Geek Group raided by Homeland Security & IRS, shuts down.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The local technology-based community organization most recently known as the National Science Institute announced Monday that it will cease it's public operations.

Chris Boden, director of the National Science Institute, announced via a Facebook post Monday morning that the group would be ending operations after a 24 year run on the west side of Grand Rapids.

The group was raided and served federal search warrants on December 21st.  The Department of Homeland Security and the Internal Revenue Service both confirmed to FOX 17 that they had agents participating in the investigation. Monday's posting was the first public statement from the group since the search warrants were served.

Information about the warrants is scarce as they remain sealed in federal court.
GR tech group raided by federal agents will cease public operati..

I have to wonder what caused the raid. I'm not shocked about the IRS, they've been in tax hot water for a while. I'm not sure on the details but I think it has to do with disagreements on their non-profit status. No clue what happened to get Homeland Security involved though.

[Ruski]

Cult shit.

Or maybe they're involved with the secret stuff going through the courts rn.

[TCWilliamson]

Daym...

Currently going through the pain of moving around 20% of my accounts from my tgg email over to my own personal paid one. (I got the email YEARS ago after a small donation I made for some neat stuff)

[patq911]

I've wanted to go here but I've heard strange things about this place so I never did.

There are other maker shops around here but I haven't found someone who lets you rent a lift and tools to fix your car yourself. The closest one is in muskegon like 40 minutes away.

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What strange stuff? Genuinely curious. I've had some previous contact with Chris Boden through the Tesla Coil Mailing List.

[patq911]

Honestly I can't remember. Just something about how it was a little strange over there. I never went too deep into it. If I really needed a makerspace I would have more information but I just bought tools and stuff instead of renting other people's.

Still though I would really like a place to rent a lift.

[Somepotato]

now if only they'll raid other monstrous tax evaders like the church of scientology

[FlandersNed]

Knowing Scientology's previous efforts, they've probably either got paid-off officials or their own people within government preventing it from happening.

[Riller]

CoS isn't avoiding tax, they wrote the tax-laws they abide by.

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That's how must multi-billion dollar corporations do it.

[Somepotato]

not really, CoS tax evades and breaks many tax codes often, they just strong armed the government into being OK with it and granting them NPO status