Four valley men arrested in weapons, tax evasion case

Four Las Vegas residents were arrested Thursday on charges that include possession of weapons and tax evasion in a raid conducted by the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Jan Lindsey was arrested on tax evasion charges. Harold Call faces a possession of a machine gun charge. Samuel Davis and Shawn Rice were charged with conspiracy and money laundering.

Authorities did not explain why the Joint Terrorism Task Force was involved.

Lindsey appeared in federal court Thursday afternoon and refused to allow a federal public defender to represent him during the hearing. When U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Leen granted prosecutors’ request to keep Lindsey in custody, he shouted: “I object, your honor.”

All four men are scheduled to enter pleas on the charges today.

According to the indictment, Lindsey either failed to pay his income tax or filed false tax forms from 1999 through 2006. He also attempted to fool the government by “concealing and attempting to conceal from the Internal Revenue Service the nature, extent and location of his assets by various methods, including placing funds and property in the names of nominee third party entities,” the indictment states.

According to court records, a Lindsey filed a lawsuit against the federal government in 2002 after his property was seized because he failed to pay taxes. In court documents, Lindsey quotes books related to taxpayers rights. In transcripts of various hearings, Lindsey frequently asked procedural questions and challenged the law.

In court on Thursday, Lindsey repeatedly interrupted Leen to ask questions until the judge told him, “This isn’t 20 questions.”

Undercover FBI agents approached Davis and Rice last year and informed the men that they had stolen blank checks from Wachovia Bank. The agents said they needed assistance to launder the money from the checks and Davis said he had experience in money laundering, according to the indictment.

Davis planned to pass the money through the financial accounts of several trusts and corporations that he controlled, then return the money to the undercover agents, the indictment states. Davis said he would also conceal the proceeds as loans.

Davis “explained that the money would not be subject to tax liability, and that the loans would be concealed by having all parties involved sign nondisclosure agreements,” the indictment states.

Between March 2008 and September 2008, agents wired about $585,000 to Davis and he returned $540,000, keeping the balance as payment for his services, according to the indictment.

Rice signed on as Davis’ associate to help with the money laundering.

Call was found in possession of an unregistered machine gun, according to the indictment. The gun is a combination of parts commonly known as “lightning link,” which is designed to shoot multiple shots without reloading.

Agents searched Call’s home at 8208 Gunther Circle, near Alta and Buffalo drives, on Thursday. In the garage was a small canister of black powder and two ammunition reloading machines. A bumper sticker on a vehicle read: “My president is Charlton Heston.” Heston was not only known for his acting, but as a strong advocate for gun rights.

Neighbors said dozens of federal agents arrived outside the home about 8 a.m. Dave Beyl, 26, said he saw a Humvee and people in camouflage uniforms shouting over a megaphone for Call to leave the house.

Call was known in the neighborhood for not being fond of the government, said Mike Mulligan, who moved away from the neighborhood in August.

“He definitely believed in the right to bear arms, we knew that,” Mulligan said.

But Call never showed his weapons to Mulligan. Call, who Mulligan believed is 67, was a kind old man who would try to keep the neighborhood in order, he said.

He also had a tendency to write letters to everybody, from neighbors who would have loud parties to the government, Mulligan said.

“He was a wonderful guy,” he said. “And to everybody there, Harold was always a good neighbor. He was friendly as hell.”

Review-Journal writer Lawrence Mower contributed to this report. Contact reporter Adrienne Packer at apacker@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710.