But you are correct, nonetheless, about how we've allowed the federal government to run amok with property confiscations that often damage innocent persons. One of the most valuable tools in the federal prosecutors rule book is also the most potentially harmful to the law abiding citizen: RICO statutes. Suppose you're married to a felon but uninvolved and totally unaware of illegal activities. You can still lose everything to a RICO property grab.
Not quite right about Randy Weaver....
The feds approached Mr. Weaver and wanted him to infiltrate, and inform on, the Aryan Nations church in northern Idaho. Randy declined. Weaver was approached again at an Aryan Nations rally by an undercover ATF agent who expressed a desire to buy sawed off shotguns. Weaver sold the agent shotguns....full-length shotguns, according to Weaver....and he told the agent to shorten them himself. Another version of this story stated that Weaver shortened the shotguns himself, in front of the undercover ATF agent, to the length he requested, and the shotguns were only slightly shorter than legally permitted....I think it was a quarter of an inch.
ATF agents then approached Weaver again, accusing him of selling illegal weapons, and offered to drop all charges if he would spy on the Aryan Nations on behalf of the feds. Randy again refused.
Randy was arrested, and later served with court papers. He didn’t “ignore a federal court order to appear”......the court papers had the wrong date for his court appearance! When Randy didn’t appear, a bench warrant was issued, a marshal went to Randy’s property to serve it, and a series of events led to a bloody siege, including Randy’s wife being shot in the head while holding her baby.
Later, some of the ATF agents shouted the following comment at the body of Randy’s wife, Vicki: “We had pancakes for breakfast, Mrs. Weaver, what did you have?”