Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II and Deputy Assistant
Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division, Ronald A. Cimino,
announced today that F. William Messier, 70, and David E. Robinson, 75, both of Brunswick,
Maine, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Portland and charged with conspiracy to defraud
the United States by impeding and impairing the Internal Revenue Services (IRS). Messier was
also charged with failure to file income tax returns for the years 2008 through 2012, and
corruptly endeavoring to impede the IRS.
According to the court documents, Messier has not filed a federal income tax return since
1997. The IRS assessed taxes, interest and penalties against Messier totaling $172,000 for the
years 2000 to 2004. In addition, from 2006 to 2012, Messier earned more than $390,000 in gross
income from renting antennae space on radio communication towers that Messier owned and by
renting access to his property to customers who constructed their own communications towers or
located electronic equipment on the property.
David E. Robinson claims to be the “Interim Attorney General" of the “Maine Republic
Free State." The indictment alleges that after the IRS sent Notices of Levy to Messier’s
customers, Robinson and Messier took a number of steps beginning in 2012 to obstruct and
impede the IRS, including presenting the IRS with a fake and worthless money order for the
amount due by Messier, and sending threatening and harassing documents to Messier’s
customers urging them not to cooperate with the IRS.
Messier faces up to 13 years in prison and fines totaling $1,000,000 if convicted on all
counts. Robinson faces up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendants are
scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Portland on September 5, 2014 at 9:00 and 9:30
a.m.
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation.
An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless
proven guilty in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
