Irwin Schiff, a prominent figure in the American tax-protest movement and father of well-known economist Peter Schiff, built a significant business selling literature that claimed the U.S. federal income tax was unconstitutional. According to financial records, Schiff generated approximately $4.2 million in revenue from these publications, which encouraged readers to stop paying income taxes.

Schiff’s legal troubles spanned several decades. Federal authorities consistently categorized his arguments as frivolous, leading to multiple indictments. In 2005, he was convicted of tax evasion and filing false tax returns. He was sentenced to prison, where he remained until his death in 2015 at the age of 87. Despite his son Peter Schiff’s own career as a financial commentator and critic of government fiscal policy, the elder Schiff’s legal battles and eventual incarceration remain a distinct chapter in the family's public history. The case serves as a historical reference point for the intersection of anti-tax ideology and federal law enforcement.