American Tax Officer

Just like Ted had been before, Ivan now found himself in a predicament with no easy way out.

"Under the provisions of the Black Tax Act, which was issued on December 3, 2021, it's expressly stipulated that any profit made needs to be reported to the IRS, and Ivan, by using coupons, saved over 600 US dollars a month, which is equivalent to earning 600 US dollars, yet he failed to report this to the IRS. Therefore, the charge of tax evasion is established!"

With reasons to tidy up Ivan now woven together, Nicola on the stand, with a satisfied gesture, did not hesitate to slam down the gavel.

And with her strike, those inside and outside the courtroom were jolted awake.

At this moment, the high-ranking officials at the headquarters watching the live broadcast, as well as those present from the IRS system in the audience, slowly began to smile with joy.

Being able to catch these two members of the Human Rights Organization, the chances were high that the last remaining person would be easily taken care of as well.

If they really managed to deal with these three members of the Human Rights Organization, it would be a resounding slap to the entire organization's face, which for the IRS, would be incredibly satisfying!

"Your Honor, I protest the conviction of my client on the basis of mere coupons. If word of this spreads, imagine the impact it will have on our nation's citizens. Before long, everyone will be living in fear of a tax audit, potentially causing great unrest!"

Jeff, having no way to refute on legal grounds, could only bring up the specter of social unrest, hoping to prevent Ivan from being tagged with the charge of tax evasion.

"The protest is invalid. The law is the law and cannot be conflated with other factors."

Nicola dismissed Jeff's protest and then looked towards the last person from the Human Rights Organization: "Mr. Flynn Nelson, the court now charges you..."

"Wait a minute..."

Upon hearing Nicola call his name, the last member of the Human Rights Organization panicked and quickly interrupted.

And with his interruption, the people in the courtroom turned their gaze toward him.

What took everyone by surprise, however, was what this member said next.

"Director David, I was just kidding earlier. I didn't intend to challenge the authority of the IRS. It was all a misunderstanding..."

The man named Flynn's words were quite clear—he was backing down.

But in truth, it wasn't hard to blame him.

Before the court session, he indeed was very confident, believing that not even the Director of the IRS could pin a charge of tax evasion on him today!

But who would have thought that Director David was so outrageous, bringing up every little thing like tips and coupons.

What's more crucial was that they had managed to gather these so-called pieces of evidence in such a short time, effectively pinning the charge of tax evasion on them.

Flynn, although he considered his tax affairs to be in good order,

thought that if tips and coupons counted as tax evasion, it was just too unforeseeable.

How could he guarantee that he wouldn't be caught out?

Moreover, he was well aware that if the IRS substantiated the charge, who knew how many years he could forcefully be sentenced to?

If he really got hit with such a charge, sentenced to hundreds or thousands of years, that would indeed be absurd.

So, at this point, he didn't care about losing face or about the Human Rights Organization. His priority was to avoid being charged at all costs...

"Hahahaha..."

The so-called cornered beast eventually breaks, unable to tolerate its predicament.

Hearing that the formerly arrogant member of the Human Rights Organization was now almost begging for mercy, several officers of the IRS couldn't help but let out sounds of hearty laughter.

"Order!"

Nicola, while on the stand, rapped her gavel. Although she also felt like laughing, the courtroom was, after all, a place of solemnity, and the necessary serious atmosphere had to be maintained.

"Mr. Flynn, now that you are in court, you are the defendant, and nothing you say will change that!"

David mercilessly rejected his plea and then opened the third envelope, pulling out a card and a small bicolor column stone.

Upon seeing the small stone,

Shock instantly crossed Flynn's face, his pupils dilating with an expression that seemed to predict what would happen next.

"So, Mr. Flynn, does this stone look familiar to you?"

"This is... isn't this the stone I bought at the jade market? How did it end up in your hands?"

"This is the evidence our Inspector obtained from your house, with the cooperation of your wife!"

Upon hearing the two words "physical evidence,"

Felton, João, and the high-ranking IRS officials watching became instantly alert.

David continued to explain, "This stone is called a bicolor column stone, a rather valuable stone. Although the one you've purchased isn't of the best quality, we had it appraised by a specialized stone agency, and it's worth 550 US dollars. Since you only spent 50 US dollars on it, that means, Mr. Flynn, you've evaded 50 US dollars in tax!"

"Fake, you have to pay tax for buying a stone? Stones are a natural resource, a gift from nature to humanity. Why should your IRS tax that? You are just making up charges, I protest!"

Seeing that he was about to be charged with tax evasion just like his two colleagues had been, Flynn exploded.

The previous issues regarding tips and coupons were one thing—after all, as tenuous as they were, they still counted as tangible gains.

But how could buying a stone be considered a gain?

Stones aren't produced by the IRS!

"Mr. Flynn, as a member of the Human Rights Organization, you should know the law better than most. You ought to be aware that here in America, any personal income or profit is subject to tax payable to the IRS. If you don't understand, let me give you an analogy.

It's like going to an auction house to buy antiques or paintings; apart from paying the purchase price for the art, you still have to pay a sales tax on the item. Do you understand now?"

"You..."

Flynn clutched his chest, nearly fainting from anger.

"Hahahaha, a common stone would have been one thing, but this stone is valued at 550 US dollars, which makes it an unexpected gain. According to the profit regulations, that's enough to pin a charge on him!"

The high-ranking officials at the Washington D.C. Headquarters, including Donald, were elated.

Charging tax evasion based on a stone might indeed seem a bit far-fetched.

But as mentioned before, the IRS only needed a pretext to make a move, and now this stone provided just that!