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Tag: Lonnie G. Vernon

  • BULLETIN: Alaska ‘Sovereign Citizens’ Charged In New Indictment; Feds Say Francis Schaeffer Cox Had ‘Armed Security’ Force That ‘Stop[ed] Private Citizens Without Lawful Authority And Under The Force Of Arms’

    Francis Schaeffer Cox

    BULLETIN: A new superseding indictment has been returned in federal court in Alaska against purported “sovereign citizens” and “militia” members Francis Schaeffer Cox, Coleman L. Barney and Lonnie G. Vernon.

    In addition to the original charges outlined in an the first superseding indictment, the trio now is accused of conspiracy to kill federal officers and officials, according to the FBI.

    Cox further is charged with soliciting Barney and Vernon to murder federal officers, the FBI said.

    And  Cox, 27, Barney, 36, and Vernon, 57,  “are all charged with additional counts involving the carrying of firearms during a crime of violence,” the FBI said. “In addition to these charges, the indictment includes criminal forfeiture allegations relating to several seized firearms, silencers, and destructive devices.”

    Cox allegedly has asserted courts have no authority over him. The superseding indictment alleges that Cox and his militia colleagues, despite their sovereign posturing and beliefs the government has no legitimate authority over them, apparently divined themselves the right to assert authority over private citizens.

    Among other things, the indictment alleges that Cox had an armed security force and somehow persuaded himself that a federal “hit team” had been sent to Fairbanks to assassinate him, according to the indictment.

    With Cox scheduled to make a television appearance in November 2010, Cox, Barney, Vernon and others “developed a tactical plan to provide security for COX,” according to the new indictment. “Part of the tactical plan included the wearing of body armor, the possession of hand grenades, arming with semi-automatic weapons, the possession of 37mm launchers loaded with Hornets Nest anti-personnel rounds along with the creation and implementation of a deadly force policy in the event the federal agents arrived to arrest or attempt to kill COX.”

    On Nov. 23, 2010, according to the indictment, Barney, Vernon and others “established a tactical and armed perimeter security force of militia members around COX while COX was doing the television interview,” according to the indictment.  “This perimeter security force, among other things, trespassed on the private property of local citizenry while ‘patrolling’ on COX’s behalf, constructed a vehicular funneling point in order to stop and inspect the vehicles and identities of private citizens, and did, in fact, stop private citizens without lawful authority and under the force of arms.”

    The armed security detail asked citizens “for names and identification and prevented citizens from traveling either to their place of employment or their own private residences,” according to the indictment.

    While stopping citizens, Barney had “a semi-automatic assault rifle, an AR-15 .223 rifle,” according to the indictment..

    Attached to the “rail mount” of the semi-automatic rifle “was a 37mm launcher,” according to the indictment. “Loaded inside the 37 mm launcher was a ‘Hornets Nest’ anti-personnel round.”

    For his part, Vernon had “a semi-automatic assault rifle, a Sig Arms AR-15 .223 rifle,” according to the indictment.

    Also in November 2010 — apparently after divining himself the right to use armed guards to interrupt the free travel of private citizens — Cox paid for 16,000 newspaper ads, according to the indictment.

    Here is how the ads read:

    “The laws of The Judiciary appear to have been fraudulently displaced by a privately owned for profit corporation deceptively named the ‘Alaska Court System.’  This corporation and the Alaska Bar Association are under criminal investigation. If you have had a case decided without full disclosure of the true nature of the ‘Alaska Court System’ the damages can be corrected. Judgments can be overturned and you may be entitled to restitution! A public meeting to explain the process in simple laymen’s terms will be held at the CARLSON CENTER ON DECEMBER 1, AT 6:30 PM . . .”

  • ‘TWO FOR ONE’ CASE UPDATE: New Charges Lodged Against Alaskans Accused In Plot To Murder Judge, State Troopers; IRS Employee Also Was Targeted, Feds Say

    A federal grand jury has returned a superseding  indictment against an Alaska man accused earlier this month of threatening to kill a federal judge. The grand jury lodged additional charges against Lonnie G. Vernon, while also indicting Vernon’s wife, Karen L. Vernon, along with Francis Schaeffer Cox and Coleman L. Barney.

    Each of the defendants has purported ties to the so-called “sovereign citizen” and “militia” movements. Karen Vernon, Cox and Coleman initially were charged only under state law in a case that alleged a state judge and state troopers were targeted for murder or kidnapping.

    In addition to accusations that he plotted the murder of U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Beistline, Lonnie Vernon, 55, of Salcha, now also is accused of plotting the murder of an IRS employee.

    Beistline, Alaska’s chief federal judge, was presiding over a civil tax case involving the Vernons, according to court records. Like her husband, Karen Vernon also now has been indicted on charges of plotting the murder of Beistline and an IRS employee.

    In addition, the Vernons are charged with threatening to murder Beistline and his family, and conspiracy to possess an unregistered firearm silencer and grenades.

    On March 10, according to the indictment, the Vernons “purchased and received a pistol equipped with a silencer.” They also bought three hand grenades “not knowing at the time that they were inert.”

    Lonnie Vernon also is charged with illegally possessing a machine gun and possessing a firearm equipped with a silencer in furtherance of a federal crime of violence.

    Francis Schaeffer Cox: The Feds now say he possessed a siliencer and a machine gun.

    Cox, 27, of Fairbanks, initially was charged only under state law. He now has been indicted under federal law for conspiracy to possess unregistered destructive devices and possession of unregistered destructive devices. Four additional federal firearms charges were lodged against Cox, including “the illegal manufacture and possession of a silencer and the illegal possession of a Sten machine gun,” prosecutors said.

    Barney, 36, of North Pole, was indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to possess unregistered destructive devices and possession of unregistered destructive devices.

    He initially faced only state charges.

    Lonnie Vernon, Cox and Barney acquired weapons because they believed “at some undetermined point in the future they would have to take up arms against the government,” according to the federal indictment.

    In February, according to the indictment, Cox instructed Lonnie Vernon to go to “Anchorage to acquire hand grenades” and “obtain C-4 explosive.”

    On March 10, according to the indictment, Cox and Barney “met with the person with whom they had placed their order for a pistol equipped with a silencer and grenades so that they could purchase these items.”

    Cox and Barney “each received a pistol with a silencer,” according to the indictment. “They also received four hand grenades, not knowing that the grenades were inert. Barney carried $6,000 in cash on his person for the purpose of purchasing additional guns and destructive devices.”

    See earlier story.

  • BULLETIN: ‘Sovereign Citizen’ Accused In ‘Two For One’ Plot To Murder Judges, State Troopers In Alaska; ‘Militia’ Had Acquired Grenades, Grenade Launcher, Machine Guns; Another Man Charged Separately In Plot To Kill Federal Judge

    Francis "Schaeffer" Cox

    BULLETIN: (UPDATED 7:04 P.M. EDT (MARCH 14, U.S.A.) Five residents of Alaska with ties to the so-called “sovereign” citizen and “militia” movements have been charged under state law in an alleged plot to kidnap or murder Alaska state troopers and a state judge in Fairbanks.

    One of the suspects was charged separately under federal law with threatening to kill U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Beistline and a member of Beistline’s family. Beistline was presiding over a civil tax case involving one of the state-level defendants, and was targeted “in retaliation for and on account of the performance of his official duties,” according to the indictment.

    Charged federally was Lonnie G. Vernon, 55, of Salcha.

    Vernon also was charged under state law. Also charged in the state case were Francis “Schaeffer” Cox, 27, of Fairbanks;  Karen Vernon, 64, of Salcha; Coleman Barney, 36, of North Pole;  and Michael O. Anderson, 35, of Fairbanks. Karen Vernon is Vernon’s wife.

    Anderson was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and tampering with evidence. Charges against the other defendants include conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, conspiracy to commit arson and misconduct involving weapons.

    Cox and “others” had acquired hand grenades, a grenade launcher, a .50-caliber machine gun, a .30-caliber machine gun, “dozens” of assault rifles and pistols and “thousands of rounds of ammunition,” according to the state complaint.

    Cox filed “nonsensical” pleadings while awaiting trial in a March 2010 case in which he was charged with not announcing he was concealing a handgun when he approached a police officer, according to the state complaint.

    In a YouTube video of a court hearing dated Dec. 14, 2010, Cox declared himself a sovereign being and said he did not recognize the authority of the court. Perhaps to amplify his disrespect for the court, he wore a hat when addressing the judge.

    “Wait, wait, wait, wait. No, no,” he told the judge. “If I get an invitation [for] next week, I’m going to treat it like an invitation to a Tupperware party.”

    “I won’t be here,” he declared.

    In October 2010 — with his trial date approaching in February 2011 — Cox began “amassing multiple caches of assault rifles and prohibited explosive devices,” including the grenades and machine guns, according to the charges.

    Just prior to his Feb. 14 trial date, Cox informed authorities he would not show up for trial. When he did not appear, a bench warrant was issued.

    The FBI had infiltrated the militia group at least by Feb. 12 and “lawfully recorded” conversations that occurred as the probe moved forward, according to the charges.

    Cox, according to the complaint, discussed a “241” program, which was shorthand for “two for one.”

    The plan “called for his militia to respond to attempts to arrest or kill him by responding against state court or law enforcement targets with twice the force and consequences as happened to him or his family,” according to the state complaint.

    Cox ventured that his arrest would constitute a “kidnapping” that, under the “241”plan,  called for two state targets to be arrested, meaning “kidnapped,”  according to the complaint.

    “If he was killed, two state targets would be killed,” according to the complaint. “If his house was taken, two state target houses would be burned.”

    And Cox talked about drilling a state judge “in his forehead,” according to the complaint.

    A Twitter account referenced in the state charging document includes this Jan. 26 post:

    “The DA made a motion to bar me from talking about the constitution in court! LOL He’ll be work’n as Chip N’ Dale dancer if he keeps this up.”

    In December 2010, according to the state complaint, Cox told a state judicial officer that “we know where all the Troopers live, we have you outmanned and outgunned and could probably have  you all dead in one night.”

    At a Cox-related hearing in December, Cox advised a  a state judge that “you’re now being treated as a criminal engaged in criminal activity and you’re being served in that manner.”

    Also present at the hearing was person described only as “Ken.” “Ken” declared himself a militia member speaking on behalf of Cox, saying he was Cox’s representative and “counsel before God,” according to the state complaint.

    The complaint also alleged that Cox or “others” acting “on his behalf — in the days leading up to the trial date — filed “multiple pleadings” that made no sense. The pleadings demanded the charges against Cox be dismissed and made “other claims,” according to the state complaint.

    Prosecutors did not describe the nature of the claims. “Sovereigns” have been known to threaten judges and members of law enforcement with criminal and civil prosecution and file claims for alleged damages. In some cases, “sovereigns” have placed liens for astronomical sums against public servants.

    Meanwhile, the complaint alleges that surveillance was being conducted on potential targets of the militia and that Cox was able to pinpoint on a map the residences of state troopers and judges.

    One state trooper reported being photographed at a gas station, possibly by Michael Anderson, one of the defendants in the state case.

    On Feb. 14, the date Cox was supposed to be in court for his trial, he met with the Vernons at their home, according to the state complaint.

    When the discussion turned to what would happen if authorities arrived to arrest Cox, Lonnie Vernon allegedly said, “I’ll take all the sons of bitches I can with me. They’ll die a miserable death too.”

    Later in February, Cox said that women and children could become casualties of the “241” plan, according to the complaint.

    One militia member told Cox that he was not “into killing women and children.” Cox, according to the complaint, responded by saying that he “would not target a woman or child, but if their kids get killed in the process, so be it.”

    Cox went on to say that, to make a point, “I’m not against sending somebody’s head in a box.”

    Later, Cox declared it his duty to oppose “the tyrant judge . . . who does not follow the constitution.”

    On Feb. 26, according to the complaint, Cox discussed the publication of “wanted dead or alive posters” that would include the faces of police officers, an assistant district attorney, a court clerk and a state judge.

    Lonnie Vernon allegedly claimed there is going to be a “bunch of dead mother-fuckers before all this is over,” according to the complaint.

    And Karen Vernon said the Vernon home would go “up in smoke” before law enforcement could take the couple’s property.

    Cox is the head of the “Alaska Peacemaker’s Militia,” according to the state complaint.

    After he determined the offered price for six hand grenades was reasonable, he speculated about leaving his hiding place in the home of Coleman Barney after the militia had acquired more weapons, including a handgun with a silencer, according to the complaint.

    Cox talked going to Montana to assure the safety of his family, and returning to Alaska to engage in “guerilla warfare,” according to the complaint.