on his book to prevent federal prosecution is equally false because his attempt to rely on his book in his own criminal case was ineffective. The Court of Appeals also ruled that the government could obtain a ruling ordering Benson to turn his customer list over to the government. Benson petitioned the United States Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court denied his petition in November 2009. Followers of Benson Followers of Benson who have been convicted of federal tax crimes include Kenneth L. Thomas and Wayne Wojtas (see above). Additionally, on March 6, 2008, the United States Attorney's office in Grand Rapids, Michigan announced that Charles E. Hughes of Dansville, Michigan had been convicted of four counts of tax evasion. Hughes had purchased Benson's "16th Amendment Reliance Defense Package" for $3,500, and had used the materials. The U.S. Attorney's office stated: Although the legal analysis and claims contained in the package have been thoroughly discredited, some persons who purchase this or similar packages have used it in an attempt to justify their decision to stop paying federal income taxes. Hughes made that choice. He failed to file his 2000 through 2002, and 2004 federal tax returns, despite having more than $300,000 in income over that period. In addition to his failure to file returns, Hughes also took affirmative steps to avoid having federal tax withheld from his income, including the filing of fraudulent forms. Hughes was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison, and was incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution at Ashland, Kentucky. He served his time and was released from prison in May 2009. See also Pseudolaw Tax protester Sixteenth Amendment arguments Notes References External links Anti-Tax Law Evasion Schemes - Law and Arguments, from the Internal Revenue Service. TheLawThatNeverWas.com, Bill Benson's website. Daniel B. Evans et al., "William J. Benson," from Tax Protester Dossiers: Gurus and Other Big Fish 1985 non-fiction books Books about politics of the United States Fraud in the United States Taxation in the United States Collaborative non-fiction books Pseudolaw