Back in April, I made a post that in part talked about "Operation Choke Point," where the Feds were pressuring banks to close the accounts of people and businesses the government "found objectionable" like porn stars and gun shops. I found this article today, Tyranny expands as consumer agency gives itself power to shut down businesses. Read the comment at the bottom of the article.
A lot of people don't know what the Federal Register is. This is where various government agencies publish their "rule changes" pertaining to whatever they are charged with regulating. This also where things like grants are published. It is a document that if you read it for too long, your brains will liquefy and run out of your ears. It is more mind-numbing than a Jerry Springer show. However, if you want to know what the government is up to, this is the place to go.
Anyway, back last year, This notice was published September 26th, 2013, Volume 78, Number 187. This rule is extended from the Frank-Dodd Act. It takes two-and-a-half pages to say this, but this is what it basically means: If the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection has any suspicion of a business has "incomplete or inaccurate financial records" it may issue a Temporary Cease-And-Desist Order and force the business to close until the financial records are no longer "incomplete or inaccurate."
They don't have to prove anything, they just have to believe that your books are not up to their standards in order to issue the TCDO. Then you can go to court and fight it, but that takes money, and suddenly you don't have any. Your income is now zero (since they closed your business) and it could be months and many thousands of dollars in attorney's fees before you appear before a judge and have a shot at getting the order lifted. And they probably seized your business and personal bank accounts at the same time (evidence, dontchaknow).
Of course, you could surrender your books to the government. And when (not if) they find a mistake in your books, they can put you in Club Fed for as long as they want to. By the way, there is no parole in the Federal system. If you get 10 years, you'll do 10 years. This all falls under the little catchphrase in just about any law passed by Congress, "The Agency(s) charged with the enforcement of this law may issue regulations pertaining to the regulation and enforcement of this law." Gerald Ford said at a joint session of Congress, "A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."