Church Seized Over $6-Million Tax Debt
A church that challenged the authority of the IRS was seized by the government to satisfy a $6-million tax debt, with federal marshals wheeling the former pastor out on a gurney as he prayed in protest.
“I pray for you that God will forgive you!” shouted the Rev. Greg J. Dixon, pastor emeritus of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple. “Welcome to communism, America!”
It is believed to be the first time the federal government has seized a church in a tax dispute.
The move peacefully ended a 91-day vigil that had drawn the attention of constitutional scholars and right-wing militia members.
Sixteen years of court battles came to a head in September when a federal judge authorized marshals to seize the property--a ruling upheld last month by the Supreme Court.
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