LOCAL NURSE CHARGED WITH 77 FELONIES: TAXMAN ALWAYS GETS HIS SHARE!

KEYT NewsChannel 3-12 breathlessly reports that Rosanne Marquis, a 71-year-old registered nurse operating an 'unlicensed' in-home care business, has been slapped with 77 felony charges. While the headlines scream about alleged thefts from clients – a serious issue, to be sure – The Whipping Post notes the rather convenient additional focus on 'improper tax filings.' Because, in a state where you can practically set up a tent city without consequence, dare to cross the IRS, particularly when running a business outside the approved bureaucratic channels, and the full weight of the D.A.'s office will come down on you like a lead balloon.

One has to wonder if Ms. Marquis’s enterprise might have flown under the radar longer had she just remembered to fill the government’s coffers before her own. The real crime here, it seems, isn't just the alleged victimizing of vulnerable clients – which is abhorrent – but the fundamental offense of not playing by Sacramento's increasingly stifling rules. Imagine the outcry if a regular licensed behemoth corporation was accused of stealing; it would be a slap on the wrist and a token fine. But operate a smaller, 'unlicensed' care business, which likely sprang up to fill a desperate need the state's labyrinthine healthcare system can't meet efficiently or affordably, and suddenly you're public enemy number one.

The fact she managed to run this 'unlicensed' operation since 2019 without the county's legions of regulators noticing until now either points to breathtaking incompetence within the supervisory agencies or a sudden realization that someone was making money without the state getting its cut. It’s always fascinating how the taxman’s auditors seem to have a more advanced detection system than the client protection agencies. Perhaps if her business had been a 'state-sanctioned' shelter providing 'harm reduction' services, she'd be getting grant money instead of felony counts.

This isn't just a story about alleged theft; it's a cautionary tale for anyone daring to provide needed services in California without first navigating a thousand layers of red tape and regulatory capture. The message is clear: if you’re going to step outside the official channels, at least make sure your paperwork for Sacramento is impeccable. Otherwise, even alleged wrongdoing takes a back seat to the cardinal sin of tax evasion and regulatory defiance.