted" is the key word.

No, the key word here is "Read".

Did you read the article?

"Blechman pleaded guilty in January to one misdemeanor count of assaulting a federal officer."

Since no "assault" took place, what specifically was the crime here?

Take your time.

25 posted on 03/31/2008 10:54:07 PM PDT by dragnet2
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To: murphE; Abathar; Abcdefg; Abram; Abundy; akatel; albertp; AlexandriaDuke; Alexander Rubin; ...
Libertarian ping! To be added or removed freepmail me or post a message here.
26 posted on 04/01/2008 1:01:54 PM PDT by traviskicks (http://www.neoperspectives.com/Ron_Paul_2008.htm)
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To: murphE
IRS employee Ruth Seidman, was frightened by the animals, even though they didn't run toward her, prosecutors said.

This I don't really understand. Why was the IRS employee afraid then?
27 posted on 04/01/2008 1:05:41 PM PDT by traviskicks (http://www.neoperspectives.com/Ron_Paul_2008.htm)
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To: Inyo-Mono
Except for IRS agents.

As long as they are in season and you have the proper permit. 

28 posted on 04/01/2008 1:25:39 PM PDT by zeugma (FedGov has no intention of actually doing anything to secure this nation. It's all a power grab.)
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To: dragnet2

My guess is that the feds were throwing every charge in the book at her, and she was looking at some serious, SERIOUS time. She made the smart move and didn’t risk a decade or two in jail.

Personally I hate the idea of prosecutors bringing every trumped up charge they can think of just to get someone to plead. Its disgusting.


29 posted on 04/01/2008 2:06:24 PM PDT by Bastiat_Fan (Please don't call me a PaulTard... Surrender Monkey is so much more pleasing to the ears!)
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To: zeugma

I wonder how hard it is to get tags for those... Is there a lottery or something?


30 posted on 04/01/2008 2:07:33 PM PDT by Bastiat_Fan (Please don't call me a PaulTard... Surrender Monkey is so much more pleasing to the ears!)
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To: traviskicks
This I don't really understand. Why was the IRS employee afraid then?

I can't say, but I have a 125 lb German Shepherd who almost all black and people walking by find him terrifying even if he is just sitting in the yard minding his own business.

31 posted on 04/01/2008 4:12:13 PM PDT by murphE (I refuse to choose evil, even if it is the lesser of two)
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To: BurbankKarl
Everybody knows a pit bull would never harm an IRS agent.

Professional courtesy.

32 posted on 04/01/2008 7:13:34 PM PDT by elkfersupper
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To: Polybius

Ummm... how about anything done to IRS agents short of leaving the dismembered bodies of tax collectors on the doorstep of the local church is NOT a crime? How about we, the People, start dealing with these slugs the way our ancestors did? Tar, feathers, boiling oil... How about anything less than utter contempt for these slimy life forms is going too easy on them?

In other words, it should not be a crime to eliminate tax collectors from the world. They are a waste of good air.


33 posted on 04/01/2008 11:20:34 PM PDT by dcwusmc (We need to make government so small that it can be drowned in a bathtub.)
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To: Ronin
I find it hard to sympathize with IRS agents, myself.

Yeah, gotta say, my first reaction was heck, give that woman a medal--don't prosecute her.

34 posted on 04/02/2008 12:46:02 AM PDT by pbmaltzman
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