Much has been said about gifting tables recently. Your Feb. 24 headline read, "Gifting Tables Saga Far From Over - US Attorneys Office Continues to Investigate." I wrote a letter myself just a few weeks ago, saying that informed adults ought to be able to "gift" as they wish as long as they follow the existing gifting laws.
I saw this entire effort on the part of the IRS as an out-of-control agency overstepping its authority, and making an example of two innocent women. We have serious crime going on that requires incredible resources, and the government is spending our tax dollars prosecuting housewives who meet weekly at wine and cheese parties. There was nothing sinister about these meetings. Prominent attorneys said no problem, “continue what you’re doing.” The gifting table participants were given clear guidelines, knew exactly what they were doing, and loved the camaraderie. Thousands of dollars was given to charities.
There certainly was no criminal intent. And yet, the jury of 12 took just 90 minutes to come up with a guilty verdict on 17 counts for two women. I spent 18 hours in that federal courtroom, including the summation, and there was no doubt in my mind that the government did not prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. This was a total miscarriage of justice, and one can only hope that federal judge Alvin Thompson sees it that way at sentencing on May 15.
Fred Vigorito
Guilford