Surf City couple charged

Deepa Bharath

The Orange County district attorney has charged the owner of a local

chain of electronics companies and his wife with failing to report

nearly $3 million in income and falsifying tax returns, officials

said.

Prosecutors filed six felony counts of filing false tax returns

against 52-year-old George “Nick” Jesson Jr., owner of CD

Electronics, Capacitor Specialists International and No Time Delay

Electronics, all in Huntington Beach. His wife, Trina Jesson, 40, is

being charged with four felony counts of falsifying tax returns.

George Jesson, who has openly supported tax protester

organizations, faces eight years and four months in state prison if

convicted and his wife faces seven years in prison.

The Jessons are accused of failing to report nearly $3 million in

income for 1997, 1998 and 1999 on their state income tax returns.

They are accused of owing the state more than $500,000 in delinquent

income taxes, penalties, and cost of investigation. Franchise Tax

Board investigators said the Jessons falsely filed joint tax returns

reporting zero income and zero tax due, a tactic commonly used by tax

protesters.

The Jessons were not available for comment. Both George and Trina

Jesson, who were arrested Friday morning, posted $250,000 bail each

and were released the same day.

Everyone must pay his or her fair share of taxes, Orange County

District Atty. Tony Rackauckas said in a press conference on Friday.

“Mr. Jesson has made himself the final arbiter of the Constitution

and the law, despite countless legal authorities stating the

contrary,” he said. “He is not only choosing to personally break the

law, but he is going one step further by encouraging others to do the

same.”

He said Jesson’s photo appeared in paid advertisements proclaiming

his support for “We the People for Constitutional Education,” a tax

protester organization that contends that paying taxes is not

required in the United States.

Officials said this group believes that taxes are

unconstitutional, currency is not money since the United States

abandoned the gold standard and that wages don’t constitute income.

This group has purchased full-page advertisements in nationwide

newspapers like USA Today to encourage others to stop paying taxes.

* DEEPA BHARATH is a reporter with Times Community News. She may

be reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at

[email protected].