It looks like Kent Hovind may be regretting just a bit the fury that he unleashed by going public with his dispute with his son Eric over control of ministry assets. During last night’s Q&A starting around 1:20, he indicates that there has been all sorts of stuff on the internet about his family problems. Rather disingenuously, he says “It is none of their business”. The reason I call him disingenuous is because in this video
Kent indicates that he wants his supporters to call out Eric and Jo, because public pressure might show them the error of their ways.
Based on the interviews he has given with Joyce Reilly and Pastor Manning and his comments on last night’s Q&Aand the word I have gotten from Ernie Land, I don’t think Kent approves of the vicious attacks that have been unleashed against Eric by the Hovindication tribe. Here is something of a compilation. Probably the most extreme was from Steven Anderson. I do have to say Anderson has one good line when he says that Eric’s ministry called God Quest sounds like a video game.
There is also a pretty tough facebook site called Eric Hovind Exposed. Ernie Land assured me that this stuff is not being coordinated by Kent.
Kent was unaware of who put up the facebook page on Eric. We now know who it is, but yesterday as I spent time with Kent at the new property, Kent had seen the site, but truly was surprised when it was revealed who built it. Kent has spoken to many about his inner feelings, but has not organized any attack. Kent truly feels the Government and his family have stolen from him. Kent did not want a divorce, and it has wrecked havoc on his emotions. I don’t understand why you are even giving notice to this. How does this fit your norm of subjects?
I’ll answer Ernie’s question to me at later, but first I want to explain why I think Kent going public with this matter was not the smartest thing he ever did.
Alter Ego
Kent’s story is that he left his ministry Christian Science Evangelism to be watched over by Eric. Eric, out of fear that the government might seize CSE’s assets transferred those assets to himself as president of God Quest, Eric’s ministry, for $6,300. Kent says there was $2,000,000 worth of stuff and now he wants it back.
The reason it seems like going public with this is a bad idea is because it seems likely that the $3.3 million civil judgment for income taxes and penalties finally decided by the Tax Court in 2013 is till outstanding. The decision in the case of Jo Hovind, which covers the same ground, is more detailed in the description of what was going on. In an earlier decision, the Tax Court found.
The organizational structure petitioner established for the above activities, including petitioner’s purported religious ministry and theme park, apparently was based on various questionable trust documents purchased from Glenn Stoll, a known promoter of tax avoidance schemes.
On my dedicated Kent Hovind FaceBook page where I try to cover and comment on the Hovind cases I have an outstanding challenge for Kent to come out to discuss the details of his legal narrative which I claim are false, or for him to send out his Champion to face me.
I’m still waiting, and over the course of time have presented 50 propositions from which to choose at such time as Kent or his Champion decide to come out to me.
Frankly I would not want to debate Kent Hovind. I interviewed him once and that was enough.
.
Kent needs to quit hiding out and trying to control the conversation and letting his handler Ernie Land mislead people about him and his positions.
For example, Ernie is quoted as saying, in part:
– "Kent truly feels the Government
– and his family have stolen from him."
If that is true, then it may be a further indication of Kent's untreated, undiagnosed mental issues.
Otherwise, Kent has no good reason to hold that position, and there is ample evidence that Kent flat out lies about his legal problems and refuses to face up to legitimate opposition and discuss such things.
Last I heard, Kent was still planning to spend the rest of his life railing against the Government using his "sovereign citizen" and related theories.
As I noted in earlier comments, such claims are simply a technique Kent uses to keep from revealing he true, fundamental, anti-government positions.
Kent, we can talk.
Come out to me and let's begin the conversation.
—————————————–
Ernie, Kent's handler, also wrote, in part:
– "Kent did not want a divorce, and
– it has wrecked havoc on his emotions."
That claim is also suspect as far as what it might really mean.
A number of commentators have indicated that what Kent wanted was for his wife to just "shut up and do what she's told" as a good fundamental, independent, Baptist wife.
Kent sent his wife to prison just as assuredly David sent Uriah to his death.
Kent claimed he was aware of the estrangement for years.
If Kent did not want a divorce, there is no evidence to support it.
Nice to see more links to our doc for deep background….along with your interview. Let's go to Bama
Let's wait until things settle down, the property's purchased, changes hands and then Kent has to apply for permits. Because I'm pretty sure whatever he's got cooked up is going to exceed the permitting that's currently in place for an RV park and fishing hole.
Nice to see more links to our doc for deep background….along with your interview. Let's go to Bama
I am not a professional, but would Eric Hovind also be vulnerable for helping defraud the Feds by hiding assets?
I can't get my legal brain trust working on this, but it does worry me.
Gary,
It may be that the feds gave Eric a pass.
In addition to the issue of asset hiding, Eric joined with Kent to file a frivolous lawsuit alleging Scott Schneider endangered Tanya Hovind and her unborn baby when he talked to her and left a summons for Eric with her.
Those are just some of the things Eric and his wife Tanya has yet to come clean on.
Others may have also been given a pass by the feds; prosecutorial discretion and all.
It is my guess that Eric was under extreme pressure during that time from Kent. It only takes listening to the jailhouse tapes to know how Kent pours on the pressure. I do believe that Eric has matured a bit and grew some backbone to go against his dad. Of course I'm certain having his mother's backing certainly helped matters.
As for Ernie's statement that Kent was surprised about the facebook page, I think we know who that is. Doesn't surprise me a bit.
But, one thing to keep in mind. It was Kent who spread the word about his wife and son and now it is coming back to bite him and potentially lose any negotiating ground with either his son, or his wife! Kent is great at crashing and burning.
Considering that Kent and Jo owe the IRS over $3 million, Kent's continued bleating might attract unwanted attention to Eric and GodQuest. I just looked at Guidestar's extract of GodQuest's 990s through 2014, and GQ (haha) has less than a million dollars' worth of assets, of which only a quarter-million comes from property.
I'll repeat again that I think Kent is addled in the head regarding what assets may have been available to GQ in 2006 when he was shipped off to incarceration. If there had been salable assets, the IRS would have been on them like white on rice. After all, the IRS seized the *property*, no? Moreover, I think had there been things of real value there during the time when Eric sold the CSE materials to GodQuest, the IRS would have been all over Eric. But I'm thinking there wasn't anything of value. I do have a question–who ultimately got the $6,000 and change Eric paid CSE for the assortment of Kent videos and soft goods? Did it go to the US government? Hmmm. Inquiring minds and all that…
Good thoughts and questions, mirele.
Don't know about that. The real property that was seized was covered by the structuring forfeiture which was "only" 400k. The big income tax deficiency (1998-2006 I think) would have had collection stayed until the 2012 decision in the case of Jo. Also they don't actually seize very much other than financial assets and real estate as far as I can tell. There are vehicle seizures but really not that many of them.
Remember, Kent's first real encounter with the IRS involved a couple of vehicle seizures back in 1995, and then he filed for bankruptcy to try and get them back.
I still think that had there been salable items of real value, the IRS would have seized them. That's not what happened here. And part of it may have been the nature of Kent's business. I doubt the IRS wanted to be in the business of selling videos of creationist talks and tax avoidance tips.
IRS enforcement resources have dwindled and the Taxpayer Rights Act have made it a a lot harder to engage in that type of activity.
Kent is a crook deep down. His family finally realised it. No surprise here.
What confuses me is why you are into this tabloid style interference into the family affairs of someone else. It's a waste of time. It's childish. And you're too old to be engaging in controversy like this.
It is a tax story that I have been following and readers seem interested in it. Might take your comment a little more seriously if it was not anonymous.
Kent has made his family circumstances and how it relates to the family business and cornerstone of his performances for years.
It seems most appropriate that now more of the truth is coming out and the extent to which Kent has been lying about and misrepresenting it that it be covered as thoroughly as possible.
If Kent is right, it would be appropriate for him to call out for help in asking others to put the squeeze on Eric, Jo, et al that they might repent.
If Kent is wrong, as I believe he is, it is most appropriate that others bring the truth to light as part of putting the squeeze on Kent to repent and to begin bringing forth his works meet for such repentance.
Of course, what is really up with all of that is still quite limited.
Maybe we will learn more as time goes by.
Maybe not.