PORTLAND, Maine — A 71-year-old Brunswick man convicted in April of federal conspiracy and tax evasion charges was sentenced Thursday to serve a year and a day in federal prison.
William Messier will also serve three years of supervised release on charges he conspired with another Brunswick man, 78-year-old David Robinson, to defraud the United States by impeding and impairing the Internal Revenue Service and corruptly endeavoring to impede the IRS from 1999 to 2014.
Messier, who leases space for antennas on telecommunication towers on his Brunswick property, was indicted in August 2014 by a federal grand jury along with Robinson, who claimed to be “the Interim Attorney General” of the “Maine Republic Free State.” At the time, U.S. Attorney Thomas Delahanty II said Messier had not filed a federal income tax return since 1997, though the IRS assessed taxes, interest and penalties against him for $172,000 for the years 2000 to 2004.
Together, the two men wrote a 2012 book titled, “Maine Lawsuit Against the IRS: For Unfair Trade Practices.”
In September, the two men pleaded not guilty and were released on bond.
Messier testified at trial he was a member of “We the People,” an anti-tax organization and the president of the organization was a close personal friend, according to court documents.
U.S. District Court Judge D. Brock Hornby also fined Messier $15,000 and ordered him to file tax returns and pay income taxes going back to 2005 — an amount estimated by the government to be $168,376.
According to a release from Delahanty, Hornby said Messier’s notion that people don’t have to pay federal taxes unless they live in the District of Columbia or a federal territory or are federal employees is “a fantasy,” and people who believe that must understand their conduct is wrong and deserves a prison sentence and a fine.
But Messier’s attorney, Michael Louis Minns, argued for a sentence of probation, house arrest and community service. Minns said Messier “suffers from a delusional disorder,” and his personal physician, David Hill, testified Thursday that Messier’s physical health is fragile.
In response to questions by Minns, Hill said he doubted Messier would survive two years in prison.
“Could he survive 90 days?” Minns asked.
“I think he could do that, yes,” Hill said.
In addition, Minns told Hornby that Messier had already repaid about $5,000 in tax payments since June, had hired an agent to prepare his returns and had filed nearly all of them Thursday afternoon.
Messier was released following Thursday’s hearing and will report to serve his sentence at a future date, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Clark.
Robinson, who was convicted with Messier and was present during Thursday’s proceedings, was also due to be sentenced Thursday afternoon, but after Messier’s sentencing ran late, Hornby rescheduled Robinson’s sentencing for Oct. 5.