United States v. Thurston Paul Bell

OPINION OF THE COURT

SCIRICA, Chief Judge.

At issue is whether a permanent injunction barring defendant Thurston Paul Bell from promoting and selling unlawful tax advice is permissible under the First Amendment. We will affirm the injunction with modifications.

I

Thurston Paul Bell is a professional tax protester who ran a business and a website selling bogus strategies to clients endeavoring to avoid paying taxes. In the 1980s, he worked for Save-A-Patriot, an entity dedicated to the proposition that “American citizens are not liable for the income tax.” Bell later started his own organization,…