Rogue 'Sovereign Citizen' Homeowner Strikes Back After Adverse Foreclosure Ruling; Tags Judge w/ Bogus $350K Lien, Then Gets 179 Days For Contempt

In Daytona Beach, Florida, The Daytona Beach News Journal reports:

• Senior Judge Pope Hamrick handled a foreclosure case back in June, one of dozens. The veteran jurist, a member of The Florida Bar for more than 40 years, ruled in favor of a bank in a foreclosure. Hamrick never expected that the person foreclosed upon, Patricio E. Sanchez, would file a lien and judgment against him in court. But that's just what happened. Patricio E. Sanchez.



• Hamrick was shocked to learn the lien -- claiming a debt of $350,000 -- was even recorded against him. The man who filed it, Sanchez, 58, of Deltona is a registered sexual offender. Sanchez was immediately summoned back to court to explain why he "willfully filed and recorded the false and fraudulent liens and judgment." The judgments were filed against Hamrick and two attorneys who had represented Chase Home Finance in the foreclosure. Sanchez was jailed for 179 days for contempt of court.



• Although Sanchez became known by local court officials as the "sovereign citizen case," he never uttered the phrase. His case -- the second time the sovereign citizen movement has come up locally in court this year -- highlights the growth of ideology that has been around for more than 20 years.



• The sovereign citizen movement is a loosely organized collection of groups and individuals who have adopted an ideology considered "right-wing" by the Anti-Defamation League. Its adherents believe that virtually all government in the United States is illegitimate. Sometimes, the sovereign citizen movement has been blamed on acts of extremism and violence.



• Earlier this year, police said a 5-year-old boy was kidnapped by his grandmother in Port Orange. When police caught up with Laurine Arnold and recovered the child, she told them she was a sovereign citizen.



• Starting in the 1980s, anti-government extremists began pushing theories that claimed people could avoid debt and claim riches under an interpretation of common law. In 1996, members of a sovereign citizen group known as the American National Freemen were indicted in Tampa on charges including conspiracy and jury tampering. Three of the members were sentenced to prison for filing $22.8 million in bogus liens against federal officials and citizens.



• Since then, information on the Internet has spread the word. Motivational speakers offer seminars to teach people how to file documents in court, claiming they will be free of debts and government interference.



• Sanchez was less than cooperative when he appeared before Circuit Judge Robert Rouse. He refused to acknowledge his identity. He claimed he was a "representative" of Sanchez. In court documents, Sanchez wrote his name in all capital letters, and referred to the term "UCC-1."



• The use of that phrase, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, is sometimes used as an effort to distinguish the "flesh and blood" person from his "corporate shell." The technique is used to avoid paying debt. According to the Anti-Defamation league, sovereign citizens use "paper terrorism," by filing documents against public officials.



• When Rouse asked Sanchez to explain the liens and judgments he filed against Hamrick and the others, Sanchez insisted "they don't have the authority to deal with the private business of Patricio Sanchez." Judge Rouse found Sanchez committed contempt of court by filing the liens. Rouse gave him 179 days in jail -- significantly less than the one-year maximum allowed.



• Sovereign citizen activity has been reported in 26 states and their numbers are estimated in the hundreds of thousands. Because of the potential for harm to credit reports and court records, many people who are familiar with the sovereign citizens are weary of speaking publicly about the movement.



• Among them was Judge Hamrick, who expressed some concerns about further attacks on paper. "You won't print my address, will you?" he said.

Source: Judge in Daytona targeted by man in foreclosure case.

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