Jo Hovind Co-Conviction — 44 Federal Counts and Prison Sentence

Jo Hovind, Kent's wife, was convicted on 44 federal counts for her role in structuring financial transactions to evade IRS reporting. She was sentenced to one year in prison, three years of supervised release, and an $8,000 fine.

Background

Jo Hovind married Kent Hovind in 1973 and worked closely with him in operating Creation Science Evangelism (CSE), the ministry that served as the financial vehicle for Kent’s speaking tours, merchandise sales, and the Dinosaur Adventure Land theme park in Pensacola, Florida. Jo managed the ministry’s payroll operations — a role that placed her at the center of the financial structuring scheme that ultimately led to federal charges.

The Charges

In 2006, Jo Hovind was indicted alongside her husband on federal charges related to CSE’s financial operations. While Kent faced 58 counts, Jo was charged with 44 counts — primarily related to structuring financial transactions to avoid the $10,000 currency transaction reporting threshold required by federal banking law.

The government presented evidence that Jo had cashed approximately 200 checks totaling roughly $1.5 million over a four-year period, deliberately keeping individual transactions below the reporting threshold. This practice, known as “structuring,” is a federal crime under 31 U.S.C. § 5324 regardless of whether the underlying funds are legally obtained.

Trial and Conviction

On November 2, 2006, a federal jury in Pensacola found Jo Hovind guilty on all counts. Unlike her husband, who made extensive sovereign-citizen-style arguments during the trial, Jo’s defense was more restrained. Nevertheless, the jury concluded that her direct involvement in the cash-handling scheme was sufficient to establish guilt.

Sentencing

On June 29, 2007, Jo Hovind was sentenced to:

One year and one day in federal prison
Three years of supervised release
$8,000 in fines
Ordered to pay $1.6 million in back federal taxes owed by CSE

Jo was allowed to remain free on bond pending the start of her sentence. She reported to prison on January 20, 2009, and was released on December 3, 2009.

Aftermath