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Tag: James Timothy Turner

  • HAWAII REPORTER: Man Indicted In Investment Scheme Allegedly Claimed To Be A ‘United Nations Ambassador’

    recommendedreading1The Hawaii Reporter and other media outlets are reporting that Curtis Wayne Ross of Honolulu has been indicted on wire-fraud charges in an investment scheme in which he allegedly claimed to be a well-connected multimillionaire and a “United Nations ambassador” with special tax privileges.

    From the Reporter (italics added):

    “Ross was neither a UN ambassador with special tax privileges nor a multimillionaire investor with international trade connections, according to federal court records.”

    Four investors allegedly got scammed for a total of $167,000, amid claims that Ross lured them in with claims he could provide “high yielding returns of between 17 percent and 400 percent,” the publication reported.

    Claims about special tax privileges and diplomatic connections sometimes have been associated with the “sovereign citizens movement.” Whether Ross is an adherent to “sovereign” poppycock is unclear.

    Some “sovereign citizens” have declared themselves office-holders or diplomats immune to arrest.

    In 2012, purported “sovereign citizen” Monty Ervin was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison in a scheme involving bogus trusts. Ervin earlier had declared himself “governor” of Alabama in its “original jurisdiction” and a “Most Christian Prince.”

    Earlier this week, purported “sovereign citizen” James Timothy “Tim” Turner — the purported “President” of a purported government known as the “Republic for the united States of America” (RuSA), was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison in a bizarre tax scam.

    Ross has been issued a summons to appear in court. The AP is reporting that the FBI says he “moved away from Hawaii and is believed to be living in Atlanta.”

  • DEVELOPING STORY: Standoff Ensues In Alabama After School-Bus Driver Shot And Killed; Suspect Reportedly Holed Up In Private ‘Bunker’ After Taking 6-Year-Old — And Drama Plays Out During Senate Hearing

    recommendedreading1DEVELOPING STORY: A standoff with police is occurring in southeastern Alabama, amid reports that a school-bus driver was shot and killed yesterday after he refused to submit to the demands of an armed man who wanted to remove two children from the bus. The suspected shooter then allegedly fled with a six-year-old and now is holed up with the child in his private “bunker” in Dale County

    The drama is unfolding in the town of Midland. The Dothan Eagle newspaper has identified the suspect as 67-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes.

    FoxNews.com is reporting that Dykes was scheduled to be in court today on a previous charge of menacing. Local authorities have identified the bus driver as Charles Albert Poland Jr., a 66-year-old employee of the Dale County Board of Education.

    The Senate Judiciary Committee is conducting a hearing today on gun violence in the United States. (NOTE: if you visit the Senate page at the time of this post, you’ll see a link to a live webcast.)

    The Dothan region is known to have had brushes with purported “sovereign citizens.” Whether Dykes holds “sovereign” beliefs is unclear.

    But a neighbor told the Dothan Eagle that Dykes “is the type that thinks the government’s out to get him.”

    In February 2012, James Timothy Turner, a purported “sovereign” and the purported  “President” of the “Republic for the united States of America,” named the Dothan Eagle a defendant in a lawsuit, apparently because he was displeased with the paper’s coverage.

    In September 2012, Turner was indicted on tax charges amid U.S. Justice Department claims he “conducted seminars at which he taught attendees how to file retaliatory liens against government officials and to defraud the IRS by preparing and submitting fictitious bonds to the United States government in payment of federal taxes.”

    In November 2011, Pennsylvania attorney and accused New Jersey thief and Ponzi schemer Michael W. Kwasnik was arrested in Dothan. Police said he was found in possession of “items essential for out of country travel such as passports and maps.”

  • BULLETIN: Purported ‘Sovereign Citizen’ Tim Turner Of Purported ‘Republic for the united States of America’ Charged In Alleged ‘Seminar’ Scam In Which He Taught Attendees How To File Bogus Liens Against Public Officials; Tax Crimes Also Charged, Justice Department Says

    “Turner is alleged to have attempted to pay his own taxes with a fictitious $300 million bond and to have assisted others in attempting to pay their taxes with fictitious bonds purporting to be worth amounts ranging from $10 million to $100 billion.” — U.S. Department of Justice, Sept. 18, 2012

    BULLETIN: James Timothy Turner, a purported “sovereign citizen” who claims to be “President” of the “Republic for the united States of America,” has been indicted by an Alabama grand jury on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, attempting to pay taxes with fictitious financial instruments, attempting to obstruct and impede the Internal Revenue Service, failing to file a 2009 federal income tax return and falsely testifying under oath in a bankruptcy proceeding, the Justice Department announced.

    Among the allegations against Turner is that he “conducted seminars at which he taught attendees how to file retaliatory liens against government officials and to defraud the IRS by preparing and submitting fictitious bonds to the United States government in payment of federal taxes,” the Justice Department said.

    “Turner is alleged to have attempted to pay his own taxes with a fictitious $300 million bond and to have assisted others in attempting to pay their taxes with fictitious bonds purporting to be worth amounts ranging from $10 million to $100 billion,” the Justice Department said.

    The IRS and the FBI led the probe, the Justice Department said.

    So-called “sovereign citizens” may have an irrational belief that laws do not apply to them.

    Purported “sovereign citizen” Kenneth Wayne Leaming — a mainstay in the AdSurfDaily Ponzi scheme story — was arrested by the FBI last year on charges he filed bogus liens against at least five public officials involved in the ASD case, including a federal judge, three federal prosecutors and a special agent of the U.S. Secret Service.

    He also is accused of uttering a bogus “bonded promissory note,” concealing fugitives wanted in a home-business caper and being a felon in possession of firearms.

    Leaming also has sought to sue President Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on a theory they are imposters in office. In June, Leaming, 56, sought to sue a county sheriff in Arkansas, demanding purported damages be paid in gold and silver.

    In August, purported “sovereign citizen” Michael Chung, 52, was arrested in New York on charges that he threatened to kill two bank employees.