Remember Kent Hovind? Of course you do. The last we heard everybody’s favourite creationist nutbar and his creationist nutbar wife were looking at spending the foreseeable future preaching from behind bars. Well, Hovind’s sentence has been handed down, and it’s pretty much what everyone expected.
Pensacola evangelist Kent Hovind was sentenced Friday afternoon to 10 years in prison on charges of tax fraud.
After a lengthy sentencing hearing that last 5 1/2 hours, U.S. District Judge Casey Rodgers ordered Hovind also:
—Pay $640,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
—Pay the prosecution’s court costs of $7,078.
—Serve three years parole once he is released from prison.
Hovind’s wife, Jo Hovind, also was scheduled to be sentenced. Rodgers postponed her sentencing until March 1 to allow her defense attorney an opportunity to argue possible discrepancies in sentencing guidelines.
Prior to his sentencing, a tearful Kent Hovind, also known as “Dr. Dino” asked for the court’s leniency.
“If it’s just money the IRS wants, there are thousands of people out there who will help pay the money they want so I can go back out there and preach,” Hovind said.
Hovind, founder of Creation Science Evangelism and Dinosaur Adventure Land in Pensacola, was found guilty in November of 58 federal counts, including failure to pay $845,000 in employee-related taxes. He faced a maximum of 288 years in prison.
Jo Hovind was charged and convicted in 44 of the counts involving evading bank-reporting requirements and faces a maximum of 225 years in prison.
Kent Hovind, who is incarcerated in the Escambia County Jail, will be assigned to a prison by the Bureau of Prisons. Rodgers recommended Kent Hovind be sent to the prison at Saufley Field in Pensacola so he will be close to his family.
It will be up to the Bureau of Prisons, however, to make that determination.
Would it be considered in poor taste to gloat a little over this? Maybe, but that won’t stop me.
Read the comments beneath the article for an extra laugh.
Oh this news does my heathen heart some much needed good.
Poor bastard; he just doesn’t get it, does he?
Ah well, at least in gaol he’ll have a captive audience.
Sorry.
can’t wait to see prison break season 3 where micheal scofield and his gang try to extract howind from prison for religious beliefs. boy, wouldn’t that be fun?!
BWA-HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!
(straightens tie, composes self) Sorry there, I just couldn’t resist.
The amount of restitution that was ordered to the IRS is not the full amount that he owed the IRS. Will he be able to spew his crap from his cushy prison?
Blessed be the Goat.
The Goat is the Alpha and the Omega.
All hail the Goat, for He is the wellspring of all knowledge.
Hey, I could make a living doing this.
Why not pay the IRS directly? Oh, wait, it’s that secular protection racket.
There was no religious persecution in his case – prison is where God wanted Hovind. It’s time for him to do some prison ministry.
Good point.
God must really love Hovind, why else would he be tested so sorely?
Actually, the “funny” comments were pretty depressing. Tribalism, pure and simple. Pat Robertson could rape kindergarteners and eat live kittens for the SuperBowl halftime show, and these gits would find a way to defend him and his “Christianity”. And I don’t think I’m exaggerating by much there. My husband likes to say, “Ignorance can be cured; stupidity is forever.”
RE: cubiclegrrl
Aint that the truth. Wolves hunt in packs is the lesson of the day.
Its to bad that their “FLOCK” is so brainwashed that most will “FORGIVE” him for stealing from the US taxpayers.
I wonder if he’ll try to get a webcam in his cell or something, or write a book maybe. Shows something of hypocrasy on his part but only those who want to see that will.
Anyway always seems strange to mee how financial crime is treated very much more seriously than murder, rape, etc. I suppose from the government’s perspective there are 2 things that affect getting what they want – public support and money, and they know how far they can tilt the balance between life and cash so that they still hold onto enough support to remain in power
I must confess that this news puts a smile on my lips and joy in my heart.
I like that one.
When any one complains just point out it is God’s will and part of his in-effiable plan. Like the deaths of children in natural disasters.
As LuckyJohn noted, Hovind just doesn’t get it. He not only doesn’t want to serve time for his crimes, he wants others to pay for it! And you know it will be the same sap that have been sending him money already.
It seems to me often people who are particularly wealthy depend exploiting the general public for what they can get. Taking from the poor to give to the rich, a kind of anti-robin hood, seems the least moral way. Commercially there seems little choice but to pay high amounts when oligopolys control market prices.
Anti-Robin hood has been the way of things throughout human history. Very rarely do those with any form of power do anything truly altruistic. The fact that Hovind is attempting to overtly take advantage of that should come as no surprise, especially since religion is without exception the prime perpetrator of “take from the poor and give to the rich (in this case the church doing the taking).”
The rock of his walls and the iron of his bars was only 6000 years in the making. How hard can it be for him to break out?
Better make sure someone doesn’t smuggle him some of Pat Robertson’s miracle drink.
OK Frac, that made me laugh out loud. Literally.
This was announced at the Amazing Meeting, and let me tell you that there was more than a little applause.
In addition, these stories got their fair share of gloating from the TAM attendees:
Item 1: Uri Geller is a fake
Item 2: Sylvia Browne is also a fake
Gloat Mode Activated
Proof that evolutionary altruism is hard-wired, or not.
Not.
The bible says “Every knee will bow every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”. All those who have left comments such as these above will one day be kneeling before God Almighty and confess that He really was the maker of heaven and earth. Praise be to God He is my Lord!!!!
Like we’ve never heard that line of bullshit before…
You’re a bit different from the other god-botherers we get here.
You’re suggesting we all go and stand (I don’t do kneeling) before God first and then, we are given a final choice.
In fact, what you’re saying is, we can fuck about, fuck and doubt, and we can still save ourselves cos … well cos that’s what you’re preaching.
And there I was thinking, all we non-superstitious entities had already signed up for our one-way tickets to hell … so’s we could meet up with all the other intelligent life forms that went before us.
Add another to the “go to Hell” list.
God’s Child –
Do you think we who are damned that comment here might get a group seating section in hell?
And btw, are you an only child?
(cont) was your dad a carpenter?
were you an early Marxist?
Are you useful when catering?
Have you seen the “God will fuck you up video”
Incidentally, with all these different Hells, what happens, so we get a season ticket to each, then bussed off to the next one?
Actually, God’s Child’s brother was an only child!
Ha! Sorry, heard that before. I don’t get on my knees for anyone.
Well, that’s not entirely true. But the things that I do on my knees have no business in church, I’ll tell you that.
//Will gladly kneel before Sadie……
Nope.
We should start our own church…one worth attending! We might even achieve tax-exempt status.
The sermons would certainly be more entertaining, but perhaps a bit muffled. Forget the symbolic canibalism of the Catholic Church, we could eat…
Well, you get the idea.
If there turns out to be a God and the only reason I can find to kneel for him in an afterlife is because he’s “mighty”, then he’s a childish asshole that doesn’t deserve any credit anyways. If on the other hand, there is a God and no matter how atheist I’ve been he notices that I’m much less of the sort of dick who sneaks into a message board and posts random “Bible says” bullshit onto it and pats me on the back for it then I’m still ok.
But if there is a God, he’s probably still a loser for allowing this charade of worship go on this long. If you’re all powerful and omniscient then fuck you if you don’t need me saying “good job, dude” all the time and looking down on other people for not saying it the same way.
Let’s face it, if there’s a God then he’s a dick and everyone’s pretty screwed anyways, unless they’re the sort of pussy who gets off on kissing up to jerks and losers with power over them. You know, ass-kissers, brown-nosers? It’s less important that you do your “job” of being a human being right than getting coffee for God and telling him what a cute son he has? Right, that’s exactly the sort of guy that would be worth bullshitting about divine love about.
No thanks. I prefer the earthworms eat me and I rot in a box version.
Ah, kissing the Altar of Venus. Mmm love that sacremental wine…
Ok guys, I think it’s getting sort of creepy now…
Randy Bachman (of BTO):
You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet
By the way, who knew that fundies occasionally listen to good music?
Can i just say that God is an almighty creater and you people are captive by satan at his will. My hearts desire is that God will reveal the truth of the gospel of Christ into your dark evil hearts. I ask this in Jesus name! “anything you ask in my name i will do it” says God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shut the fuck up, you sanctimonious bitch.
Do I show up at your house and start telling everybody that your god is nothing but a fairy tale? Whould you like me to? Better yet, maybe I’ll come over to your church and hand out little pamphlets to everybody, promoting free thought. That ought to fuck up your day pretty good.
Nobody here is held captive by satan’s will, because he’s just as much a fairy tale as your god. It’s all fucking bullshit, grow up and face the real world, and keep your fucking prayers to yourself.
Fuckhead.
To everyone else: Sorry if that seemed a bit harsh, but I’m completely fed up with sanctimonious pinheads telling me I’m hanging with satan or burning in hell or whatever other fairy story they’ve come up with.
I need some fucking whiskey.
Damn KPG, you’re a might bit testy today. Simmer down and relax before you give yourself a stroke.
sigh…
I’m trying, Les, I’m trying
It’s the Satan. Y’know, you smoke just a little Satan to take the edge off…
Typical fundamentalist prattle, though I always find it amusing when people try to underscore their points with an excessive number of exclamation points. It’s almost as if they’re thinking “If I just type in one more exclamation point, my message will become that much more true!”
From the same wellspring of typographic wisdom that prompts them to use all-caps for the word “truth” on bumper-stickers.
To paraphrase Terry Pratchett: Five exclamation marks or more are a sure sign of insanity.
Hmm, perhaps it’s Piers Anthony….
Nah- not talking to us like remedial children*. Possibly unfair I know, but while I found his ideas interesting his style was a bit ‘Sesame Street’. And he feels the need with anything vaguely fantasty to keep using the word ‘demenses’.
*But I will give you ‘remedial adults’ as a style option.
2+2=4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
See it works
Oh yeah? Well 2+2=5 [!*(infinity+1)] Hah!