According to the Associated Press, in Oregon, the Benton County sheriff's department arrested a man for trying to pay a tax clerk his tax liabilities with $600 in cash. Paying your taxes in cash is not usually considered illegal – however, the bills this gentlemen used apparently smelled like marijuana.The concerned tax worker reported Eric Brian Michaelis to the Benton County sheriff’s department who then discovered over 230 marijuana plants inside Michaelis’ home. Deputies found plants in almost every room in his house, some reportedly over four feet tall. They also discovered a back-up generator that could be used to power "grow lamps" in the case of an electrical power outage.
"It's safe to say that it's at least the biggest indoor marijuana bust in the last 10 years," claimed the Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Stringer.
Mr. Michaelis was arrested and forced to turn over $65,000 in cash that was seized in his house. He was also sentenced to 16 months in prison. However, there was no mention as to whether his original $600 payment was accepted or not.
As we get closer and closer to tax day stories that mention taxes are gaining popularity. Usually these articles talk about humorous tax deductions or advice on filing your taxes, but this article really stood out and made me laugh aloud. I guess the lesson learned is that federal taxes and illegal drugs do not mix.