Ed and Elaine Brown have officially been arrested.
The Browns were arrested when undercover officers went to their home at about 7:45pm on Thursday evening.
“Ultimately, this open-door policy that they seemed to have which allowed the Browns to have some supporters bring them supplies, welcome followers and even host a picnic –this proved to be their undoing,” U.S. Marshal Stephen Monier said. “They invited us in. We escorted them out.”
Following the arrests, the feds found numerous weapons, ammunition and explosive devices. The property was also booby-trapped. The Browns will likely face additional charges related to those weapons.
It’s officially fall here in Pennsylvania (wait… gimme a minute… I just had to savor that thought a little longer) and that means that it’s only a few short weeks away from the party season. You know what I mean, holiday parties, back to school parties, tailgate parties, galas, premiere parties, you name it.
One party that won’t be getting off the ground as planned this year is Freedom Fest. Oh, you didn’t get your invitation?
Freedom Fest was a party scheduled at the home of convicted tax evaders Ed and Elaine Brown. Federal, state and local officers made one arrest, 51-year-old Lauren Canario, after she made an attempt to enter the compound to attend the party despite a court order not to do so. The Browns are, after all, holed up in their compound and have vowed not to leave peacefully to serve jail time after being found guilty of felony charges. Not exactly a prime party venue – and definitely not an open invitation, so far as the feds as concerned, to pay the Browns a visit.
In fact, last week authorities arrested and indicted four supporters on charges of aiding and abetting the Browns. Three of the four men were arrested on weapons charges. The feds have repeatedly said that anyone helping the Browns evade authorities could be criminally prosecuted.
So, how do you know if the party invites you’ve received might lead to a possible criminal charge? Here are some things to look out for:
1, If the hosts of the party are convicted felons resisting arrest; or
2, If federal agents are guarding the site of the party in an effort to bar you from entry; or
3, If you RSVP to the party and hear “This is the Lord’s House” on the other end of the phone; or
4, If you’re asked to bring your own weaponry; or
5, If you’re asked to bring your own power supply; or
6, If the jewelry the hostess is wearing is an ankle monitoring bracelet,
I don’t care how good the hors d’oeuvres are, I’d find another party.
Here are some things that you probably didn’t know about Plainfield, NH:
It was incorporated in 1761, before the US was officially “born.”
There are active sightings of black bears in the area.
Three of the largest employers in Plainfield are farms.
There were, at last count, 2,490 residents.
And here are some things that you probably do know about Plainfield, NH:
Convicted tax evaders Ed Brown and his wife, Elaine, live there in a 110-acre hilltop compound where they are currently involved in a standoff with federal agents.
The town has become a magnet for militia sympathetic to the Browns’ cause.
The press has remained camped out in the town – complete with helicopters – alongside FBI agents who are monitoring the Browns’ property for months.
The people of Plainfield, NH, would rather you not associate the last few things with their town.
Ed and Elaine Brown have been holed up in their personal compound since their last court appearance on tax evasion charges. They refused to attend the sentencing, choosing instead to remain in their home. The Browns claim that they are being wrongfully persecuted for challenging the validity of the federal income tax. Throngs of supporters have followed the Browns to their compound, purporting to know better than the “millions of ignorant people who have the wool pulled over their eyes” – meaning taxpayers.
The Browns have vowed not to leave the compound alive; U.S. Marshal Stephen Monier is simply waiting him out. But the residents of Plainfield have had enough. They have asked Monier to take action. They want the Browns brought to justice.
In a letter to Monier, the townspeople wrote: “While we understand and support efforts to achieve a quiet resolution to this matter, the longer the Browns remain at large the better the chance, in our view, that our local police force will be involved in an incident with them or their group of supporters. In short, we believe that it is time that definitive action be taken.”
A couple of weeks ago, it looked like an end might be in sight. Numerous law enforcement personnel, together with roadblocks and planes, descended upon the town. The Browns cried foul but agents claimed they were merely serving a warrant on the building that once housed Elaine Brown’s dental practice. Many residents of the town believe, like the Browns, that it was really a federal raid gone bad.
No matter what it was, the town wants the craziness to stop. More or less, they just want the feds to do something.
It’s only a test. Had it been a real tax emergency, there might have actually been a break in news about Paris Hilton’s house arrest to discuss a slightly more exciting one… that of Ed Brown.
Earlier today, SWAT team personnel arrived at land owned by Ed Brown in New Hampshire. Mr. Brown claimed on his blog that this was “apparently this was a test by the authorities”.
However, federal authorities reported that they did not approach Ed Brown’s home to confront the Browns but rather that their purpose was to serve a federal warrant to seize Elaine Brown’s dental office in neighboring Lebanon.
Various sources have reported heavy police presence and that neighbors have been evacuated from their homes. A phone called placed by the Associated Press to the Browns to confirm these details was allegedly answered: “This is the Lord’s House. This is Sister Elaine and Brother Edward.”
Brown has reported that his power had gone out twice and that an airplane had flown over the house, which he claimed was in anticipation of a raid. Authorities did confirm that an airplane was in the area but that it was an Associated Press photographer who was ordered to leave the airspace over the Browns’ home.
The Browns were convicted earlier this year on a number of charges including conspiracy to hide $1.9 million of income between 1996 and 2003. Though sentenced to jail, the two chose not to attend their sentencing hearings and have vowed not to surrender peacefully to authorities.
The Browns have garnered some supporters via the internet. Ed and his supporters maintain a blog here.
