BurtW arrested (update: charges dropped!)

[Quickseller]

Part of the $284,373.00 cost was repairing the damage they did to our home and office, including doors, locks and walls.

I take it homeowners insurance doesn't cover the costs of repairing damage caused during a search even if the charges are dropped?

Most insurance policies will include exclusions against damage caused by government action. According to insure.com, the most broad homeowner insurance policy, HO-3, will cover against everything except a small number of things, government action being one of them. This appears to be corroborated by investopedia, as well as an article by lexis nexis.

The government has the right to search/seize property if there is probable cause that a crime occurred. If there was actually probable cause is a different question as I know the search warrant was sealed even to Burt when it was executed and I haven't read anything about it ever getting unsealed.

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[rpietila]

Insuring against government is typically illegal.

[sAt0sHiFanClub]

Glad to hear that you came out the better party in this.

I cant begin to imagine the stress you were put under, but I get the impression that you have sufficient strength of character to weather it, and prevail.

It is deeply disturbing to realise that we live in societies where our governments feel the need (indeed the right) to intimidate citizens in order to ensure their compliance.

Compliance with laws that favour a small, wealthy and powerful elite.

[jbreher]

The government has the right to ...

I disagree. Governments have no rights. They have powers. Sometimes stated as authority, but authority is in itself a contradiction.

[spazzdla]

The government has the right to ...

I disagree. Governments have no rights. They have powers. Sometimes stated as authority, but authority is in itself a contradiction.

This guy gets it.  The right LOL, no.

[BurtW]

Very well written article about the case, and civil asset forfeiture in general:

http://coinjournal.net/burt-wagner-localbitcoins-case-shows-danger-of-overbearing-government

If you are in the Boulder/Denver area I will be speaking:

http://www.meetup.com/Colorado-Bitcoin-Society/events/224676885/

Updated web sites:

http://www.burtw.com/

http://www.jmwagner.com/

[iCEBREAKER]

Insuring against government is typically illegal.

That's nice.  Could it be done, perhaps using Monero-funded smart contracts on Ethereum?   

[acquafredda]

Very well written article about the case, and civil asset forfeiture in general:

http://coinjournal.net/burt-wagner-localbitcoins-case-shows-danger-of-overbearing-government

If you are in the Boulder/Denver area I will be speaking:

http://www.meetup.com/Colorado-Bitcoin-Society/events/224676885/

Updated web sites:

http://www.burtw.com/

http://www.jmwagner.com/

I hope to raise some money for you man. You are a good man.
We could have been you.

I hope everything will be ok soon.

Hold on! Take care.
thanks

[RustyNomad]

Glad to see that you were able to walk away from this Burt but very sad to see what an overbearing government can do to a person's life.

Another sad thing is that I do not see this changing anything. We live in a militarised world where governments are under the impression that they can do as they please with impunity as they were put in place by the 'majority' i.e. the majority funders yes.

Long gone are the days where a 'civil servant' acted as a servant of the people.

[Westin Landon Cox]

I'm also glad to see this outcome...or maybe relieved is a better word. I was afraid it was going to be a lot worse.

[BurtW]

Very well written article about the case, and civil asset forfeiture in general:

http://coinjournal.net/burt-wagner-localbitcoins-case-shows-danger-of-overbearing-government

If you are in the Boulder/Denver area I will be speaking:

http://www.meetup.com/Colorado-Bitcoin-Society/events/224676885/

Updated web sites:

http://www.burtw.com/

http://www.jmwagner.com/

I hope to raise some money for you man. You are a good man.
We could have been you.

I hope everything will be ok soon.

Hold on! Take care.
thanks

That would be fantastic.  We do have a fund raiser in the works.  Three of my friends who are musicians and/or have bands have offered to play.  We are just looking for a venue to host the event.  It will be in the Boulder/Longmont area somewhere.  I will keep everyone posted.

[BurtW]

I will be giving a talk entitled "BurtW - Arrested for Trading Bitcoins" in the Denver/Boulder area.  Here is my current speaking schedule:

Libertarian Lunch
Thursday, September 10, 2015
12:30 PM
Carelli's Restaurant, 645 30th Street, Boulder
Libertarian Party of Boulder County

Colorado Bitcoin Society Monthly Meetup
Monday, September 14, 2015
6:00 PM
Southern Hospitality, 1433 17th Street, Denver
Colorado Bitcoin Society

Republican Breakfast
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
7:00 AM
The Plaza Conference Center, 1850 Industrial Cir, Longmont
Reservations:  Rebekah Vicknair

[hack_]

I will be giving a talk entitled "BurtW - Arrested for Trading Bitcoins" in the Denver/Boulder area.  Here is my current speaking schedule:

Libertarian Lunch
Thursday, September 10, 2015
12:30 PM
Carelli's Restaurant, 645 30th Street, Boulder
Libertarian Party of Boulder County

Colorado Bitcoin Society Monthly Meetup
Monday, September 14, 2015
6:00 PM
Southern Hospitality, 1433 17th Street, Denver
Colorado Bitcoin Society

Republican Breakfast
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
7:00 AM
The Plaza Conference Center, 1850 Industrial Cir, Longmont
Reservations:  Rebekah Vicknair

Glad to know you made it out!

[Kyraishi]

I will be giving a talk entitled "BurtW - Arrested for Trading Bitcoins" in the Denver/Boulder area.  Here is my current speaking schedule:

Libertarian Lunch
Thursday, September 10, 2015
12:30 PM
Carelli's Restaurant, 645 30th Street, Boulder
Libertarian Party of Boulder County

Colorado Bitcoin Society Monthly Meetup
Monday, September 14, 2015
6:00 PM
Southern Hospitality, 1433 17th Street, Denver
Colorado Bitcoin Society

Republican Breakfast
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
7:00 AM
The Plaza Conference Center, 1850 Industrial Cir, Longmont
Reservations:  Rebekah Vicknair

That's nice.
Can you give us a little description on what will be covered at the speech?

[BurtW]

That's nice.
Can you give us a little description on what will be covered at the speech?

Sure, I can save you the click.  All three talks will be basically the same.  Copy/Pasted from Colorado Bitcoin Society above:

If you have been in the Denver Bitcoin community for more than just a couple months you will have probably heard of Burt Wagner (BurtW in Bitcoinland). He has been tangled up in what is certainly the most public of cases involving person to person bitcoin trading.


BurtW will talk about his experience of being investigated and tracked for 18 months, indicted by a grand jury, arrested, charged with a Federal felony, and thrown into solitary confinement all over simply trading Bitcoins on localbitcoins.com.


He will also discuss the one year nine months of legal negotiations that led to the charges finally being dropped and the return of most of the property seized in the raid on his home and corporate offices.


We expect the talk to lead into an extensive question and answer session and the discussion of the subjects:  Bitcoins, localbitcoins.com, law enforcement tactics, the law, licenses, civil asset forfeiture, the prison system, the justice system, homeland security, the patriot act, surveillance, etc.  All of which happened to him personally.


http://www.jmwagner.com/home.html

and

http://www.burtw.com/home.html


Meetup structure this week.

6-6:30 Arrival and Drinks

6:45 Presentation

Recommended Parking at http://www.guarantyparking.com/

Discounted validation cards for this garage in the restaurant for paying guests.

Bitcoins accepted for all purchases of food and beverage along with tips.  (Not converted into dollars instantly)

[Kyraishi]

-snip-

Thanks for the update.
I was not aware of how the case went.
I am sorry to hear that the government robbed you legally.
I hope and wish you manage to recover/recoup all of what was stolen from you plus interest.

[BurtW]

I will be giving a talk entitled "BurtW - Arrested for Trading Bitcoins" in the Denver/Boulder area.  Here is my current speaking schedule:

Libertarian Lunch
Thursday, September 10, 2015
12:30 PM
Carelli's Restaurant, 645 30th Street, Boulder
Libertarian Party of Boulder County

Colorado Bitcoin Society Monthly Meetup
Monday, September 14, 2015
6:00 PM
Southern Hospitality, 1433 17th Street, Denver
Colorado Bitcoin Society

Republican Breakfast
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
7:00 AM
The Plaza Conference Center, 1850 Industrial Cir, Longmont
Reservations:  Rebekah Vicknair

I have also added the following tentative dates to my schedule:

Fully Informed Jury Association (FIJA) Jury Nullification Education
Friday, September 4, 2015
10:00 AM
Boulder Justice Center

Protest at the Desert Snow Asset Forfeiture Training
Monday-Wednesday, October 5-7, 2015
Time TBD
Fountain Police Department


Full schedule always posted here:

http://www.burtw.com/speaking-schedule--new-.html

[sed]

I hope your talks can help you make back that money taken by the feds.

[BurtW]

I hope your talks can help you make back that money taken by the feds.

No, not going to happen.  

This is all about just getting the word out, political action, working toward ending forever the nefarious practice of Civil Asset Forfeiture in the United States which drove the intensity and direction of the Justice Department and Homeland Security as they investigated me and my family.  

If it were not for the misguided dreams and visions of millions of dollars in seized cash and Bitcoins dancing in the heads of the AUSA that prosecuted my case and the Homeland Security agent that investigated my case they would have just sent me a simple one page cease and desist order.  This would have cost them almost nothing.  Instead they spent God only knows how much time, energy and money to investigate a 53 year old electrical enginerd for his hobby of trading Bitcoins.

However, I am going to start contacting all the various Bitcoin related conferences.  Maybe they have some money to pay speakers?  If I could get my trip paid for and a little bit of money left over for bills I would be very excited to speak at any upcoming Bitcoin related conferences.

[Carlton Banks]

Protest at the Desert Snow Asset Forfeiture Training

Training? These people have no shame. Presumably those attending the training session have some sort of confidence that they will not be subjected to this sort of official harassment. Disgusting.