Thanks!  We could definitely use a couple of drinks

Powder Keg Brewing Company doesn't accept BTC yet.

We do however.  See our donations website www.burtw.com

This brewery was the only one willing to host a fundraiser without charging a huge fee.  The owner of the establishment has been incredibly kind to our family.

I haven't heard back on drink or food specials yet.

This angers me more than anything else I read.  Burt never transported or transmitted funds known to be derived from a criminal offense or known to be intended to be used to promote unlawful activity.  That was an absolute lie on the part of the feds to obtain a sealed search warrant.  The phrase is part of a Patriot Act statute revision that enables the feds to act in secret so the feds use it liberally even when there are no facts to support it.  The case was dismissed because (1) Burt did NOT need a business license and (2) he never knowingly obtained funds or sent funds that he knew were earmarked for a criminal activity.  

Our family's reputation has been forever damaged because of the lies and slander by AUSA Michele Korver and S.A. Arran McWhirter and we can never sue the bastards.  The least you people could do is quit perpetuating the lies.

FYI -- people new to Bitcoin like to trade in person because it gives them a chance to learn more about Bitcoins and the community.  It's social.  Like going to garage sales to chat.

Please see my new topic.  It's about Burt's Family Fundraiser and Celebration on October 11, 2015.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1190952.0

Greetings to all,

If you are in the area, please join us for Burt's Family Fundraiser and Celebration on Sunday, October 11, 2015 in Niwot, CO.

The musical acts are James Hoople and The Usual Suspects.

Below is the link to the Fundraiser and Celebration Flyer that contains all the details:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4wjj00pq83nn33d/Oct%2011%20Fundraiser%20and%20Celebration.pdf?dl=0

Thanks,

Jean

I truly appreciate your words of encouragement and support.  I appreciate your willingness to share your beliefs and the time it took you to respond to my post.

I do believe the pen is mightier than the sword. 

My hope is that by sharing our story, people will be encouraged to speak out against the injustices they are witnessing in this country.  Free speech is still protected in this country, so you can still speak out against evil.  Evil will prevail if everyday people don't start speaking out. 

A random thought -- the U.S. Justice Dept really has launched an all out attack on the Bitcoin community.  I would think that somewhere out there in Bitcoin Land there is a creative attorney who could come up with a class action suit against the government on behalf of Bitcoin users and investors.  It would seem that having federal prosecutors suborn perjury by U.S Postal Inspectors to enable them to seize Bitcoins under terrorist secrecy laws should lead to a civil claim of some kind.  Not my area of expertise.  Just saying it's time for Bitcoin attorneys to be creative.  AUSAs and Postal Inspectors conspiring to lie to grand juries and judges to steal Bitcoins for the federal government Federal Asset Forfeiture Fund should be actionable.

Thanks.

I am still fuming that 35 armed agents surrounded my house, touched my underwear, touched my little girl's underwear, searched my little girl's bedroom, and put my nerdy defenseless husband in the Denver County Jail where he could have been killed (by cops or criminals, it's hard to tell the difference these days) and then isolated him in solitary confinement for 3 days so they could seize Bitcoins from my husband and try to break him to be a confidential informant or cooperating witness. 

We did not get all of our property back even though the charges, which never should have been filed anyway, were dropped.

I know the following property is missing:  my brand new Microsoft Office License Key (probably pocketed by an agent) and 186 Bitcoins (yes, Bitcoins are property per the IRS).

The Bitcoins that are missing are being held by Homeland Security at this address:

https://blockchain.info/address/1Eu38i1DkRAPAJhSqbseVroJDpMRfJbAx3

If you receive Bitcoins from this address, please consider donating them back to my daughter's 529 College Savings Account

I'm actually pretty clueless about the Bitcoin world.  If you see them move, let me know.  I am curious as to what the feds do with these coins.

Thanks,

Jean

I am middle aged.  I have worked hard all my life and saved as much as I could for retirement and my daughter's education and well-being.  I taught Sunday school to Kindergarten and 1st graders.  I vote in every election and I pay my taxes.  I have never committed a crime nor did I pose a threat to national security.  My 8 year old daughter was secure in her home with a bright future.  She never committed a crime nor posed a threat to national security.  My middle aged electrical engineer husband never committed a crime nor did he pose a threat to national security.

Special Agent Arran McWhirter and Assistant United States Attorney Michele Korver planned and executed an attack on our family not to fight crime or to prevent a terrorist attack, but out of sheer greed and ambition.  AUSA Korver ignored the FinCEN's ruling that investors are users and don't need business licenses.  She used a statute modified by martial law (Patriot Act) to launch her assaults on the Bitcoin world because of the secrecy it gave her.

Despite the lack of actual evidence, the United States refused to dismiss the spurious charges against my husband unless our family forfeited $80,000 to the Federal Asset Forfeiture Fund.  SA Arran McWhirter and AUSA Michele Korver are the poster children for corrupt government officials.  They overstate their cases and exaggerate evidence to use anti-terrorists laws to steal from law-abiding U.S. citizens.

Civil forfeiture laws have no place in a democratic society.  Civil forfeiture does not deter criminals.  All it does is corrupt law enforcement and the judicial system.

A discussion of when civil forfeiture laws should be used in a drug case involving parents and their adult child in PA misses the point.  Civil forfeiture should never be used.  Civil forfeiture harms parents, husbands, wives, children, businesses and the community in which it is used.

Criminal forfeiture occurs only when a person is convicted of a crime.  Only upon conviction or a guilty plea can the government seize assets that are the result of the underlying crime.  Those assets are supposed to be used for victim reparation.  There is a logical reason for criminal forfeiture.  It returns money to victims.

Civil forfeiture is out and out theft by the government.  The money goes directly to law enforcement and bypasses the constitutional checks and balances of our government and is individual taxation without representation.  

Wild speculation and conjecture have no place in this thread.  

My now 9 year old daughter has been irreparably harmed by the actions of S.A. Arran McWhirter and AUSA Michele Korver.  She had to undergo counseling.  Her doctor has to prescribe sleep aids.  She has lost her education fund.  She is scared of the government and law enforcement.  Her money was taken and her toys broken.  She has lost her sense of security.  She didn't deserve that.

My life savings is gone and my money taken.  I didn't deserve that.

Our friend and two of our relatives had items that were taken from our house which we had to fight get back.

Our thirty year old business was slandered and financially harmed.  Because our business was defamed to our client's customer, our client also lost business and recently closed its doors.  Two companies financially harmed because of the government's greed.

Do not lend credence to the belief that civil forfeiture is ever acceptable.  It is imperative that people everywhere speak out against civil forfeiture in all cases.  It is imperative that everyone understands that people never charged with a crime are always harmed by civil forfeiture.  You cannot execute civil forfeiture without harming persons besides the individual charged.  In fact, civil forfeiture is often executed without charges ever being brought.  We fought the American Revolutionary War over this behavior by the British. It wasn't acceptable then and it is not acceptable now.

Also, because a person is charged with a crime doesn't mean that person is guilty.  No action should be taken against property just on the word of law enforcement.  There should always be due process, notice and a hearing before an impartial judge, BEFORE property is seized.  In this country, our rule of law dictates that punishment should never be cruel or unusual.  What happened to my husband was cruel and unusual punishment; there is no other way to describe three days in solitary confinement over the bogus charge of failure to complete the proper paperwork.  Taking a house over a small drug deal in PA is cruel and unusual punishment.  Having to spend thousands of dollars to get back property which never should have been seized in the first place constitutes an unconstitutional deprivation and taking of property.  I don't care what the 9 Political Puppets wearing black robes in DC say.  Every attorney and every true American knows civil forfeiture is unconstitutional and anti-American at its core.

It's time people stopped adding to the noise.  Discuss how to end civil forfeiture.  Discuss how to stop abuses by law enforcement and federal prosecutors.  But please, in this thread, never discuss that civil forfeiture may be appropriate in certain circumstances.  

My family of three survived and battled an assault by the United States Government.  It cost us our life savings, our belief in our country, our sense of security, but it did not rob us of the American spirit or our belief in the U.S. Constitution.  We now know the true enemy to our civil liberties and our country -- the true enemy lies within and it is people like Michele Korver in the United State Justice Department and agents like Arran McWhirter in the Department of Homeland Security.  

Wow!  Quick turnaround.  You should be a federal investigator. 

I have an 8 year old daughter who loves Dragons and Dragonology.  She was copying the symbols from the book for fun.  It's not a code, just the doodling of an 8 year old.   Her doodles stumped the feds.

This is a link to a document the federal agents seized from Burt's briefcase that was returned to us yesterday.

The federal agents had never seen or read it before.  It seemed suspicious to them so they seized it.

The federal government wasn't able to comprehend its meaning.  See if you can.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v975672c8i85f9f/Subversive%20Document055.jpg?dl=0

Again, if you like playing the game, consider donating to Burt's legal fund at www.burtw.com

You should be able to figure this one out on your own.

Yesterday Burt and I went to Homeland Security to recover some but not all of our property.

The chain of custody receipt tells you how often the federal agents checked a piece of property out of evidence.

Following is a link to a post it note that the federal agents checked out of evidence to exam thirteen (13) times.

They were not able to decode it.  See if you can.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bpjc92d3x3qwwl5/Post%20It053.jpg?dl=0

If you enjoy playing the game, please consider making a donation to Burt's Legal Fund at www.burtw.com

I'll post the answer next Saturday.

Good luck!

Zoe is having a blast rock-climbing.  She went to team try-outs and made the team.  Thanks again for your support.

The case no. is 14-cr-0398-WJM and it's the Order Granting Government's Motion to Dismiss Indictment without Prejudice
I assume it is on Pacer. 

Thanks

On July 13, 2015, the federal case against Burt was dismissed at the request of the Department of Justice.  Unfortunately the debt incurred to fight the spurious charge and the damage done to Burt's reputation remains.  Thank you to those who have supported our family during this difficult time.  
-- Jean
www.jmwagner.com and www.burtw.com

On July 13, 2015, the federal case against Burt was dismissed at the request of the Department of Justice.  Unfortunately the debt incurred to fight the spurious charge and the damage done to Burt's reputation remains.  Thank you to those who have supported our family during this difficult time.  
-- Jean
www.jmwagner.com and www.burtw.com

On July 13, 2015, the federal case against Burt was dismissed at the request of the Department of Justice.  Unfortunately the debt incurred to fight the spurious charge and the damage done to Burt's reputation remains.  Thank you to those who have supported our family during this difficult time.  
-- Jean
www.jmwagner.com and www.burtw.com

On July 13, 2015, the federal case against Burt was dismissed at the request of the Department of Justice.  Unfortunately the debt incurred to fight the spurious charge and the damage done to Burt's reputation remains.  Thank you to those who have supported our family during this difficult time.  
-- Jean
www.jmwagner.com and www.burtw.com

On July 13, 2015, the federal case against Burt was dismissed at the request of the Department of Justice.  Unfortunately the debt incurred to fight the spurious charge and the damage done to Burt's reputation remains.  Thank you to those who have supported our family during this difficult time.  
-- Jean
www.jmwagner.com and www.burtw.com

On July 13, 2015, the federal case against Burt was dismissed at the request of the Department of Justice.  Unfortunately the debt incurred to fight the spurious charge and the damage done to Burt's reputation remains.  Thank you to those who have supported our family during this difficult time.  
-- Jean
www.jmwagner.com and www.burtw.com

I read some pretty snarky comments on the Bitcoin thread regarding Burt’s arrest and felt it necessary to start a new thread on this subject.  Mocking our family’s situation is in poor taste.  Making fun of our request for help shows a darkness of soul that is to be pitied.  A child’s life has been forever altered because of these events.  This is serious and should not be the subject of gossip or idle speculation or mockery.  I am not a member of the Bitcoin community.  I have been impressed by those trying to help our daughter recover her savings.  I have been shocked by the cruelty of others.  I’ve given everyone the ability to contact me directly.  Many here seem to prefer to gossip than learn the facts.  Micon and one other person are the only two to contact me.

Burt is a trader just like the rest of you.  His is a middle-aged electrical engineer who has been a long time Bitcoin enthusiast and investor.  If Burt needs a business license to trade for himself, then ALL of you need a business license too.

The IRS views Bitcoins as an investment for individual trading, like stocks and bonds.  The gains and losses are taxed accordingly.  If you acquire a federal business license and call yourself a business, then you will need to comply with different IRS rules and regulations as well as state rules and regulations.

The attack on Burt by the U.S. Justice Department is an attack on Bitcoins and the Bitcoin community.  You should help defend your Bitcoin community.  You could easily be next.  Burt was targeted long before the Florida arrests.  Chances are, some of you are already in the government’s cross-hairs.

Why help Burt?  Burt is a good person who has worked hard all of his life.  He always helps a friend or family member in need.  He helps other engineers find jobs.  He has taught Bridge and Biblical Greek to senior citizens to help keep them active.  Over the years our family has made generous contributions to numerous charities including the Red Cross during disasters.  We have both volunteered countless hours at our church (we are Methodist).  Burt served on the Staff Parish Relations Committee for a term.  I taught Sunday school until I had to retire during this school year due to the stress from being attacked and betrayed by our country.  Burt volunteered at our daughter’s school and taught math to 3rd graders.  

Since 2004 we have donated over $40,000 to nonprofits.  We are the ones who need help now.  Since Burt is being targeted for investing in Bitcoins, we had hoped the Bitcoin community would help us.

Because of the Justice Department’s attack on our family, we had to stop our contributions to our church, There with Care, water.org, Partners in Health, the Emergency Family Assistance Association and many other charities.  We are still sponsoring a child in Peru even though we really shouldn’t because of the legal fees.  We didn’t want her to suffer because of the U.S. Justice Department's actions against our family.

Yes, our legal fees and costs have reached $200,000.00.  It is an astronomical sum.  It represents our retirement fund, our daughter’s education, and the loan we took out against our home to pay the fees.  We are trying to raise $80,000.00.  Defending an innocent person bankrupts a family.

Ask yourself.  If the government believed you needed a business license, should the government send you a letter advising you to get a license? Or, should the government storm your house, throw you in solitary confinement, bankrupt your family, take all of your electronics and Bitcoins and cash, ruin your thirty year old business and cause financial loss to three Colorado companies?

A notice from the government is the reasonable person’s answer.

Should Burt be deprived of the right to vote, own arms, and volunteer at his daughter’s school because he failed to get a business license for a personal hobby?  Hell no is the right answer.

This case is not about paperwork, i.e., the business license.  This is an attack on the Bitcoin community and Bitcoins.  

I imagine most of you on Bitcointalk are fairly young and inexperienced.  Burt is old enough to be your father.  Imagine the government surrounding your father’s house, putting your father in shackles, putting your father in solitary confinement, and ruining your father’s business all for not having a business license.  You too would be angry and demanding justice.

There will be no justice.  The best we can hope for is to raise enough money so that our daughter doesn’t lose the only home she has ever known.  She will always be traumatized by what has happened.  She will never trust or believe in the United States.

Our family appreciates any financial help you can give us.  Our websites are www.burtw.com and www.jmwagner.com  

Thanks,

Jean Wagner