On this one, I can almost see a logic at work, albeit a very cynical one. Since police power rests with the states to prosecute drug laws, use the Capone method and get 'em at the federal level on tax evasion.
Wrong. The federal government can enforce drug laws. See Gonzales v. Raich.
Overall, though, I believe this is actually a result of international accounting rules. I'm trying to remember what the category was called, but basically there's this system called the Balance of Payments sheet. It's like a national accounting sheet. Anyway, one of the categories is basically "illegal activity, bribes, black market, etc." only phrased more nicely. Many international borrowers and accounting protocols require you to make some attempt to determine the amount of these variances, at least in name. And yeah, they tack it on to the crimes when you get arrested, too. Or, they can. Just like every drug indictment includes an indictment for violations of federal communication laws, because they assume that you used a phone at some point, and that's illegal.
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Date: 15/4/10 16:40 (UTC)Wrong. The federal government can enforce drug laws. See Gonzales v. Raich.
Overall, though, I believe this is actually a result of international accounting rules. I'm trying to remember what the category was called, but basically there's this system called the Balance of Payments sheet. It's like a national accounting sheet. Anyway, one of the categories is basically "illegal activity, bribes, black market, etc." only phrased more nicely. Many international borrowers and accounting protocols require you to make some attempt to determine the amount of these variances, at least in name. And yeah, they tack it on to the crimes when you get arrested, too. Or, they can. Just like every drug indictment includes an indictment for violations of federal communication laws, because they assume that you used a phone at some point, and that's illegal.