Sovereign Citizen MovementSovereign Citizen Movement
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …History …History
The "sovereign citizen" movement is a loosely organized collection of groups and individuals who have adopted a
right-wing anarchist ideology that adherents believe that virtually all existing government in the United
States is illegitimate and they seek to "restore" an idealized, minimalist
government that never actually existed.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …History …History
Sovereign citizen movement is a subculture that has its roots in hate
groups like the KKK or extremist groups similar to the Posse Comitatus of the
1970’s.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …History …History
Sovereign citizens wage war against the government and other forms of authority using "paper terrorism" harassment and
intimidation tactics, and resorting to violence; particularly directed at police
officers and judges.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …History …History
The FBI lists them among the nation's top domestic
terror threats.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …History …History
In the mid-1990s, the IRS estimated
that there were approximately 250,000 such tax protesters in the U.S., not all of
whom were full-blown sovereign ideologues.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …History …History
Since the late 1990s, an abundance of evidence suggests that the sovereign citizen movement's growth has been
explosive, although there have been no more recent IRS estimates because
Congress in 1998 prohibited the agency from tracking or labeling those who file
frivolous arguments in lieu of paying their taxes.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …History …History
Today, CBS News estimates, there are as many as 300,000 sovereign citizens in
the U.S. And with the sluggish economy and mortgage mess, their ranks are
growing.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …History …History
It is difficult to say precisely how many sovereigns there are in the United
States today, in part because there is no central leadership and no organized group that members can join — instead, there are a variety of local leaders with
individualized takes on sovereign citizen ideology and techniques.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …History …History
The sovereign citizen movement has a presence in every state in the country, and is particularly active in California, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Montana,
Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …History …History
The most noted "guru" is Alfred Adask,
who stated in one of his writings:
We have the right to keep and bear arms in order to shoot our own
politicians. We have the right to keep and bear arms to shoot the police, to shoot your local government officials, your state officials, your president, your congressman, your senators,"
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Ideology …Ideology
The sovereign citizen movement argues that if you closely study the
Constitution, you can prove that federal laws are illegitimate—leaving you free
to choose not to, say, pay taxes or follow traffic laws.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Ideology …Ideology
In their view, the minute you get a Social Security number or driver's license, you
enter into a contract giving up your sovereignty.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Ideology …Ideology
Sovereign citizens are anti-government extremists who believe that even
though they physically reside in this country, they are separate or
“sovereign” from the United States.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Ideology …Ideology
As a result, they believe
they don’t have to
answer to any
government authority,
including courts,
taxing entities,
motor vehicle departments,
or law enforcement.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Ideology …Ideology
At its core, the current sovereign belief system is relatively simple and is based
on a decades-old conspiracy theory.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Ideology …Ideology
At some point in history, sovereigns believe, the American government set up by the founding fathers — with a
legal system the sovereigns refer to as "common law" — was secretly replaced by a new government system based on
admiralty law, the law of the sea and international commerce.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Ideology …Ideology
Sovereign citizens believe that they are answerable only to English Common
Law and are not subject to any statutes or proceedings at the federal, state or
municipal levels.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Ideology …Ideology
Under common law, or so they believe, the sovereigns would be free men.
Under admiralty law, they are slaves, and secret government forces have a vested interest in keeping them that
way.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Ideology …Ideology
They especially reject most forms of
taxation as illegitimate.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Ideology …Ideology
Participants in the movement argue this concept in opposition to "federal citizens," who, they believe, have
unknowingly forfeited their rights by accepting some aspect of federal law.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Ideology …Ideology
Over the last 30 years, there have been hundreds of sovereign promoters packaging
different combinations of forms and paperwork, attempting to perfect the process. While no one has ever succeeded, of course, they know with the religious certainty of a true cult believer that they're close. All it will take
is the right combination of words, say the promoters of the redemption scam.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Why They Do It …Why They Do It
Newcomers drift into the movement in a variety of ways.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Why They Do It …Why They Do It
Originally, the sovereign citizens movement mostly attracted white
supremacists and anti-Semites, mainly because sovereign theories originated in groups who saw Jews as playing a
behind-the-scenes role in manipulating financial institutions and controlling the
government.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Why They Do It …Why They Do It
In recent years, however, most new recruits are people who have found
themselves in a desperate situation and are searching for a quick fix. Others are intrigued by the notions of easy money and living a lawless life, free from any
unpleasant consequences.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Why They Do It …Why They Do It
A flagging economy, the foreclosure crisis and a shift in America's demographics
are factors that have fueled recent interest in the movement.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Why They Do It …Why They Do It
For many, it's a political issue. They don't like taxes, traffic laws, child support obligations or making banks rich, but they are too impatient to try to change what they dislike by traditional, political
means.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Why They Do It …Why They Do It
In times of economic prosperity, sovereigns typically rely on absurd and convoluted
schemes to evade state and federal income taxes and hide their assets from the IRS. In times of financial hardship, they turn to debt- and mortgage-elimination scams, techniques to avoid child support payments, and even
attempts to use their redemption techniques to get out of serious criminal charges.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Why They Do It …Why They Do It
A litigation plan based solely on conspiracies and absurd legal theories is doomed to fail. When the inevitable
happens, the sovereign has two choices: he can admit he was wrong
and fell for an obvious scam, or he can blame the government…and it’s
representatives.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Why They Do It …Why They Do It
Considering that most sovereigns were already desperate when they joined the movement, spending years and many
dollars on worthless redemption techniques can only have worsened
their situation.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Why They Do It …Why They Do It
Once they realize that their ideology will not grant them their desired outcome, the sovereign takes aim at his perceived
enemies. The judge that dismisses his claim, the county recorder who refuses his filing, the reporter that calls him a deadbeat dad, and
the sheriff who evicts him from his foreclosed home — all are possible targets of a
sovereign's rage.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
Sovereign citizens wage war against the government and other forms of authority using "paper terrorism" harassment and
intimidation tactics, and resorting to violence.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
The preferred weapon of members of the sovereign citizen movement is what has come to be called "paper terrorism."
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
Paper terrorism involves the use of fraudulent legal documents and filings,
as well as the misuse of legitimate documents and filings, in order to
intimidate, harass and coerce public officials, law enforcement officers and
private citizens.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
A simple traffic violation or pet-licensing case can end up provoking dozens of
court filings containing hundreds of pages of pseudo-legal nonsense.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
For example, a sovereign was involved in 2010 in a protracted legal battle over
having to pay a dog-licensing fee. She filed 10 sovereign documents in court
over a two-month period and then declared victory when the harried
prosecutor decided to drop the case.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
A favorite paper terrorism strategy is the filing of frivolous lawsuits and personal
liens against public officials, law enforcement officers and private
citizens.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
These paper "attacks" intimidate their targets and have the beneficial side
effect of clogging up a court system that sovereign citizens believe is illegitimate.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
Although these strategies are primarily considered frivolous, filed liens have
lead to government officials credit ratings being negatively impacted.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
Three sovereign citizens were convicted of mail fraud In New York after filing
fake indictments and sending fake bills, totaling $1.24 trillion, to government
officials.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
Frivolous liens became such a problem in the 1990s that a majority of states were forced to pass new laws to make filing them illegal, their removal easier, or
both.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
In addition to using the Internet to download a variety of boilerplate forms
and documents to wield against the government, how to books, e-based and on-site training programs are
available to assist sovereign citizens.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
Scams
Sovereign citizens also have a number of other weapons at their disposal. Many
have engaged in a variety of frauds and scams, often targeting people with
similar ideological beliefs in what might be called affinity fraud.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
A few of these schemes, most notably those perpetrated by the Colorado-
based We the People and the Florida-based Greater Ministries International in
the 1990s, took in millions of dollars.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
Other sovereign citizen groups, like the Embassy of Heaven and the Washitaw Nation, have specialized in the creation
of fictitious car-related documents ranging from drivers' licenses to license
plates.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
In Sacramento, two sovereign citizens were convicted of running a fraudulent insurance scheme. Operating outside state insurance regulatory guidelines, the men set up their
own company and sold "lifetime memberships" to customers, promising to pay any accident claims against their "members." The company collected millions of dollars, but
paid out very few claims.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
In Kansas City, three sovereign citizens were convicted of taking part in a conspiracy using phony diplomatic credentials. They charged customers between $450 and $2,000 for a diplomatic identification card, which would
bestow upon the holder "sovereign" status—meaning they would enjoy diplomatic
immunity from paying taxes and from being stopped or arrested by law enforcement.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
In Las Vegas, four men affiliated with the sovereign citizen movement were arrested by
the Nevada Joint Terrorism Task Force on federal money laundering, tax evasion, and
weapons charges. The investigation involved an undercover operation, with two of the
suspects allegedly laundering more than a million dollars from what they believed was a
bank fraud scheme.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
Potential for Violence
Sovereign citizen criminal activity includes violent acts, exemplified recently by the
brutal murder of two West Memphis police officers at the hands of a father and son pair of sovereign citizens in
May 2010.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
Spontaneous sovereign citizen violence, especially during traffic stops and visits to residences, poses a significant risk to
law enforcement officers and public officials.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
In Ohio, a sovereign named Michael Hill pulled a gun on an officer during a traffic
stop. Hill was killed.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
New Hampshire extremist Carl Drega shot dead two officers and two civilians,
and wounded another three officers before being killed himself.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
In Idaho, when brothers Doug and Craig Broderick were pulled over for failing to
signal, they killed one officer and wounded another before being killed themselves in a violent gun battle.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics…Tactics
In December 2003, members of the Bixby family, who lived outside of Abbeville,
S.C., killed two law enforcement officers in a dispute over a small sliver of land
next to their home.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics…Tactics
March 11, 2011 Fairbanks, Alaska
Five people, including militia activist Schaeffer Cox, were arrested
Thursday in the Fairbanks area for allegedly conspiring to kill multiple Alaska State Troopers and a federal
judge.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
The group had stockpiled weapons and conducted surveillance on the
homes of two troopers, according to Alaska State Troopers. Some of the weapons known to be in the cache
are prohibited by state or federal law, according to troopers.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
The most infamous attack occurred in West Memphis where 2 officers were
killed by a father and son team of sovereign citizens during a traffic stop in
May 2010.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
Image from officers vehicle surveillance camera:
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Tactics …Tactics
Suspects…..later killed:
Jerry Kane and his 16-
year-old son Joe
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
Law enforcement professionals are more likely to encounter dangerous
extremists than virtually any other segment of American society — and those confrontations are, tragically,
sometimes fatal.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
Any response to the Sovereign Citizen movement must begin with an
understanding of the movement's origins within a group who feel they
have been disenfranchised.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
While understanding Sovereign Citizen legal theory may be difficult to ask of anyone, an effective response also
requires awareness of their arguments, logic, and tactics.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
It is crucial to be able to identify Sovereign Citizen activities in order to
sanction abusive Sovereign Citizen litigants, prevent the use of destructive tactics, and thwart for-profit Sovereign
Citizen theorists.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
Unfortunately for law enforcement, self-described "sovereign citizens" don't
come with a warning label.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
The ideology of the sovereign citizen movement has spread to the point
where adherents hail from any race and are found throughout the nation.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
And they do not all necessarily carry fake license plates or bear other obvious
markers.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
Still, there are common traits that law enforcement officers can and should
be on the alert for.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
• License plates with oddball names Like the "Kingdom of Heaven" and the "Little Shell Pembina Band," which is a fake Indian tribe that runs a redemption scam.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
• Antigovernment bumper stickers.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
• Unusual use of outdated language.
A simple question like, "Where are you headed?" may get you a response along the lines of, "I am a free man, traveling upon the land."
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
• An arrogant or belligerent attitude. Sovereigns believe that they have secret knowledge about a complex government conspiracy that most Americans, including law enforcement officials, are too stupid to comprehend.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
• Anti-Federal Reserve or banking comments
Even though all you are discussing is a driver's license, registration tags or traffic infractions. Anger towards other government agencies such as FEMA, the EPA, the U.S. Post Office and the Census Bureau is common.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
• Unsolicited anti-Semitic comments
Either outright or veiled.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
• Odd punctuation of names
Typically involving colons and hyphens.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
• The absence of a zip code
In suspects addresses (sometimes, the zip code is present, but placed in brackets).
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
Judges and law enforcement officers, officials, and members of the public must understand Sovereign Citizen arguments sufficiently to be able to engage them in a dialogue that will
enhance their ability to bring the encounter to a successful conclusion.
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
Resources:
Southern Poverty Law Center
http://www.splcenter.org/what-we-do/hate-and-extremism/law-enforcement
Sovereign CitizenSovereign Citizen …Police Response …Police Response
And Remember….Stay Safe Out There