However, evidence that derives from an illegal "private" search such as from a citizen tipster may be used in court by the government, even though the search was illegal.
It's hungry for info from ground moving target indicators, infrared video, multispectral imagery, human tipsters, audio intercepts, even text chats and social media, among others.
Many would advise you, as a tipster, to pay the tax before since it is a smaller amount, but mathematically it works out the same since arithmetical multiplication is commutative.