Chapter 157: Chapter 120: Verbal Battle in the Courtroom_3
His son's crimes had all been proven, and Tewin himself had no way to defend himself, remaining silent.
But Taryn, who had taken the money, immediately raised his hand and stood up, arguing, "Your Honor, first of all, I must say I do not quite agree with the tax evasion charge!"
"Under the laws of the America Federation, Native Americans have tax privileges, and the Black Tax Act was only enacted on the third of last month."
"As an Elder of the Indian Tribe, Mr. Tewin seldom interacts with the outside world and overlooked the Black Tax Act, which is a human oversight!"
Taryn's point of contention seemed quite reasonable.
If you said the Black Tax Act had been out for a year and a half, that would have been an easy argument.
But it had been introduced less than two months ago, and aside from politicians, civil servants, and those in the market who follow the news, who would know such a law existed?
Oversight is normal, isn't it?
Kiesa nodded in agreement with Taryn's argument and then turned to Director David, "Director David, do you have anything to add?"
"Your Honor, why did Dieter flee back to the Indian Reservation, and as his father, does Tewin not know why?"
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"Since he knows the reason, it proves he was aware of the Black Tax Act, and we also gave a warning at the reservation the day before yesterday. So there is no doubt that his intent was to evade taxes!"
Director David's words were also quite reasonable.
The Dieter case had caused such a stir, and with Dieter fleeing back to the reservation, didn't Tewin, as a father, know his son was in conflict with the tax agency because he didn't want to pay taxes?
Since Tewin was aware, and the tax agency had previously made a warning visit, then the intent to evade taxes on Tewin's part could be considered established.
David added, "Your Honor, on page 2 of document number 6, there are detailed records of Mr. Tewin's illegal earnings..."
Kiesa immediately opened the document and after a few minutes of review, turned to Taryn and asked, "Defense counsel, do you have anything to add?"
Taryn's adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, but ultimately, he didn't continue to dwell on this issue, shifting gears, "Your Honor, it was Dieter who voluntarily returned to the reservation, and as a father, no matter what crimes his son has committed, it is natural to protect him, and according to federal law, this should not be considered as abetting!"
In America's legal system, favoring kinship over justice is actually not encouraged.
There have been many cases where sons committed crimes and fathers provided a lot of help, yet the fathers were still acquitted in the end.
The final explanation given by the judge was that law should not outweigh compassion, and a father acting out of love to protect his son should not be blamed or punished by law!
This also highlights the human touch of the law!
Now, Taryn was clearly seizing this rule in order to refute the charge of abetment.
"Your Honor, indeed the law should not outweigh feelings, but it depends on the extent of the actions."
"If Tewin were simply shielding his own son, that wouldn't be much of an issue, but the key point is, he privately purchased arms, armed the tribe's young warriors to confront the tax agency, and almost caused the tax agency to lose an Apache helicopter!"
"Such insane behavior cannot be summarized simply as abetment; it deserves punishment!"
Upon hearing Director David's words, Kiesa nodded and looked at Taryn, "Defense counsel, abetment refers to aiding Dieter in escaping or avoiding the tax agency's inspection, but what Tewin did was arm the youth to confront the tax agency, which is not only abetment but also violent resistance to the law for the sake of abetment, therefore, your claim is invalid!"
"This..."
Taryn was at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.
Thus, with witness and physical evidence piling up, the charges against Tewin and his son were essentially incontrovertible.
Subsequently, Kiesa conducted a review of the cases involving Virginia and Iman.
Seeing that the charges against both Tewin and Dieter were set in stone, Virginia naturally had nothing to dispute and was quickly convicted as well.
As for Iman, since he had reached a plea deal with Director David, there was no need for an in-depth trial; he simply pleaded guilty.
With this, all four principal members involved in the Dieter case had been tried.
Everyone tensed in anticipation, knowing that the climax of the trial was fast approaching!