SOVEREIGN CITIZEN’ THREAT Report J

SPECIAL ISSUE

Intelligencepublished by The Southern Poverty Law Center

ROLL CALL VIDEO ON ‘SOVEREIGN CITIZEN’ THREAT Report j

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‘SOVEREIGN’ CITIZENS The conspiratorial ideology behind a double cop-killer is spreading rapidly

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‘sovereign’ leadership tips for law enforcement ‘sovereign’ dictionary Profiles of top activists Sovereign danger signs Decoding the bizarre EDITORIAL Intelligence Report Understanding the Threat: editor/intelligence project director Mark Potok

Director of Research Heidi Beirich ‘Sovereign’ Citizens & the Law deputy editor Robert Steinback

By Mark Potok staff writers Ryan Lenz, Leah Nelson, Evelyn Schlatter law enforcement officers face law enforcement officers spot sovereigns. Bound into the issue chief investigator a myriad of potential threats every is a copy of the officer-safety roll-call video — “‘Sovereign Joseph Roy Sr. day they are on the streets. Do they Citizens’ and Law Enforcement: Understanding the Threat” senior intelligence analyst Laurie Wood now need to know about a bizarre — that we subsequently produced and distributed to thou- information manager extreme-right movement whose sands of law enforcement officers. (The video is narrated by Michelle Bramblett members believe they don’t have West Memphis Chief Paudert and Jim Cavanaugh, a retired research analysts to pay taxes, obey federal laws, or special agent in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Anthony Griggs, Janet Smith

have driver’s licenses and vehicle Firearms and Explosives with extensive experience of the program associate registrations? radical right.) Our hope is that these materials will help save Karla Griffin The answer is most definitely lives of our men and women in blue. researchers yes. As was demonstrated trag- Officers around the country have been reporting increased Angela Freeman, Karmetriya Jackson ically on May 20, 2010, in West Memphis, Ark. — where a contact with sovereign citizens since the West Memphis design director Russell Estes father-and-son team of self-described “sovereign citizens” slayings, and many are understandably baffled by the fake designers murdered two police officers during a traffic stop and badly driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations that sovereigns Valerie Downes, Michelle Leland, Scott Phillips wounded two others before being shot to death themselves — often present. Many have been served bizarre documents, design production assistant advance knowledge in such situations can make the difference some fingerprinted in red ink, entitled “Truth Affidavits” or Sunny Paulk between life and death. “My men didn’t realize who or what “Certificate of Standing & Capacity.” Other officers, along with web production director they were dealing with,” West Memphis Chief Bob Paudert many judicial officials, have had illegal liens placed against 2 ‘Sovereign’ Citizen Kane Ryan King told the Intelligence Report. “Maybe if they had, they’d be alive their personal property by sovereigns seeking revenge. web production On May 20, 2010, a man and his son opened fire on police Chris Pow today. One of those officers was my son.” It is difficult to say precisely how many sovereigns there Jerry and Joseph Kane, the killers of Brandon Paudert and are in the United States today, in part because there is no cen- officers in West Memphis, Ark., killing two and wounding media and general inquiries Mark Potok Bill Evans, were true believers in the nonsensical theories of tral leadership and few organized groups that adherents can two others before being killed themselves. Cop-killers Jerry law enforcement inquiries Joseph Roy Sr. the sovereign citizens. Though it is tempting to dismiss the join. Instead, there is an array of local leaders with individu- and Joe Kane were members of the rapidly growing “sover- subscription requests Karla Griffin violence they initiated in West Memphis as an isolated event alized and often differing takes on sovereign citizen ideology eign citizens” movement that may now be 300,000 strong. Southern Poverty Law Center unrelated to political ideology — an unstable father and son and techniques. Some of those attracted to the movement 400 Washington Ave. • Montgomery, AL 36104 who exploded in a moment of savage but unexplainable fury merely dabble in the ideology’s techniques, while others 8 Murdered OfficersP art of Deadly Trend (334) 956-8200 • www.intelligencereport.org — the truth is more frightening. The Kanes, in fact, were prod- take the IRS on directly as tax protesters. But tax expert J.J. Since 1990, law enforcement officers have comprised nearly 15% of Published by ucts of the sovereign citizens movement who crisscrossed the MacNab, the author of the report that follows, estimates there the victims of far-right killings. The Southern Poverty Law Center’s country giving seminars on fraudulent methods of escaping are about 100,000 hard-core sovereigns today, with another Intelligence Project debts and foreclosures. In one of them, captured on videotape, 200,000 essentially testing out sovereign techniques for 10 The ‘Sovereign’ Leadership Jerry Kane can be heard saying that he was tired of authori- resisting everything from speeding tickets to drug charges. As A dozen leaders of the contemporary “sovereign citizens” move- ties who “keep messing with me,” adding that he might have sovereign theories go viral throughout the nation’s prison sys- ment—some of them promoters of the so-called “redemption” to kill one. “And if I have to kill one, then I’m not going to be tems and among people who are unemployed and desperate in scam—are profiled. southern poverty law center president able to stop,” Kane said. a punishing recession, that number is likely to grow. J. Richard Cohen The fact is that the sovereign citizens movement is growing The problem is serious enough that the U.S. Department 13 A ‘Sovereign’ Dictionary southern poverty law center founders Morris Dees fast. And while most adherents are certainly not violent, expe- of Justice introduced the National Tax Defier Initiative in Adherents of the “sovereign citizens” movement are known for their Joseph J. Levin Jr. bizarre use of language and Byzantine belief system. rience has shown time and again that when cornered, some 2008 to target movement leaders. In February 2009, the FBI southern poverty law center board of directors will lash out in rage, frustration and, in the most extreme launched its own national operation targeting “militia/sover- Howard Mandell, Chair cases, acts of deadly violence. The double murder in West eign citizen extremist groups,” as well as other types of radical 14 Tips for Law Enforcement Julian Bond, Andrew Fredman, Lloyd “Vic” Hackley, Alan Howard, Marsha Levick, Memphis was not the only sovereign-officer conflict to have organizations, after noting a major upsurge in such groups. Common traits of “sovereign citizens” that law enforcement officers can James McElroy, Vanzetta McPherson, ended in death. Jerry Kane and his young son were active participants in and should be on the alert for. James Rucker, Ellen Sudow, David Wang This special edition of the Intelligence Report — a slightly this sprawling subculture, and when they came into contact The Intelligence Report is published quarterly by the staff of the Intelligence edited reprint of the Fall 2010 cover story in the magazine with police officers during a routine traffic stop, they chose to 16 A Message from Chief Bob Paudert Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center and provided free of charge to law — describes the beliefs of the sovereign citizens movement, open fire without provocation. We hope that this special issue The chief discusses the threat “sovereign citizens” pose to law enforcement officials, journalists, scholars and others. The Southern Poverty Law Center is supported entirely by private donations. No government funds are s enforcement and why awareness is so important. provides profiles of its principal leaders and offers tips to help will help prevent similar tragedies in the future. involved. © 2011 Southern Poverty Law Center. All rights reserved. Cop-killers Jerry and Joe Kane were members of a rapidly growing radical- right movement that may now be 300,000 strong ‘Sovereign’ Citizen By J.J. MacNab Kane

The moment of truth: 16-year-old Joe Kane as he opens fire on two Arkansas police officers.

2 splc intelligence report special report 3 45, stood in front of the police SUV and argued with the offi arguedthe and SUVwith 45, police the frontof in stood Kane remained in the passenger seat, while his father, Jerry, age routine stop. a as thing such no is trafficking, there drug of worldgerous called his partner for backup. Safety came first, and in the dan vanMarkeroverthe exitMile pulled the near he at 275, and Evans spied a white minivan with unusual Ohio license plates, for signs of drugs on the move through their jurisdiction. When Chief Bob Paudert recounted later. “They were really laughing.” the officers’ boss; he was Brandon Paudert’s father. natured ribbing began. After all, the chief of police was not just more sinister than a grandmother moving her family, the good- I arrived at the scene to assess the situation. in, and the West Memphis chief of police Interstate 40. Officer Paudert called it that passed through their town on busy the seemingly endless flow of narcotics interdiction team, their job was to stop Police Department’s drug of the West Memphis drugs. As members a shipment of illegal the truck contained to determine whether at a local motel, trying license plates parked and vehicle with Arizona a suspicious rental truck three hours monitoring 2010 they’d already spent Evans. By 11:00 on May 20, 4 Inside the white minivan, a 16-year-oldminivan,a white the Inside Josephnamed boy PaudertChagrined, Evansand I-40,returned to watching “I told them to get off their butts and get back on the interstate,” When it was discovered that the truck and car was nothing splc intelligence report Paudert and Bill officers Brandon Ark., police for West Memphis, those mornings t had been one of - - the sovereign citizens movement. author of numerous articles, she is currently at work on a book about testified before the U.S. Congress and in other important venues. The J.J. MacNabisanationallyknown tax andinsurance expert whohas Joe continued to shoot at the downed officers. The Kanes then rushed to the minivan and pulled away, while There,beforeEvansditch. returningto the fired in again.he police SUV, shooting him several times in the back of the head JoeKane’s chased boy rifle. The assault the around Paudert outgunned and the police vehicle offered little protection from and the alert went out: “Officer down!” scene.horrific the witness 911, to called truck He his stopped attention to Paudert, who took cover behind the police vehicle. they diedtogether. pair of“sovereign citizens,” at thehandsofafather-son quently. OnMay 20, 2010 had worked together fre - ing anApril2010 drugbust, Bill E Brandon P End of watch: While Paudert was able to fire his pistol seven times, he was A package delivery man, exiting the highway at Marker 275, Another alert went out: “Two vans, seenhere dur audert (left) and (left) audert P olice officers - Evansseveral histurned and times “Stop.”signal to if as shotboy The tol, and held the other up to the boy The officer put one hand on his pis Evans.at aimed AK-47and loaded a with minivan the from emerged quickly boy The ditch. roadside a into Evans Officer pushed Kane Jerrytussle,and wasa cers.There officers down!”

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youtube video thing iscertain: it’s trouble. Thesovereign or even label this extremist subculture, one with how disagree may deal on to officers havetaxes.paylaw to While enforcement should they think don’t who ignore,and to decide which laws to obey and which to get — lawofficials elected enforcementor judges,not believejuries,— who they that far-rightdredsofthousands of extremists hun America: in “sovereigncitizens” of sprawlingsubculturethe in participants Jerrywereyoungson his and activeKane however,truth, The frightening.more is vicious,of unexplainedmoment a in fury. — an unstable father and son who exploded that took place that day as an isolated event It would be tempting to dismiss the violence Who are the ‘Sovereigns’? violence. to question exactly what had provoked the ment officials, and the public at large began lawenforceother department, time,the mourned the loss of its officers. At the same abdomen. Both men survived. enforcement, was hit multiple times in the W.A.and Wren, West of Memphis’chief shoulder,the in once shot was Busby killed. wereKanes beforethe both shootout zied fren a in wounded were officers more convergedpolice As scene,hit. the twoon rounds attheofficer’s truck,buthe wasn’t dozen a than more fired Kanes The ing. leav from it prevent to vehicle Kanes’ the into rammed who officer wildlife removed the license plates from the vehicle. store and made a purchase, while his father Joelot, parking the walkedKane the into Walmartin seen As of videotapes security asked for directions to the nearest Walmart. Jerrythat claimed witness hadOne Kane truck terminal, and an apartment building. club,commercialcountry a local a at ted spot wasvan The citizens. alert from in comingstarted calls plates,and Ohio odd the area looking for the white minivan with fromment various convergedagencies on hit by 14 rounds and died at the hospital. Evansscene; the wasat died and times 11 PaudertBrandonreport,struck was tion The highways were closed, law enforcelawhighwayswere closed, The Westaround activity of frenzy Memphis. The first to spot the van was an Arkansas a was there minutes, 90 next the In investigapreliminary a Accordingto Over the nextOverdays,the few West Memphis Crittenden County Sheriff Dick Sheriff County Crittenden

------Dea in ashootout withpolice. 1:45 P Kanes’ vehicle to prevent escape. 1:20 P enters aWalmart parkinglot. 12:41 P leaving two dyingofficers behind. 11:49 AM cle withanAK-47 andopensfire. 11:48 AMJoeKaneexits thevehi- at therear ofthevehicle. 11:46 AMKaneargues withEvans “sovereign citizen” JerryKane. 11:36 AMOfficer Evans pulls over A trafficstop turnsdeadly th onheIners M The Kanesare both killed M Officer Neal rams the M The Kanes’vehicle The Kanesfleethe scene, t a te wizards that have revealed the tax-freethe haverevealed that wizards these tax and bogus schemes are not some and show the public that the promoters of curtain the tiative,back pull “weto want Hochman said in announcing the DOJ ini then-AssistantNathanAttorneyGeneral stated,”“Simply leaders. movementkey target to bid a in Initiative TaxDefier Nationalthe introduce to decided had Justiceof Department the 2008,by and, growingmovementthe on hearings held Committee Finance U.S.Senate’s the protesters.Earlier,tax from ters 2001, in let 100,000 roughly with year,along 20,00030,000and frivolousreturns each agency receives the between that testified HenlineShauna adviser technical senior sovereignwasa he that protester,tax IRS Wesley Snipes, whose tax filings made clear today would be about 500,000. protesterstax of kinds all of number the taxes.conservativetheir a Butof estimate paying of lieu arguments in frivolous file agency from tracking or labeling those who theprohibited 1998 in Congress because estimates IRS recentmore haveno been growth has been explosive, although there gests that the sovereign citizen movement’s sug evidence of abundance 1990s,an late full-blown sovereign ideologues. Since the protesters in the U.S., not all of whom were there were approximately 250,000 such tax protesters. tax as IRS the on taking to directly ceed driving without a license, while others pro ereign ideology with small offenses such as learned. Some start they’ve by testing sov what on act to how choose simply then sites andonlinevideosonthesubject, webtwo,of thousands the of one visit or or seminar a attend typically subculture bizarre this to attracted are who Those and techniques (see leader profiles, p. 20). ideology sovereigncitizen on takes ized individual with leaders local of variety aare there instead, — join can members that group organized no and leadership centraltoday,no is there because part in StatesUnited the sovereignsin arethere most extreme cases, acts of deadly violence. them lash out in rage, frustration and, in the cipherable filings. When cornered, many of are clogging up the courts with their inde movement is growing fast, and its partisans In the 2008 criminal tax trial of actor of trial tax criminal 2008 the In In the mid-1990s, the IRS estimated that It is difficult to say precisely how many special report 5 ------For many, it’s it’s many, For

In times of economic prosperity, sovereigns typically rely typically rely sovereigns In times of economic prosperity, Once an in it’s and immersive the heady movement, expe While the perform techniques as never sold promoters by offenses or local licensing issues, they’re hooked. hooked. they’re issues, licensing local or offenses support child laws, traffic taxes, like don’t They issue. political a to impatient too are they but rich, banks making or obligations means. political traditional, by dislike they what change to try schemes state and on to and federal absurd evade convoluted income and taxes hide their In assets times the from of IRS. and they mortgage-elimina turn to debt- financialhardship, and child support payments, techniques tion to scams, avoid of out get to techniques redemption their use to attempts even a suffered series who’d Kane, Jerry serious criminal charges. mortgage- a teaching in specialized life, in defeats personal of law. actual the in basis no had that technique elimination subculture redemptionist the decades, three last the In rience. has from small grown groups of like-minded individuals in society. layered richly a to nation the around pockets localized con national and seminars specialized attend Redemptionists enjoy assortment a of large newspapers ferences, alternative mag sovereign-oriented to subscribe and networks, radio and They azines home and school websites. their so children that to go the through a same new learn will generation not have to curtain government’s the past see to did they that curve ing beyond. utopia common-law the fighting be to content nonetheless are followers most promised, - - - olice sur olice almart parking lot. The almart parking lot. The The aftermath: P The the Kanes’ vehicle round after in the final shootout a W body of Joe Kane lies in the his father's foreground; hand can be seen behind The of the vehicle. the rear their Kanes had removed than half less plates license an hour earlier. - o it? Do hey hey T Do In recent years, however, most new In recruits recent are years, however, people hy Why who have found in themselves a situation who desperate and have are searching for a quick fix. Others Newcomers Newcomers drift into the movement in a variety of ways. mostly attracted citizens movement the sovereign Originally, and white anti-Semites,supremacists mainly because sover as a playing Jews eign theories who originated in saw groups behind-the-scenes in role manipulating financial institutions and early sovereigns, Most and the controlling government. some of those that who still being on believed are the scene, They citizen. sovereign a becoming to prerequisite a was white Amendment to the that Constitution, which the argued 14th also made black Americans per citizenship, blacks U.S. gave manently subject to federal and state unlike governments, themselves. intrigued are the by notions of easy free life, money and living a lawless consequences. unpleasant any from many self-identified (Moreover, sovereigns today are black and apparently completely unaware of the racist origins of their ideol When they experience some ogy.) small success at using redemption techniques to battle minor traffic

Alan Spearman/The Commercial Appeal ------The The next layer of the scheme is even a birth When a is baby born in the U.S., certificate is issued, and the hospital usually hospital the and issued, is certificate that the apply parents requires for a Social say Sovereigns time. that at number Security then that uses the that government certifi the in trust corporate of kind a up set to cate — account Treasury secret a — name baby’s from ranging amount an with funds it which idea that judges the around country know all about this takeover hidden government and motions sovereigns’ the denying are but filingsout of to treasonous loyalty hidden Under forces. government and malevolent the or sover so they believe, common law, be eigns men. admiralty free would Under government secret and slaves, are they law, forces have a vested interest in keeping way. that them dol the U.S. Since 1933, implausible. more lar has not been gold, by backed but the by “full faith and credit”govern of the U.S. researchers, to sovereign ment. According pledged has government the that means this its citizenry as collateral, by selling their inves foreign to capabilities earning future tors, effectively enslaving all Americans. birth. at place takes claim, they sale, This Jerry Kane was one such promoter. such one was Kane Jerry The clues, many sovereigns believe, are found are on the birth believe, sovereigns The many clues, devised to split the strawman have The sovereigns process admiralty laws. More importantly, by filing a series of complex, complex, of series a filing by importantly, More laws. admiralty secret that into tap can sovereign the documents, legal-sounding account the for Over last purposes. 30 his years, own Treasury been hundreds promoters of packaging there have sovereign combinations different of forms attempting and topaperwork, course, of succeeded, ever has one no While process. the perfect that believer cult true a of certainty religious the with know they they’re All is it the will right take close. combination of words, scam. redemption the of promoters the say $600,000 to million, $20 depending on the particular variant $600,000 every account, this up setting By system. belief sovereign the of those the held by split between cleverly rights are newborn’s andflesh-and-blood baby the ones assignedto his orher cor account. shell porate Since certificatesmost use all certificateitself. capital letters DOE is the name of the cor JOHN name, to spell out a baby’s Doe is “real,” the baby’s while John shell porate “strawman,” mostof his flesh-and-blood As name. the older, child grows legal documents will utilize capital which letters, means that his his car marriage license, license, his state-issued driver’s his his cable criminal TV court bill, records, registration, and the from correspondence IRS will all pertain to his corporate identity. sovereign real, his not identity, shell andfrom the its flesh-and-blood man is called “redemption,” purpose is two-fold. the Once shell,from corporate separated the newly freed man is now outside of the jurisdiction of all - - - - brandon paudert brandon down and you’re and you’re down routine can you can you routine need indicators need indicators church van? van? church get than a father than a father get just not ready for for just not ready and son in a and son in a a shootout. We We a shootout. and boss of slain officer officer slain of boss and that tell us what us that tell look for.” to Your guard is guard Your — chief bob paudert, father father paudert, bob chief — “How much more more much “How - - - - - freedom from taxes, unlimited wealth, and life without life and wealth, unlimited taxes, from freedom splc intelligence report intelligence splc At its core, the current sovereign belief system is relatively belief system is relatively the sovereign current its core, At It isn’t just the number of pages that is causing courts to sag to courts causing is that pages of number the just isn’t It Tax cases are even worse —sovereign filings in such—sovereign legal worse cases even are Tax Not all tax protesters are sovereign cit all sovereign are tax Not protesters edeeming the ‘Strawman’ the edeeming 6 blame the events of 1933, when America abandoned blame of the the 1933, gold events the on livelihood and lives their stake they way, Either standard. perfidious change occurred during the Civil War, while others while War, Civil the during occurred change perfidious a new government system based on admiralty law, the law of the of law the law, admiralty on based system government new a this believe sovereigns Some commerce. international and sea sovereigns refer to as “common law” — was secretly replaced by by replaced secretly was — law” “common as to refer sovereigns some point in history, sovereigns believe, the American govern American the believe, sovereigns history, in point some ment the set founding up fathers by — with a legal thesystem simple and is based on a At decades-old conspiracy theory. ments away. It’s the modern-day“abracadabra.” the of equivalent It’s away. ments want — want docu worded strangely few a just all are laws, or fees licenses, tion, paper, ink color and timing, they can have anything they anything ink color they and can timing, have tion, paper, and other court staff simply don’t speak. Sovereigns believe that believe Sovereigns speak. don’t simply staff court other and if they can find punctua just the rightwords, combination of under the weight of these filings. The documents are written in written are documents The filings. these of weight the under lawyers judges, that language code sovereign special of kind a to keep up, and and prosecutors judges, public defenders are up, to keep swamped. being ing sovereigns have as many as 1,200. The courts are struggling struggling are courts The 1,200. as many as have sovereigns ing battles can quickly exceed battles a can thousand While quickly pages. a exceed normal involv many entries, 70 or 60 have might docket case criminal license in Wray’s Pinellas County, Fla., costs $20. $20. costs Fla., County, Pinellas Wray’s in license harried prosecutor decided to drop the case. A three-year dog three-year A case. the drop to decided prosecutor harried legal nonsense. For example, legal Donna example, nonsense. For Lee in documents sovereign 10 filed She case. dog-licensing a in tle the when victory declared then period, two-month a over court containing hundreds of pages of pseudo- was wife,” “common-law Kane’s Jerry Wray, in legal a bat protracted involved recently end up dozens provoking of court filings traffic violation or pet-licensing case can their weapon of choice is paper. A their simple of weapon choice is paper. While many sovereign citizens While guns, own many sovereign R recession, this number is likely to grow. to likely is number this recession, prison systems and among people who are and in desperate unemployed a punishing everything everything from speeding tickets to drug theories go viral throughout the nation’s testing sovereign techniques testing sovereign for resisting sovereign As 300,000. of total a for charges, with another 200,000 just with starting out another by 200,000 ereign believers today would be 100,000, ereign believers today would be 100,000, testers. But based on the available evidence, evidence, available the on based But testers. a reasonable estimate of hard-core sov sovereign life did sovereign not start out as tax pro izens, izens, and many newer recruits to the modern day snake oil salesmen, peddling products.” tax bogus their ing more than garden variety hucksters and hucksters variety garden than more ing universe to universe America, but noth are instead the battle, and they blame only the judges, lawyers, prosecu- killed himself. In that same year in Idaho, when brothers Doug after one more date in Florida. A seminar in Denver had been tors and police when their gurus’ methods fail. While most and Craig Broderick were pulled over for failing to signal, they a disaster — no one had shown up — and he’d just completed have never achieved financial success in life, they take pride killed one officer and wounded another before being killed a two-day event in Las Vegas, traveling thousands of miles in in engaging the government in battle, comparing themselves themselves in a violent gun battle. his old Plymouth Voyager. Despite his efforts and time, only to the founding fathers during the American Revolution. And, in a 1993 case that bears an eerie similarity to the recent six people had attended. The movement has grown to the point where a group events in West Memphis, an Alabama officer approached a fam- To make matters worse, Kane knew that driving cross-coun- called the Guardians of the Free Republics is attempting to ily’s car in a strip mall parking lot. A shopper there had told try was risky. As a sovereign citizen and a member of the larger assemble its own common-law-based, alternative govern- the officer that a boy in the back seat was asking for help. The antigovernment “Patriot” movement — a free man who believed ment on a national scale. Already, the group, which in 2010 officer walked to the car and asked to see the father’s driver’s that the Constitution guaranteed his right to travel without demanded that the governors of all 50 states step down, license. There was an argument, and the father made some typ- restriction — he was breaking a number of laws. He didn’t have claims to have set up a common-law court in every state and ical sovereign claims. Then, without warning, the father pulled a driver’s license. His van was registered to an accommodating has signed up more than 1,000 jurors for these pseudo-legal out his gun and shot the officer. Badly wounded, the officer ministry in Ohio. There was a brick of marijuana in the car. And, judicial bodies. tried to run to his car, but instead met the wife of the sover- most importantly, he had outstanding warrants for his arrest eign, who pulled out her own weapon and shot him dead. The in two states. In Ohio, he faced charges of forgery and theft by Liens, Litigation and Murder Stressed out: With their couple had warrants out for their arrest in Florida, and the car deception. He’d also been arrested in New Mexico for driving A litigation plan based solely on conspiracies and absurd legal finances in shambles, they were driving had unusual sovereign-style license plates. without a license and concealing his identity. He’d been pre- Jerry Kane and his son Joe theories is doomed to fail. When the inevitable happens, the traveled the country giv- Sovereign citizens George Sibley and Linda Block were exe- paring a series of documents to file in New Mexico that were sovereign has two choices: he can admit he was wrong and ing sparsely attended cuted for the murder by the state of Alabama several years later. designed to punish the police officer who arrested him. Kane fell for an obvious scam, or he can blame the government. seminars on avoiding fore- was determined to make the officer and his family pay. Considering that most sovereigns were already desperate when closure while clad in white On May 20, Jerry and Joe Kane were driving east on I-40 they joined the movement, spending years and many dollars on suits. When Jerry Kane was from Las Vegas to their last seminar and a new life in Florida. arrested in New Mexico for worthless redemption techniques can only have worsened their driving without a license Kane had met a Floridian named Donna Lee Wray at one of situation. Realistically, some angry outbursts are to be expected (booking photos above), his foreclosure seminars three months earlier, and they had when the moment of truth arrives. he seemed to grow ever fallen in love. Father and son were headed, they thought, to a Sometimes, those outbursts are aimed at self or family. But angrier than in the past. A bright new life. Instead, they left a trail of human wreckage and far more often, the sovereign takes aim at his perceived ene- month later, the Kanes, now smashed-up hopes and dreams. cop-killers, were dead. mies. The judge that dismisses his claim, the county recorder Today, even after learning many of the facts behind the who refuses his filing, the reporter that calls him a deadbeat sovereign citizens movement that helped lead the Kanes and dad, and the sheriff who evicts him from his foreclosed home contact, no matter how minor, can be his final straw. The result- others to murder, the late Officer Paudert’s boss and father, — all are possible targets of a sovereign’s rage (see tips for law ing rage can be lethal. the West Memphis chief, struggles to make sense of what hap- enforcement officials, p. 24). Since most sovereigns favor paper Jerry and Joe Kane were not the first sovereigns to lash out pened. Bob Paudert mourns his son and the other casualties of over guns, this revenge most often takes the form of retalia- at a routine traffic stop and it’s unlikely they’ll be the last. In the collision of sovereign citizen ideology and law enforcement, tory property liens and tax forms that are designed to ruin an 1995 in Ohio, a sovereign named Michael Hill pulled a gun on and he worries that his personal tragedy could repeat itself with enemy’s credit rating and cause them to be audited by the IRS. an officer during a traffic stop. Hill was killed. In 1997, New other police officers on roads around the nation. But in those cases where a sovereign feels particularly des- Hampshire extremist Carl Drega shot dead two officers and “How much more routine can you get than a father and son perate, angry, battle-weary and cornered, his next government two civilians, and wounded another three officers before being in [what looked like] a church van?” he asked in an interview. “Your guard is down and you’re just not ready for a shootout. We need indicators that tell us what to look for.” Murdered Officers Part of Deadly Trend There are telltale signs of sovereign citizens — strange Heart to heart: West Memphis, Ark., Detective Jimmy Evans (left), whose license plates, unusual comments about the Fed and other When 16-year-old Joseph Kane shot and expressed displeasure with the election of by Obama’s election, and local authorities brother was murdered by Joe Kane, talks with Wildlife Officer Michael government agencies, and so on (see story, p. 14). But they are killed two Arkansas police officers in May President Obama. That was the most since said that he had been interested in joining Neal. Neal rammed his truck into the fleeing Kanes’ vehicle, preventing not always easy to spot. And while not all are violent — sov- 2010, it was only the latest in a disturbing 1995, when six officers were murdered by an antigovernment militia. In Washington, their escape and drawing a hail of bullets from the fugitives. ereign leaders around the country have had mixed views of trend of right-wing extremists murdering right-wing extremists, five of them in the D.C., neo-Nazi James von Brunn shot and the Arkansas shootout, from painting the Kanes as heroes to law enforcement officials. Kane shot West Oklahoma City bombing that also left 163 killed a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust ne w m exi c various wild-eyed conspiracy theories about them being “set Memphis officers Bill Evans and Brandon other people dead. Memorial Museum. Von Brunn, 88, who died Citizen Kane up” by government forces — there is little to suggest that the Paudert a combined 25 times with an The victims in 2009 included three later while in custody, wrote in a notebook o booking photo (kane); youtube video (joe and jerry kane) May 2010 had been a stressful month for Jerry Kane. He’d been killings have weakened the movement. Donna Lee Wray, for AP i m ages AK-47 after he and his father, Jerry Ralph Pittsburgh police officers allegedly shot that “Obama does what his Jew owners tell traveling around the country with his teenage son, giving semi- example, reacted to the death of her new family by firing off Kane Jr., were pulled over in a traffic stop. The and killed by Richard Poplawski, who a him to do,” according to a police affidavit. nars to financially strapped individuals and promising them the angry missives demanding, among other things, that she be Kanes, who had traveled the country giving friend said feared that President Obama Since 1990, law enforcement officers tools to avoid foreclosure. His seminar fee ranged from $100 to paid $1 million every time her “copyrighted” name is printed by classes in “redemption foreclosure mortgage was going to restrict gun ownership. have comprised nearly 15% of the vic - $300 “per man,” but a man was free to bring his wife and chil- those writing about the case. The number of sovereigns across fraud,” went on to wound two other officers (Poplawski’s case is pending). In Okaloosa tims of far-right killings — 49 out of more dren for that price. If a follower were in really dire straits, Kane America is clearly expanding, and with that growth comes an before being killed themselves. County, Fla., two sheriff’s deputies were than 400 fatalities — according to a report would let him attend free. increasing level of danger. In 2009, five law enforcement offi - shot and killed by U.S. Army Reservist published this year by the University of As a former long-haul trucker, Kane was used to long hours Bob Paudert, in an emotional interview with the Intelligence cers and a museum security guard were Joshua Cartwright, who was then killed in Maryland. Local and state officers have on the road with his son, but in one of his last online radio Report, said he knows only too well what the cost can be. “It was slain in three incidents in which the sus- a shootout. Cartwright’s wife told officials accounted for more than 70% of these law shows, he’d told his followers that he was frustrated with the the worst day of my life, ever,” the chief said. “I hope no parent

pected shooters reportedly had each her husband had been “severely disturbed” enforcement deaths. Mike Wintroath/ mm ission, G a m e and Fish Co A rkansas seminar circuit and planned to cut his scheduled tour off early, has to go through what we’ve been through.” s

8 splc intelligence report special report 9 The leadership of the “sovereign Barton Albert Buhtz, 70 above, Davis shares Web space with Davis (see profile above), is a mem- Sunland, Calif. other key redemption gurus (includ- ber of this tribe. In 2007, a Little Shell citizens” movement is populated ing, until his death, Jerry Kane) at subsidiary called Gold-Quest was www.privateaudio.homestead.com. charged with running a $27.9 million For years, Barton with men who market a variety In his seminars, he boasts that he Ponzi scheme. The tribe responded Buhtz, who styles him- hasn’t filed a tax return since 1998 but by filing a $1.7 trillion lawsuit against self “Barton Albert: of generally nonsensical, and doesn’t disclose that he currently has the SEC. Buhtz” in the peculiar $53,000 in outstanding state and fed- often illegal, schemes to avoid punctuation of the eral tax liens. Davis has been listed as 33 sovereign citizens Nature El Bey, one of the elders in the Guardians of taxes, eliminate debts and extract movement (see “name Taj Tarik Bey the Free Republics, a sovereign group punctuation,” p. 15), Asbury Park, N.J. that claims to have recently set up money from the government. Many promoted a redemption scheme that “common-law courts” in all 50 states. taught clients how to print fraudu- “Lord Nobles” Taj of these leaders specialize in On March 3, 2009, Davis and his lent U.S. Treasury checks to pay their Tarik Bey (real name common-law court partner “Rabbi” taxes, purchase real estate, and pay and age unknown) the so-called “redemption” scam Shawn Rice were indicted in federal credit card and other bills. This was and Nature El Bey court on 31 counts of bank fraud and a variation of a scheme attempted by (formerly known as (see story, p. 2), a bizarre money laundering. Rice remained members of the Montana Freemen, Lee S. Crudup) are a fugitive at press time. Despite his technique that supposedly a sovereign citizens group that was two of the leaders upcoming trial in Las Vegas, Davis active in the 1990s. Buhtz promised of a rapidly grow- has advised his clients that every- allows participants to tap into clients that the fake checks were ing black nationalist thing is going as planned. a legal means of accessing a secret religious movement huge amounts of cash that the Treasury account that the government called Moorish has set up based on every American’s Ronald Delorme, 64 government is thought to keep Science Temple of future earnings. Bismark, N.D. America — part of the in their name. What follows are While Buhtz claimed the phony www.officialpnlsbna.org larger and expand- checks can purchase anything, he ing phenomenon of short profiles of a dozen of these personally only accepted cash as pay- Ronald Delorme is black sovereign groups. The group ment for his seminars and services. In the leader of one considers itself sovereign in that it leaders. The leaders’ websites are 2007, Buhtz was convicted on multiple of the newest and counsels followers to pay taxes to the felony counts for helping clients pass most prolific sov- temple, rather than to the IRS. Like listed under their names. a total of $3.8 million in phony checks, ereign schemes to other sovereigns, members do not The and in 2009 he was sentenced to 36 hit the U.S., a phony carry state-issued driver’s licenses months in federal prison. He is set to Native American tribe (but instead use temple identifica- be released in 2012. A number of his called The Little Shell tion cards) and, when charged with former clients are currently either in Pembina Band of North America. crimes, consider themselves to be prison or fighting criminal charges. Delorme claims that an enormous outside the jurisdiction of any federal, land parcel totaling 53 million acres state, or local court. The group mar- Samuel Lynn Davis, 55 (most of North Dakota plus por- kets itself primarily through booklets Boise, Idaho tions of South Dakota, Montana, and videos posted on YouTube, and Sovereigns www.StatusIsFreedom.com and Manitoba) belongs to the sover- its sovereign schemes have been www.commercialredemption.com eign tribe, and anyone who pays the spreading rapidly in the last two fee can become a member. In effect, or three years through the nation’s Samuel Lynn Davis, the tribe offers one-stop-shopping urban neighborhoods and prison who goes by the nick- for the modern sovereign — freedom system. name “I am: Sam,” from taxes, a tribal license plate, a

zb e rg is one of the more phony law license, even fake malprac- Roger Elvick, 71 t popular redemption tice and automobile insurance. The Lakota, N.D. seminar hosts in the faux tribe also advises members on country, and dozens how to pass counterfeit checks and In the 1980s, Roger Elvick was the of his seminar videos avoid falling into the jurisdiction of first promoter to effectively distrib- have been uploaded to YouTube.com. the American courts. “Rabbi” Shawn ute a redemption scheme to an eager In addition to the websites listed Rice, fugitive co-defendant of Samuel and desperate audience of Midwest i e l h r dan i ons by r at st illu p h oto 10 splc intelligence report special report 11 farmers, and he is property to a trust controlled by the Winston Shrout, 62 followers that he won the case, he ‘Sovereign’ Idioticon generally acknowl- Dorean Group. Dorean would then Santa Clara, Utah was actually sanctioned $22,500 edged as the founding file a fake grant deed with the county www.wssic.com by the court. Most recently, Turner father of the modern recorder and in the short time when has taken over the leadership of the redemption move- it appeared in the record that the Winston Shrout offers Guardians of the Free Republics, A Dictionary ment. While phony home was debt-free, the client would a popular seven-part a group that in 2010 fruitlessly Federal Reserve apply for a new loan and split the series of seminars and demanded that all 50 governors step checks and similar proceeds with promoters. Johnson, sells several books down and now claims to have estab- programs had been used earlier by Heineman and four other salespeo- and DVDs through lished common-law courts in all 50 of the Peculiar far-right promoters Tupper Saussy ple in their thriving company were his website. His mate- states. According to his followers, and Conrad LeBeau, Elvick and convicted on multiple felony counts Adherents of the “sovereign citizens” rials focus on the Turner canceled his seminar sched- the late white supremacist leader in 2007. Johnson is currently serving movement and of sovereign financial “commercial pro- ule. In the past, Turner has worked William Potter Gale were the first to a 25-year sentence in federal prison, cess,” instructing clients in the use as both a commercial fisherman and scams like “redemption” are known dress up the scam with the legalistic while Heineman is serving 21 years. of IRS Form 1099-OID to solve all of a FEMA employee. terminology that now characterizes for their bizarre use of language and their tax and debt problems. Despite the sovereign citizens movement and 61 Byzantine belief system. What follows David Wynn Miller, his alleged expertise, Shrout cur- sovereign redemption techniques. As Milwaukee, Wisc. Dr. Glenn Richard Unger, 59 rently has $50,000 in outstanding tax is a lexicon — or, more precisely, an a result of issuing such checks, Elvick www.dwmlc.com Clifton Park, N.Y. liens, declared personal bankruptcy spent seven years in the 1990s in fed- www.republicbroadcasting.org idioticon, a dictionary of a pecu- in 2001, and lost three federal civil eral prison, where he further fleshed A former tool-and- liar dialect — meant to help court cases in the last 10 years, including out his scheme. In 2003, he was die maker, the man The host of the popu- one in which a major bank sued both officials, law enforcement officers arrested again by the state of Ohio who writes his name lar online radio show Winston and his sham “freeman” and charged with forgery, extortion, as “:David-Wynn: “Take No Prisoners,” and the general public make their way arbitration company. and corruption. The judge found him Miller” — or, as he who uses the alias of through the sovereigns’ verbal fog. mentally unfit to stand trial, and he amusingly says it ver- “Dr. Sam Kennedy,” spent several months in a psychiatric bally, “David hyphen James Timothy Turner, 54 Dr. Glenn Unger is one institution before pleading guilty to Wynn full colon Skipperville, Ala. of the more secretive the state charges. Elvick was released Miller” — came up with his “truth www.americacanbefree.com redemption leaders. In 14th Amendment citizen Code, he believes he can simply from prison in September 2007. language” scheme as a result of a addition to using a false name, Unger Sovereign citizens describe 14th write “Accepted for Value” on that frustrating court experience in 1988, Tim Turner burst doesn’t keep a marketing website and Amendment citizens as subject bill and it will be paid by his secret to federal and state governments, Treasury Direct Account, set up by Kurt F. Johnson, 47 when he was going through a divorce. onto the redemp- doesn’t allow followers to videotape In short, all truth language sentences tion scene three his speaking engagements. He mar- unlike themselves. Because the the government when he was born. Dale Scott Heineman, 50 used in court filings must begin with years ago, offering a kets his “Beneficiaries in Commerce” amendment gave citizenship to Union City, Calif. the preposition “for,” contain at least series of very pop- program as a cure-all for everything freed slaves, a racist variant < Admiralty law/ www.thedoreangroup.blogspot.com 13 words, and use more nouns than ular seminars that from tax bills and debt elimination of sovereign-citizen common law verbs to be effective (he has claimed promise attendees to what he calls “prison extraction.” theory holds that According to sov- In just a few short that only nouns have legal authority). that they can pay off Unger was a founding member of the blacks are sub- ereign beliefs, years, Kurt Johnson David Wynn Miller considers him- their mortgage, credit card debt, and Guardians of the Free Republics and ject to the there are two and Dale Scott self a “Plenipotentiary Judge” in the income tax bills using the “power of received some unwelcome publicity government types of law: Heineman grew a tiny Unity States of the World, and has negative averments.” He also claims in 2010 when the FBI investigated the and that being common law redemption-based named himself as the King of Hawaii, to have cured leukemia in five days. group for threatening state governors. white is a pre- and admiralty law. Since debt elimination prac- a feat he claims he accomplished Turner’s programs teach his clients In a coup by fellow sovereign Tim requisite to being the U.S. went off the gold stan- tice into the largest when he converted Hawaii into a to file dozens of meaningless court Turner in 2010, Unger was pushed a sovereign citizen. Others claim dard in 1933, sovereigns say, no one mortgage-elimination verb. Needless to say, Full Colon documents, and when the opposing out of the Guardians group. Despite all state citizens were converted by has been able to pay a debt with “real” firm in the country, Miller’s clients have fared poorly in parties don’t respond accordingly, his stealth, the IRS found Unger and the constitutional amendment to money, and therefore the country has the Dorean Group, both civil and criminal courts, and to file absurdly large retaliatory hit him with a $116,000 federal tax “Federal Citizens,” who can only been operating under commercial law, with thousands of at least one client has been required property liens against them. For lien last September. Furthermore, be freed by a process known as which sovereigns equate with admi- clients in at least 35 to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. example, in one foreclosure case in at least three of Unger’s clients have “asseveration.” ralty law, the law of the seas. Thus, states. They promised Miller is one of the few sovereign which Turner was not even a party, gone to prison as a result of follow- they argue, completely speciously, followers who were gurus that can say he has clients in he filed nine fraudulent liens totaling his program; in a fourth case, the Accepted for value that Americans have been deprived about to lose their four different countries currently ing more than $158 billion against judge found the defendant mentally When a sovereign receives a bill of their original common law, under homes to foreclosure serving prison sentences. Despite the bank, its attorneys, the court unfit to stand trial as a result of the from the IRS, a bank, or even the which the government can only that they could own the home free these failures, Miller’s exotic punctu- trustee, and miscellaneous other nonsensical documents he filed with cable company, under a twisted impose regulations on citizens with and clear by simply transferring the ation scheme is rapidly growing. participants. While Turner told his the court. s reading of the Uniform Commercial their consent, since 1933.

12 splc intelligence report special report 13 Tips for Law Enforcement Flag fringe > or corporate self. Others believe the Treasury Direct Account Unfortunately for law enforcement, self-described “sovereign citizens” don’t come Based on the fact that Navy color of the ink represents the blood When a baby is born, sovereigns with a warning label. In the past, most sovereigns were white supremacists orga- flags and many other mili- of the flesh-and-blood person. believe that the government funds nized into small groups that typically all used the same “private” license plate tary flags have gold fringe, a secret Treasury account in that Redemption instead of legal tags. Today, while that is sometimes still true, the ideology of the sovereigns believe the baby’s corporate shell name, based sovereign citizen movement has spread to the point where adherents hail from any presence of fringe on flags The phony legal process sovereigns on that person’s future earnings. This race and are found throughout the nation. And they do not all necessarily carry fake in federal courts isn’t just use to separate a person’s flesh- account can be accessed by writing license plates or bear other obvious markers. Still, there are common traits that law decorative, but rather and-blood body from their mythical special checks to pay taxes, mortgage enforcement officers can and should be on the alert for. They include: proof that the nation is corporate shell. Since only the cor- balances and other debts. Sovereigns Bill of Exchange under admiralty law. porate shell is subject to taxes, traffic variously believe the account’s value A fake check used to access the funds laws and license requirements, the is between $600,000 and $20 million. in the secret Treasury account sup- Form 1099-OID ability to separate the two is the posedly set up by the government to Although the IRS key to liberating people from such monetize the value of each citizen’s uses this form requirements. An added bonus life at birth. for zero-cou- is that the newly freed sovereign License plates with oddball names like the “Kingdom of Heaven” and pon bonds and can then write checks, or “bills of the “Little Shell Pembina Band,” which is a fake Indian tribe that runs a redemp- Birth certificate collateralized exchange,” on the account the gov- tion scam. The FBI has a brochure available for all law enforcement agencies This form establishes each person’s bonds, sover- ernment has set up to monetize the that includes pictures of a variety of sovereign plates. corporate shell, a kind of evil dop- eigns believe that person’s life and earnings. pelgänger that is attached to every the 1099-OID gives flesh-and-blood baby. That shell is them access to the money Strawman Antigovernment bumper stickers. then supposedly sold by the govern- in the secret Treasury Direct The label assigned to the corporate ment as a security to foreign investors Account that the govern- shell in the redemption process. to enrich Federal Reserve bankers. ment funded at their This corporate shell is attached Unusual use of outdated language. The proof that the certificate has birth. to a baby at birth when a birth cer- A simple question like, “Where are you headed?” secret meaning is found in the use of tificate is typed out using all capital may get you a response along the lines of, all capital letters, bond paper and a Name in all capital letters letters and a Social Security number is “I am a free man, traveling upon the land.” seal and/or watermark — all of which JOHN ROBERT DOE, for instance, applied for. are thought to reflect admiralty law. signifies the corporate shell of a person, as opposed to the flesh-and- Sui juris Truth language An arrogant or belligerent attitude. Citizen/citizen blood person. Many sovereigns add this Latin A complex and bizarre set of language Sovereigns believe that they have secret knowledge about a complex In the 18th-century colonies, nouns phrase, meaning “of one’s own right,” rules designed to mimic the secret government conspiracy that most Americans, including law enforcement were usually capitalized, although the Name punctuation to their flesh-and-blood names on language of the law. All sentences officials, are too stupid to comprehend. practice was going out of style by the John-Robert: Doe signifies a legal documents to signify that they must start with the preposition “for,” time of the Revolution. Based on that, flesh-and-blood person named John- are reserving all the rights to which a have a minimum of 13 words, and use sovereigns see secret meaning in the Robert of the family Doe, as opposed free man is entitled. more nouns than verbs. Punctuation Anti-Federal Reserve or banking comments, even though all you use or non-use of capitalized letters. to a punctuation-free name, JOHN rules are just as complex. are discussing is a driver’s license, registration tags or traffic infractions. Anger For example, a “citizen” is a sover- ROBERT DOE, which refers to the towards other government agencies such as FEMA, the EPA, the U.S. Post eign citizen imbued with all natural corporate shell of a person. UCC-1 Statement Office and the CensusB ureau is common. rights, whereas a “Citizen” is a 14th When a sovereign successfully sepa- Amendment citizen subject to the Negative averment rates his flesh-and-blood body from rules and regulations of government. The trick, used by many sovereigns, his corporate shell in the redemp- Unsolicited anti-Semitic comments, of twisting all statements into the tion process, the flesh-and-blood either outright or veiled. Common-law court form of a question in order to shift body then can file a UCC-1 statement Pseudo-legal courts set up to hear the burden of truth to the opponent. against their corporate self in order to matters concerning sovereign citizens, preserve the value of that corporate < Odd punctuation of names, sometimes also called “freemen.” They Red ink > self’s Treasury Direct Account for typically involving colons and hyphens. have been used to put enemies on trial In some states, bonds are canceled their own use. Since most jurisdic- for such offenses as treason, rule on illu str at i on by ke i t h w tme r using red ink. Sovereigns therefore tions are getting wise to sovereigns’ matters of interest to sovereigns and, sign many legal documents and cor- UCC games, sovereigns often must The absence of a zip code in adherents’ addresses frequently, to formalize citizens’ dec- respondence in red ink to signify shop jurisdictions until they find one (sometimes, the zip code is present, but larations of sovereignty, a process that they are canceling the bond willing to file the statement without placed in brackets). often known as asseveration. attached to their birth certificate question. s

14 splc intelligence report special report 15 A Message from Chief Bob Paudert

On May 20, 2010, Jerry Kane and his son opened IN MEMORIAM fire on West Memphis, Ark., police officers Bill Evans and In the years since the Oklahoma City federal building was bombed in 1995, Brandon Paudert during a routine interstate traffic stop. In a 32 law enforcement officers have been murdered by domestic right-wing political extremists. harrowing series of events, the Kanes killed the officers and went on to wound a sheriff and his chief deputy before being killed Each of their deaths was a unique tragedy. themselves. Jerry and Joseph Kane were so-called “sovereign citizens,” members of a dangerous radical-right movement that Leslie George Lord, 45 John C. Bohach, 35 Lee Stewart Newbill, 49 Stephen Mayhle, 29 is driven by conspiracy theories and a deep-seated hatred of the New Hampshire State Police Reno, Nev., Moscow, Idaho, Pittsburgh, Pa., (Colebrook) Police Department Police Department Police Department government and may include as many as 300,000 people. As it Aug. 19, 1997 Aug. 22, 2001 May 19, 2007 April 4, 2009 happened, Brandon Paudert was the son of West Memphis Police Chief Bob Paudert. Since his son and his partner’s murders, Chief Scott Edward Phillips, 32 Eric Bradford Taylor, 31 Stephen Anderson, 60 Eric Kelly, 41 New Hampshire State Police Massillon, Ohio, Salt Lake City, Utah, Pittsburgh, Pa., Paudert has dedicated himself to educating his fellow law enforcement officers about the threat posed (Colebrook) Police Department Department of Police Department by sovereigns, speaking to law enforcement groups and also narrating part of the Southern Poverty Law Aug. 19, 1997 Aug. 9, 2002 Corrections April 4, 2009 Center officer-safety video, “‘Sovereign Citizens’ and Law Enforcement: Understanding the Threat,” June 25, 2007 Bruce Vanderjagt, 47 David Frank Mobilio, 31 Burt Lopez, 45 that is included in this special issue of the Intelligence Report. He says his sincerest hope is that no law Denver, Colo., Police Red Bluff, Calif., Police John R. Smith, 40 Okaloosa County, Fla., enforcement officer will ever again face the tragedy that befell his own family. Department Department Bastrop, La., Police Sheriff’s Office Nov. 12, 1997 Nov. 19, 2002 Department April 25, 2009 Chief, why is educating law enforcement the [officer-safety] DVD and for shar- we should be on the lookout for. I know Aug. 10, 2007 about the potential threat posed by so- ing my story. But, shockingly, it’s the it is going to save lives when officers are Robert “Sande” Sanderson, 34 Kevin Michael Marshall, 33 Warren “Skipp” York, 45 called sovereign citizens important? rare officer that I have talked to who armed with this knowledge. Training is Birmingham, Ala., Police Michigan State Police Charles D. Wilson, Jr., 34 Okaloosa County, Fla., When you look at what happened that knows about the sovereign citizens. I essential. That’s the bottom line. Department (Fremont) Bastrop, La., Police Sheriff’s Office day in May, it’s obvious that Brandon talked recently to a particular officer Jan. 29, 1998 July 7, 2003 Department April 25, 2009 and Bill were not prepared for what was who is being harassed by people who What are your future plans now? Aug. 10, 2007 coming. Prior to May 20, 2010, when share the Kanes’ beliefs. The officer is My life changed forever on May 20, Dennis Warren Finch, 52 Donald McMurry Ouzts, 63 Stephen T. Johns, 39 a law enforcement officer in a traffic actually being sued by them. Nobody 2010. I don’t want this to ever happen to Traverse City, Mich., Police Abbeville County, S.C., Ronald Harrison, 56 United States Holocaust stop asked for registration, they nor- else has been in touch with him. He’s anyone again. I have a deep passion now Department Magistrate’s Office Hillsboro County, Fla., Memorial Museum Security mally were handed a registration card begging for help. He’s now in fear for to inform as many police officers as I May 13, 1998 Dec. 8, 2003 Sheriff’s Office June 10, 2009 from one of the 50 states. But not that his life. It’s people like this that just can about the dangers presented by sov- Aug. 15 2007 day. You can see a look of confusion on tear at your heart. I’ve decided I’m ereigns and to teach them what to look Dale Dewain Claxton, 45 Danny Wilson, 37 Shane Thomas Detwiler, 31 Brandon and Bill’s faces as Jerry Kane going to do all I can to help these offi- for, so they can be prepared for this sit- Cortez, Colo., Police Abbeville County, S.C., Thomas Paul Tennant, 51 Chambers County, Texas, produced his fake sovereign driver’s cers. I’m going to respond to every call uation. I hope we can reach more police Department Sheriff’s Office Woodburn, Ore., Police Sheriff’s Office license. Brandon and Bill were on that and every E-mail to make sure that officers and tell them about the dangers May 29, 1998 Dec. 8, 2003 Department July 13, 2009 traffic stop for nearly 15 minutes, and they are getting the information that we are facing. I hope to educate as many Dec. 12, 2008 they were obviously confused by these they need to be safe. people as I can. I want to focus on offi- James Arland Rowland, Jr., 30 Robert Walter Hedman, 49 Bill Evans, 38 bizarre documents. My officers just did cer safety issues, that’s what I want to Palmer, Alaska, Police Otero County, N.M., William Hakim, 51 West Memphis, Ark., not know what they were looking at, Do you worry about the threat posed to dedicate my life to. s Department Sheriff’s Department Oregon State Police Police Department that they were facing dangerous believ- law enforcement officers by other types May 15, 1999 Dec. 18, 2004 Dec. 12, 2008 May 20, 2010 ers in the sovereign citizens ideology. If of extremists? West Memphis, Ark., Police Chief Bob they had known in advance what they Any extremist group is a danger to offi- Paudert has served in law enforce- Ricky Leon Kinchen, 35 Henry “Hank” Nava, Jr., 39 Paul Sciullo III, 37 Brandon Paudert, 39 were dealing with, Brandon and Bill cers, regardless of what ideology they ment for 45 years. He began his career Fulton County, Ga., Sheriff’s Fort Worth, Texas, Pittsburgh, Pa., Police West Memphis, Ark., would be alive today. have. If they go to the extreme with as a jailer in Shelby County, Tenn., Department Police Department Department Police Department their beliefs and they are willing to die and served as head of narcotics for the March 17, 2000 Dec. 1, 2005 April 4, 2009 May 20, 2010 You’ve told us that you have heard from for their beliefs, they are dangerous Memphis Police Department before join- many police officers who have had deal- to law enforcement. We need to know ing the West Memphis department in ings with sovereigns. Tell us a little more what the signs are that are associated 1999. Officers who would like to talk with about that. with all types of extremists; we need to the chief are encouraged to contact him I have received calls from all over the know what their tattoos mean and so through his police department’s phone country, and considerable gratitude for forth. It’s clear there are indicators that number, 870-735-1210.

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