'Republic of uSA' President Goes Down In Jury Verdict For Using, Teaching Others To Use Bogus Bonds To Pay Taxes, Giving Guidance In Filing Retaliatory Liens Against Gov't Officials Who Dared Interfere With Processing Crackpot Paperwork

From the Office of the U.S. Attorney (Montgomery, Alabama):

• After a five-day trial, a federal jury in Montgomery, Ala., found James Timothy Turner, 57, also known as Tim Turner, of Skipperville, Alabama guilty of conspiracy to defraud the United States, attempting to pay taxes with fictitious financial instruments, attempting to obstruct and impede the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), failing to file a 2009 federal income tax return, and falsely testifying under oath in a bankruptcy proceeding, announced Sandra J. Stewart, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama.
  
  The FBI began an investigation after Turner and three other individuals sent demands to all fifty governors in the United States ordering each governor to resign within three days or be “removed.”
  
  The FBI’s investigation revealed that Turner was the self-proclaimed “President” of the so-called sovereign citizen group “Republic for the united States of America” (“RuSA”).
  
  As “President,” Turner traveled the country in 2008 and 2009 teaching others how to defraud the IRS by preparing and submitting fictitious “bonds” to the United States government in payment of federal taxes. Witnesses at trial testified that Turner used special paper, financial terminology, and elaborate borders in an effort to make the fake bonds look “real” and thus, more likely to succeed in defrauding the IRS.
  
  Turner was convicted of sending a $300 million “bond” in his own name and of aiding and abetting others in sending fifteen other “bonds” to the Treasury Department to pay taxes and other debts. The evidence at trial also established that Turner taught people how to file retaliatory liens against government officials who interfered with the processing of fictitious “bonds.”
  
  Turner himself actually filed a purported $17.6 billion maritime lien in Montgomery County, Alabama, Probate Court against another individual.
  
  “The jury’s verdict in this case sends a message that defrauding the government and others through the use of bogus financial documents will not be tolerated,” said Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Tax Division Kathryn Keneally. “Disagreement with the law is no excuse for the real harm caused by these self-interested tax defiers.”
  
  “These sovereign citizen groups use these retaliatory tax liens and fraudulent tax schemes as weapons against the United States and its citizens,(1) stated Acting U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Stewart. It is only the hard work of law enforcement that can stop these criminals from using these financial weapons. I would like to thank the law enforcement officers who worked vigilantly on this case to bring this criminal to justice.”

For the U.S. Attorney press release, see Self-Proclaimed “President” Of Sovereign Citizen Nation Convicted Of Federal Tax Crimes.

(1) The filing of retaliation liens (a long-time favored 'paper terrorism' tactic) against government officials by crackpots and others believing in this self-help remedy has led at least one state attorney general to issue a consumer alert addressing the problem. See Texas Attorney General: Wiping Out Fraudulent Liens.

It has reportedly also moved at least three state legislature to pass a statute specifically addressing the problem of retaliatory liens as used against public officials, but reportedly not as used against private citizens or businesses. See:

• Southern Poverty Law Center: Three States Act to Shield Officials from ‘Paper Terror’ Tactics,
• Anti-Defamation League: Georgia Passes Tougher Bogus Lien Law.

Federal law specifically addresses this problem in 18 U.S.C. 1521 - Retaliating against a Federal judge or Federal law enforcement officer by false claim or slander of title.

For a report on retaliatory liens, generally, see Anti-Defamation League's The Militia Watchdog: Paper Terrorism's Forgotten Victims: The Use of Bogus Liens against Private Individuals and Businesses.