Federal authorities indicated today they will not raid the home of two convicted tax evaders but did serve a warrant to seize property they own in a neighboring town.

The warrant was served in that town and authorities had no contact with the couple at their fortified compound on a hilltop in rural Plainfield, U.S. Marshal Stephen Monier said.

“We are here, in conjunction with authorities, from the Department of the Treasury, to serve that warrant,” the statement said.

“As we have said from the beginning, we will continue to communicate with Ed and Elaine Brown to convince them to surrender peacefully."

The Browns were convicted in January and sentenced in absentia in April. They have refused to surrender and warned they would resist attempts to arrest them.

Reporters trying to get to the scene were held at a roadblock by armed police and an Associated Press photographer in a plane over the Browns’ property was ordered out of the airspace.

But numerous vehicles began leaving the checkpoint around noon, including several cars with U.S. government plates, an ambulance and fire truck. About 1 p.m., two passenger vans drove past and the people inside hid their faces.

Also in the convoy were an armored Massachusetts SWAT vehicle, explosive disposal unit, communications truck and a New Hampshire state police cruiser driven by someone with camouflage face paint. Two planes flew overhead.

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