There's the version of tax resolution the late-night commercials sell you. Then there's how it actually works. I'm Darrin Mish, a Tampa tax attorney. I've spent 32 years on the inside of these cases. Here's the real version.
Sherry Peal Jackson, a former IRS agent who was imprisoned on February 14, 2008 for acting on her belief that the government’s collection of income tax is illegitimate, is due to be released August 8, 2011. But her husband, Colin Jackson told the American Free Press that his wife, a certified accountant and mother of two with no prior record, has been placed in solitary confinement for the last 5 months despite having a serious medical condition, when most hardened criminals are only put there for no more than 90 days.
Sherry has been suffering from a hyperactive thyroid gland that causes an increased heart rate and chest pains since a little less than a year ago. Despite that, the prison authorities moved her from her original prison, the Coleman, Florida federal prison, to the Federal Correction Institution in Tallahassee, Fla. because the prison in Coleman does not have a solitary confinement cell whereas the other one does. This gave the impression to her husband that Sherry is being punished for the attention her case was receiving.
Sherry had written to the local congressman, Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) alleging that the prison authorities were slow in getting her the medical care she needed for her condition. A copy of the letter was sent to her husband. Mr. Johnson then revealed the contents of the letter to several supporters and friends. As the news spread, many people started writing and calling the prison and the local congressman’s office, tying up their phone lines for 2 or 3 days.
It was shortly after that when Sherry was transferred to solitary confinement in Tallahassee for what prison authorities claim was for her ‘protection’. Apparently, one letter the prison authorities received contained a threatening message to the effect of ‘we are watching you’, though not in those exact words. The prison system is now investigating this matter, as are the FBI. But whether the transfer was actually a vindictive move by the prison authorities and/or the local congressman is open to speculation. In a move seemingly to deny responsibility over the issue, a representative of Congressman Johnson claimed that his office had no authority to act in this matter.
But one piece of good news is that Sherry’s case has received an evidentiary hearing scheduled to be held next month. It appears the judge felt that there was sufficient evidence or points of interest for Sherry to be heard again. The evidentiary hearing would focus on any evidence that should have been presented but weren’t. If the judge’s verdict in the hearing is favorable, Sherry could be released as early as this summer.
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