Ed and Elaine Brown Reported Arrested

The Guardian reports:

Convicted tax evaders Ed and Elaine Brown have been arrested at their Plainfield home without incident, the U.S. Marshal’s office in New Hampshire said Thursday.

The couple had been convicted on federal tax charges in January. They refused to turn themselves in to authorities when they were sentenced in April and had been holed up in their rural, fortress-like home since. It was not immediately clear how they were taken into custody.

“The Browns may now begin serving their 63-month federal prison terms,” U.S. Marshal Stephen Monier said. “High profile situations like this are always difficult, but they don’t have to be tragic. I’m glad no one was injured, and that the community remained safe throughout the operation.”

The Browns have claimed the federal income tax is not legitimate.

Earlier this year, officials cut power and telephone service in an effort to ratchet up pressure on the couple convicted of scheming to avoid federal income taxes by hiding $1.9 million of income between 1996 and 2003.

After abandoning his federal trial and retreating to his home, Ed Brown repeatedly said that any attempts to arrest him would result in a violent confrontation.

Fox News reports:

It was not clear how the couple were arrested. A team of deputy marshals took them into custody at about 7:45 p.m.

Report from WMUR 9 in New Hampshire:

The New Hampshire Union Leader reports:

“We had no indication that the Browns intended to voluntarily surrender, so we had to move forward with an operation that promised the safest possible outcome. That day was today, U.S. Marshal Stephen Monier said in a written statement.

The Browns were taken into custody by a team of deputy marshals, Monier said.

He said marshals moved “forward with an operation that promised the safest possible outcome” but did not provide details. The two did not surrender, he said.

A news briefing is scheduled for 10 a.m. today at the U.S. District Courthouse in Concord.

TruthNews, Infowars, and Prison Planet will report details as they are made available.