PatrickPretty.com

Tag: sovereign citizens

  • ‘MoneyMakingBrain,’ Advocate For JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid, Emails Threats To PP Blog; ‘That’s Not A Threat, It’s A Promise,’ First Email Claims; Second Suggests He’ll Create Banking Trouble For Blog Poster And Defend JSS Tripler Operator ‘So Help Me God’

    “Either we talk about here, or I talk about somewhere else (that’s not a threat, it’s a promise :)” — ‘MoneyMakingBrain (MMB), in email threat to PP Blog, Feb. 29, 2012, 7:52 a.m. ET

    UPDATED 4:22 P.M. ET (U.S.A.) It has happened again: The PP Blog has received yet another threat via email for its reporting on the HYIP sphere, which FINRA described in a 2010 Alert as a “bizarre substratum of the Internet.”

    Today’s threat came from “MoneyMakingBrain” (MMB) in apparent “defense” of JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid, an HYIP “program” purportedly operated by self-described former AdSurfDaily and Ad-Ventures4U pitchman Frederick Mann. JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid claims it pays a return of 2 percent per day.

    ASD operator Andy Bowdoin, 77, is an accused Ponzi schemer under indictment for wire fraud, securities fraud and selling unregistered securities. The ASD scheme, which was based in Florida,  gathered at least $110 million and created thousands of victims, federal prosecutors have said. Bowdoin’s Ponzi trial has been scheduled for September 2012. JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid purports to pay a daily return twice that of ASD.

    Among other things, Bowdoin has compared the August 2008 U.S. Secret Service raid on ASD’s headquarters to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and described it as the work of “Satan.”

    MMB’s initial email threat was received at 7:52 a.m. ET. It was followed by another email threat at 11:14 a.m. in which MMB suggested he’d seek to cause banking troubles for a specific PP Blog poster and defend Mann “so help me God.”

    “You could be the nicest guy in the world, doing a real public service, but on the matter of Frederick Mann, you’ve made a gross error, and you crossed the line, Mr.,” the second threat read in part. “I am not a passive by-stander Patrick, I am one of those who will come and help an old man from being beaten up by a bully, so help me God.”

    The second email also claimed that, “If anything, you’ve brought all this upon yourself.”

    On Feb. 27, the PP Blog reported that a site registered to Mann in South Africa at the same street address of JustBeenPaid had at least 11 links to videos featuring Francis Schaeffer Cox. Cox, 27,  is a purported “sovereign citizen.” He is accused in Alaska of a “militia” murder plot against public officials.

    Federal prosecutors known to be investigating the ASD scheme in the District of Columbia declined to comment on the Blog’s story, which was published Monday. Meanwhile, federal prosecutors known to be investigating the “sovereign citizen” movement in the Pacific Northwest did not respond to a request for comment on the report.

    Today’s disturbing developments began with the Blog’s receipt of the initial threatening email at 7:52 a.m. The initial threat implied that, if the PP Blog did publish a comment submitted by MMB during the overnight hours and respond to the email, MMB would seek to cause harm to the Blog. The PP Blog did not reply to the initial email. Nor did it reply to the follow-up threat.

    MMB’s comment already had been published by the PP Blog by the time the initial email threat was received. The comment was submitted at 1:12 a.m. today and approved by the PP Blog at approximately 7:30 a.m., after being temporarily sequestered in a holding queue because of the menacing nature of previous comments submitted by MMB.

    An anonymous proxy in Europe was used to send the comment, and a Gmail address was entered on the PP Blog’s Comments form. For the past two days, MMB has been submitting comments that imply he has the power to harm the Blog if the Blog does not submit to his threats. His comments were sent from IPs in the United States and Europe. Today’s email communications from MMB were the first received from MMB.

    Because the Blog believes it is important to publish comments that showcase the bizarre and sometimes menacing nature of the HYIP sphere, it has published several comments from MMB since Monday. But because today’s email threats introduced a new form of electronic menacing and implied a PP Blog reader would be subjected to a hectoring campaign,  the Blog no longer will publish any additional comments from MMB.

    The PP Blog engages in the marketplace of ideas, not the marketplace of threats.

    These are among MMB’s menacing assertions yesterday:

    • “I know you’re reading everything I write and you are scared.”
    • ” But, continue to annoy the MoneyMakingBrain and deviate him from his monitoring duties, and you’ll be the ones to be in the hot water. “
    • “no one is invisible to the MoneyMakingBrain and you need to stop doing what you’re doing against this man immediately. Because if you don’t, I am going to make a formal complain (sic) to the very authorities you purport are coming after scam sites and send all the evidence I’ve gathered so far from posting on your site and the realscam site. I don’t like witch hunts and I am sure Fred Mann can whip your ass in court for your highly suggestive, provocative, highly contentious and flat-out defamatory commentaries against his character on your sites.”
    • “You can delete my comments as much as you like, but take what I said to the bank. In the end, you are going to look like a fool.”
    • “Maybe it’s a good idea that you stop your charade once and for all and finally cease and desist attacking Mr. Fred Mann, who is innocent until proven guilty. Not going to be repeating myself again.”
    • “Needless to say that you’ll be needing to look for another ISP because you won’t have internet access at home or your office, wherever. Needless to say that your server host will also shut down your sites down for violation of terms and conditions.”

    MMB also advanced a number of conspiracy theories, including one in which he asserts that two different people who post on RealScam.com and the PP Blog are one and the same. RealScam is a forum that concerns itself with mass-marketing fraud.

    In November 2011, RealScam  was subjected to a bid to chill from Bogdan Fiedur, the operator of AdLandPro, a website whose members routinely promote HYIP schemes and other highly dubious pursuits. JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid is one of the “programs” promoted on AdLandPro, which also has a presence on Ponzi forums such as TalkGold and MoneyMakerGroup.

    Conspiracy theories are part and parcel to the HYIP landscape, as are threats — direct and veiled. Today”s second MMB email threat also raised the specter of fear.

    ” . . . it’s clear that you are too scared of me by now,” the second email read in part.

    In November 2011, an FBI Terrorism Task Force arrested ASD figure and purported “sovereign citizen” Kenneth Wayne Leaming on charges he filed false liens against at least five public officials involved in the ASD Ponzi case. Two months later, a superseding indictment was returned against Leaming that accused him of participating in a scheme to file false liens against two U.S. prison officials, uttering a false “Bonded Promissory Note” for $1 million and being a convicted felon in possession of firearms.

    So-called “sovereign citizens” have been linked to various forms of securities fraud and tax fraud. Because they believe prosecutors and judges have no authority over them, “sovereigns” have been known to target state, local and national officials in plots to file bogus liens and destroy the credit of members of the law-enforcement community and litigation opponents.

    Their harassment methods, which feature the use of both postal mail and email and often include direct or veiled threats, have become known as “paper terrorism.”

    When arrested, Leaming, the ASD figure and purported “sovereign,”  was found with two federal fugitives from Arkansas who’d been indicted on charges of duping participants in a home-business scheme of more than $2 million. Those fugitives also have been linked to the “sovereign citizen” movement and filed a series of bizarre pleadings in Arkansas after their arrests with Leaming, who is jailed near Seattle. Both fugitives now are detained at federal facilities in Texas, according to prison records.

    After MMB sent today’s initial email threat, he sent another comment to the Blog that included a threat:

    “Stop abusing your forum as Lynn does, or I am going to conclude that there is a business relationship between the two of you, and that would be bad a thing (I am afraid to say anything else as you may call it another ‘threat’).

    “And yes, this is not a threat: you’re better off having me talking here than somewhere else. I know too much already about both you and Lynn, and I still want to believe that the two of you are men of good (although the tactics of one indicate the otherwise).”

    “Lynn” is a reference to Lynn Edgington, the chairman of Eagle Research Associates Inc., a 501(c)3 Public Benefit Charitable Corporation based in Mission Viejo, Calif.

    The second email implied that MMB would seek to interfere with an Eagle Research banking relationship.

    See related story and Comments thread.

  • SPECIAL REPORT: Domain Registered To Purported JSS Tripler Operator Features Videos Of ‘Sovereign Citizen’ Accused In Alleged Alaska Murder Plot Against Public Officials; Meanwhile, Americans Listen To ‘Frederick Mann’ Tell Them That Even A ‘1-Year-Old’ Can Have An Account And That Adults Can Open Accounts For Others; Separate Sites Have Links To Antitax Screeds And Debt-Elimination Schemes

    From grainy "BigBooster" YouTube video dated June 6, 2007. "Hi, Frederick Mann here," the video begins — with Mann speaking in what may be British or South African English. Mann, who identified himself in 2008 as an AdSurfDaily promoter three months before the U.S. Secret Service conducted a raid on ASD's Florida headquarters, was the featured guest in a conference call last week for JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid. He is the purported operator of the "program."

    Visitors to BuildFreedom.com are greeted by a drop-down ad for JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid that encourages them to register with a free Gmail address from Google for the outlandish “program” and its purported return of 2 percent a day.

    At least 11 videos featuring Francis Schaeffer Cox are accessible on the BuildFreedom page, which features remarks attributed to Frederick Mann and others.

    Mann is the purported operator of JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid. Here is part of what he relates in written form on BuildFreedom in the context of Cox and others:

    “To what extent do the people and activities featured so far on this page provide real solutions? How far do they go toward neutralizing the real enemies? What activities need to be added to increase the prospects for freedom?”

    The remarks appear to have been written prior to the arrest of Cox and others in an alleged “militia” plot on U.S. soil.

    In 2011, Cox, 27, was arrested on charges of plotting the murders of state and federal officials in Alaska. In January 2012, a superseding federal grand-jury indictment was returned against Cox and two alleged accomplices.

    Based on its research, the PP Blog is reporting today that BuildFreedom.com is registered to Frederick Mann at an address in South Africa. At least two other sites registered to Mann at the same address — JustBeenPaid.com and BigBooster.com — have been used to drive traffic to the JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid “program.”

    The BigBooster website uses the same drop-down ad for JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid that appears on the BuildFreedom domain.

    As the PP Blog reported in October 2011, the BigBooster domain was used in 2008 to drive traffic to AdSurfDaily, which the U.S. Secret Service described as an online Ponzi scheme involving at least $110 million. In November 2011, ASD figure and purported “sovereign citizen” Kenneth Wayne Leaming of Spanaway, Wash., was arrested by an FBI Terrorism Task Force on charges of filing false liens against at least five public officials involved in the ASD case.

    In December 2010, ASD President Andy Bowdoin was charged criminally with wire fraud, securities fraud and selling unregistered securities. Bowdoin’s program advertised a payout rate half of that advertised by JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid.

    The Conference Call

    Separately, the PP Blog is reporting today that Frederick Mann was the featured guest on a conference call for JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid last week. The Feb. 23 call appears to have been hosted by an American — and Americans and persons from at least one other country (Canada) appear to have quizzed Mann on the investment scheme after joining the “program.”

    Whether the conference-call participants were aware of the BuildFreedom domain and Mann’s written comments on Cox and “neutralizing the real enemies” is not known.

    The American (likely) who served as the call host was a woman who appeared to speak U.S. English. She described Mann as a “mathematical genius,” but did not say whether JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid was authorized to sell securities to U.S. citizens. Nor did she say whether she was a registered broker-dealer or whether others promoting the “program” were required to be registered in the United States and other jurisdictions.

    Mann also did not speak to any issues concerning securities, including whether the “program” was properly registered in all jurisdictions in which it conducts business and whether individual promoters needed to be registered.

    The first person who asked Mann questions during the call identified himself as “Randy” from “South Dakota.” Another caller who identified himself as “Chester” from “North Carolina” also quizzed Mann, who appears to speak British or South African English — or perhaps English from a different part of the world.

    The call was conducted one month to the day after CONSOB, the Italian securities regulator, announced that the actions of certain JSS Tripler promoters were under investigation. The CONSOB action was not addressed in the call, which also featured commentary or questions from “Michael” from “San Francisco” and others.

    During the call, Mann asserted — among other things — that there was no “age discrimination” in JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid.

    “So, theoretically,” he intoned, “even a one-year person” can participate.

    And, he noted, adults were permitted to open accounts in the names of other adults and that registrants could send money to JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid via AlertPay, SolidTrustPay, LibertyReserve and Perfect Money.

    All four of the processors are referenced in U.S. court filings as processors for alleged or proven fraud schemes.

    In response to a question from “Edward” (nationality unclear) about whether JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid had a “contingency plan” in case problems with payment processors developed or if government “harassed” them, Mann suggested that LibertyReserve and PerfectMoney were part of a fail-safe strategy.

    “Even if AlertPay and Solid  Trust Pay get shut down, that won’t stop” the program, Mann said.

    In response to a question from “Potato” from “California,” Mann also suggested it was possible to open accounts without a Social Security number that that members could open accounts for others, including teen-aged grandchildren in another U.S. state — even if a grandparent didn’t know the Social Security numbers of their grandchildren and the grandchildrens’ parents did not give permission to open the accounts.

    Who would be responsible for the tax consequences of opening accounts in the names of others was not discussed.

    The call appears not to have been limited to participation by Americans. A person who identified himself as “Mark(?)” from “Alberta” also was on the call.

    At least one of the persons on the call complained that the “program” was confusing. Even so, he ventured that this is “quite a deal.”

    In response to a question about where the “program” was located, Mann claimed JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid was “not located in any specific part of the world. We’re all over the planet.”

    “Oh, OK, cool,” the caller who asked the question replied to Mann.

    It was unclear from the call whether all participants who listened in or asked questions understood that the governments of various jurisdictions have acted forcefully against similar “programs” over the years, bringing both civil and criminal prosecutions.

    Other Domains That Reference Frederick Mann

    On a domain styled Mind-Trek.com, Fredrick Mann is quoted as writing, “In order to legally and safely beat the IRS it is necessary for you to adopt a certain frame of mind. You need to have a certain independence of mind. You need to be able to read the U.S. Constitution for yourself. You need to be able to recognize how the Supreme Court ‘judges’ and other politicians routinely violate the Constitution. You need to realize that practically all lawyers and accountants are handmaidens of the ‘terrocrats’ – terrorist bureaucrats or coercive government agents.”

    Similar antitax screeds appear elsewhere on the domain. Although the domain data lists a company that uses the word “Freeman” as part of its name and a contact address in Arizona, the address appears to be nonexistent in the state. Based on the registration data, the actual address of the purported owner may be in the area of Fort Smith, Ark.

    Arkansas business records show data on similarly named business entities in the state, but it is far from clear whether the “Freeman” entity listed in the domain-registration data was one of those firms.

    Based on its research, the PP Blog also is reporting today that a second domain that uses the Arizona address of Mind-Trek.com exists. That domain, which also appears to confuse Arkansas and Arizona in registration data, is styled TerrorCrat.com. “TerrorCrat” is a phrase Mann has used in his writings. The domain currently resolves to a parked page that beams advertisements.

    Meanwhile, this Twitter account purportedly for BigBooster suggests that Mann is an “Internet entrepreneur” from Arizona.

    The PP Blog initially learned about the BuildFreedom domain through a URL that appears under Mann’s name on the BigBooster site. That URL resolved to the BuildFreedom domain. When accessed, it loads the landing page of the BuildFreedom domain, the drop-down ad for JSSTripler/JustBeenPaid and two videos and 11 links pertaining to Francis Schaeffer Cox, the purported Alaska “sovereign” indicted in the alleged murder plot.

    Also during the course of its research, the PP Blog observed writings attributed to Mann on a domain that sought to attract customers for debt-elimination schemes. Such schemes also have been advanced by so-called “sovereign citizens.”

    A domain that lists Mann as the author of an introductory piece makes a reference to a purported “Indian” tribe. Although it is possible that the tribe is legitimate, some “sovereign citizens” who have no Indian heritage and no standing either as “Indians” or courtroom litigants have married debt-elimination schemes to purported tribal membership in bizarre bids to hamstring prosecutions and target litigation opponents and public officials with vexatious lawsuits.

    Some AdSurfDaily members have been linked to the same kind of vexatious legal filings, which sometimes included threats to arrest judges and attorneys that represent banks in collections-related litigation.

  • WILLFUL BLINDNESS: With Legisi Operator Now Convicted Of Wire Fraud, HYIP Colleague And Fellow Ponzi-Forum Darling Nicholas Smirnow Of Pathway To Prosperity Listed As ‘Wanted’ By INTERPOL; Meanwhile, Cheerleading For JSS Tripler Continues

    Nicholas A. Smirnow. Source: Interpol "Wanted" notice.

    After the news broke yesterday that Gregory N. McKnight, the accused operator of the Legisi HYIP Ponzi scheme, had pleaded guilty to wire fraud in a $72 million caper, things only got worse for the serial Ponzi-forum cheerleaders — not that they’re likely to abandon their practice of willful blindness while reaching across oceans to pick the pockets of any person with cash and a pulse.

    Nicholas Smirnow, a convicted robber, burglar and drug dealer before he became an HYIP operator and darling of the TalkGold, MoneyMakerGroup and ASAMonitor Ponzi forums, is listed as wanted by INTERPOL.

    How long Smirnow has been on INTERPOL’s wanted list and the circumstances under which he was placed on the list were not immediately clear. An email yesterday by the PP Blog seeking comment from federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Illinois on the status of Smirnow and the case against him was not immediately returned.

    Smirnow, 54, also is known as Nicolay Smirnow, Alexander Judizcev, Nicholas Kachura and Jeff Prozorowiczm. He was charged in the Southern District of Illinois with fraud and money laundering-related crimes in May 2010 for his alleged operation of the Pathway To Prosperity (P2P) Ponzi scheme.

    When the charges against Smirnow were announced approaching two years ago, U.S. federal prosecutors said they intended to ask the government of the Philippines to extradite Smirnow to the United States. Whether Smirnow had been jailed in the Philippines and somehow later was set free after the U.S. arrest warrant was issued could not immediately be determined.

    What is clear is that INTERPOL is publishing a “Wanted” listing with the following physical details about Smirnow:

    Height: 1.76 meter
    Weight: 76 Kg
    Colour of hair: Brown
    Colour of eyes: Green

    The INTERPOL poster for Smirnow was up even as the SEC was announcing the McKnight conviction. (See “Wanted” poster, which is active at the time of this post.)

    A U.S. Postal Inspection Service affidavit in the Smirnow case references TalkGold, MoneyMakerGroup and ASAMonitor, which is now defunct. The affidavit also references AlertPay and SolidTrustPay, Canada-based processors often used by HYIP hucksters. The Smirnow criminal complaint also references the Canadian processors.

    The P2P scheme was almost unimaginably widespread, a postal inspector said in the 2010 affidavit.

    “Financial records of payment processors utilized by P-2-P to collect investment funds from investors show that approximately 40,000 investors in 120 countries established accounts with P-2-P,” the postal inspector said. “Despite the fact that the investment was supposedly ‘guaranteed, investors lost approximately $70 million as a result of [Smirnow’s] actions.”

    Ponzi-forum cheerleaders yesterday appeared either to be unaware of (or to have to ignored) the news about the guilty plea of Legisi’s McKnight and corresponding civil judgments against him totaling about $6.5 million.

    Some of them continued to focus on their efforts to promote JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid, a “program” purportedly operated by Frederick Mann that also uses AlertPay and SolidTrustPay.

    AlertPay and SolidTrustPay also are referenced in court filings in the AdSurfDaily Ponzi case. A 2008 promo for ASD attributed to Mann asserted that Mann was an ASD promoter. ASD operator Andy Bowdoin faces a criminal trial in September 2012 on Ponzi-related charges of wire fraud, securities fraud and selling unregistered securities.

    JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid asserts it pays a daily return of twice what ASD offered. ASD figure Kenneth Wayne Leaming has been linked to the so-called “sovereign citizens” movement and is jailed near Seattle on federal charges of filing false liens against public officials involved in the ASD case.

    McKnight’s base program in Legisi offered a return of .25 percent (one quarter of 1 percent) per day, according to a 2008 SEC filing.

    Mann’s purported base program offers eight times that return on a daily basis, according to JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid promos. On an annualized basis, the “program” offers a return that is between 48 and 73 times higher than the returns of imprisoned Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff.

    Madoff is serving a U.S. prison term of 150 years. McKnight faces up to 20 years, the SEC said yesterday.

    A promo for JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid that appeared yesterday on a forum known as CariGold made this claim. (Italics added):

    JSS-Tripler now has 213,884 members —
    continuing to grow by over 3,000 new
    members a day. (If it hadn’t been for
    yesterday’s downtime, the number would
    have been “over 4,000.”) Thank you to
    our many promoters for doing such a
    great job!

    Purchases of new JSS-Tripler positions
    are on track for a new all-time record,
    today.

    More than a month ago — on Jan. 23 — the Italian securities regulator CONSOB announced that JSS Tripler promoters were under investigation. Ponzi-forum promoters pooh-poohed the news.

  • BIRTH OF A ‘SOVEREIGN’ VERB: Appeals Court Upholds Convictions In ‘False-Liens’ Case In Which Defendant Called Law ‘A[**] Wipe’ And Declared He’d ‘Lien . . . Down’ Even On Court-Appointed Defense Counsel; Co-Defendant Was Figure In SEC’s Gold Quest International Ponzi Case And Sought To File Bizarre Lawsuit Against Agency

    “I don’t want to see a lawyer. If you do, I’m going to lien him down fast.” — Gregory Allen Davis addressing U.S. Magistrate Judge Alice R. Senechal of North Dakota in a false-liens case that evolved from events in 2010 and earlier

    UPDATED 5:14 P.M. ET (U.S.A.)

    The word “lien” is a noun. But it seems quickly to have become a verb in the mind of Gregory Allen Davis, a reputed “sovereign citizen” accused in 2010 of filing false liens against U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland of North Dakota and Lynn Jordheim, a federal prosecutor who once served as the acting U.S. Attorney for the state.

    Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alice R. Senechal to be arraigned on charges of filing false liens in the form of UCC Financing Statements against Hovland and Jordheim, Davis informed Senechal that he’d reject the appointment of defense counsel by the court, according to transcripts cited by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. (PP Blog emphasis):

    “I don’t want to see a lawyer,” Davis barked to the judge. “If you do, I’m going to lien him down fast.”

    A Tortured History

    With the belligerent morphing of “lien” from noun to verb even as Davis claimed the judge had no jurisdiction over him and demanded she present her “oath of office,” thus began a new chapter in the already-bizarre sagas of Davis and fellow purported “sovereign citizen” Michael Howard Reed.

    Reed emerged as a figure in the May 2008 SEC Ponzi-scheme case against Gold-Quest International (GQI) after asserting he was the “attorney general” for an “Indian” tribe in North Dakota and trying to sue the agency for the staggering sum of $1.7 trillion.

    GQI operated from Las Vegas and touted a footprint in Panama. Reed’s apparent theory was that the enterprise, which was accused of hatching a Ponzi that had gathered nearly $30 million, was untouchable under U.S. law and that it enjoyed sovereignty that somehow was portable across multiple state lines in the United States. A federal judge in Nevada quickly put an end to that nonsensical argument — even as regulators in Canada also were preparing or pressing claims against GQI, which purportedly was operated by a “Lord.”

    Reed’s unsuccessful bid to intervene in the GQI case was hardly his only encounter with the federal judiciary and law-enforcement agencies.

    In rejecting various claims by Davis and Reed in the false-liens case and upholding the rulings of U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann of South Dakota — who was sitting in special designation because the North Dakota federal judiciary had recused itself — the Eighth Circuit appeals panel started out by reciting some of the tortured litigation history surrounding the false-liens case. (Italics added):

    “Gregory Allen Davis and Michael Howard Reed irrationally believe that their membership in the Little Shell Nation, an unrecognized Indian tribe, means they are not United States citizens subject to the jurisdiction of the federal courts. This belief led them into serious trouble. First, Reed threatened North Dakota District Judge Ralph Erickson because he refused to dismiss federal drug charges against two other Little Shell members. Months later, when District Judge Daniel Hovland denied a motion to dismiss a firearm charge pending against Reed, Davis filed a Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) financing statement listing Judge Hovland and acting United States Attorney Lynn Jordheim as $3.4 million debtors and Davis as the secured party. After a three-day trial, a jury convicted Davis and Reed of conspiring to file and filing false liens against Judge Hovland and Jordheim in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1521. The jury also convicted Reed of corruptly obstructing justice in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1503(a), based on his earlier threats. On appeal, Davis argues that the evidence was insufficient to prove a violation of § 1521. Both Davis and Reed argue, for somewhat different reasons, that the district court violated their constitutional rights by allowing them to represent themselves at trial. We affirm.”

    Notwithstanding the fact Davis initially had claimed he’d “lien . . . down” even appointed defense counsel and personally defend the charge that he’d filed false liens against public officials, Davis subsequently permitted a lawyer appointed by the court as “standby counsel” to carry out duties such as arguing evidentiary issues, according to court records. Both Davis and Reed reserved their rights to argue the case-in-chief.

    “[T]hey provided opening statements, cross-examined the government’s witnesses, testified in their own defense, and offered a mountain of irrelevant documents relating to their claims of personal sovereignty,” according to Eighth Circuit.

    But after both men were convicted of filing false liens and conspiring to file them, they then claimed they should not have been permitted to act as their own counsel, a claim in stark contrast to the earlier insistence by Davis that he be permitted to exercise his Constitutional right to represent himself and that he’d file a lien against a defense attorney if one were appointed for him.

    Among other things, the Eighth Circuit upheld Kornmann’s conclusion that Davis “knowingly and voluntarily waived his right to counsel.” It made the same determination in rejecting Reed’s argument that the judge should not have permitted him to argue his own case.

    Reed claimed, among other things, that “he should not have been allowed to defend himself foolishly,” according to the Eighth Circuit.

    The Story Within The Story

    Also of note is that the federal law under which Davis and Reed were charged and convicted in North Dakota is the same law under which AdSurfDaily figure and purported “sovereign citizen” Kenneth Wayne Leaming was charged in November 2011 by an FBI terrorism task force in Washington state: Retaliating against a Federal judge or Federal law enforcement officer by false claim or slander of title.

    Leaming, 56, also has a “Little Shell” link, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

    In court filings, the FBI said Leaming filed bogus liens against a federal judge, three federal prosecutors and a special agent of the U.S. Secret Service — among other officials. In addition, he is charged with being a felon in possession of firearms, harboring two fugitives and uttering a bogus “Bonded Promissory Note” for $1 million. He is jailed near Seattle.

    But to Davis, the law against filing false liens against public officials is “ass wipe,” according to a citation in the Eighth Circuit decision upholding his conviction.

    “At trial, an FBI agent testified that, during a January 20 interview, Davis admitted to filing this lien, threatened to file more liens, and referred to the statute prohibiting false liens as “ass wipe,” the appeals panel recounted.

    Leaming, according to court filings in the false-liens cases against him, filed the liens in Washington state.

    Davis, though, chose to file liens in the District of Columbia — and he did so electronically, according to the Eighth Circuit.

    “Reed and Davis conducted a recorded telephone conversation on January 5, 2010, the day Judge Hovland issued an order denying Reed’s motion to dismiss the pending firearms charge,” the appeals panel recounted. “The two discussed placing UCC liens for $2.4 million in cash and $1 million in silver against federal entities. The next day, Davis electronically filed a Form UCC-1 financing statement with the Recorder of Deeds in Washington, D.C., listing as debtors, ‘1. U.S. District Court of North Dakota/Daniel Hovland,’ and ‘2. Acting United States Attorney, Lynn C. Jordheim.”

    The histories of both the Davis/Reed case and the emerging Leaming case lead to troubling questions about whether the Internet and the current state of U.S. and state procedures with respect to how liens are accepted and recorded in the public record have opened the doors for “sovereign citizens” to wage far-reaching revenge campaigns against public officials.

    This comes at potential expense to both taxpayers and the targeted public officials who at least briefly have to take time away from their public duties and put on the hat of a witness/crime victim.

    The Eighth Circuit ruling, for instance, points out that lien targets and federal officials “Hovland and Jordheim testified that they are not indebted to Davis” despite his assertion they owed him millions of dollars.

    “Davis chose a filing office whose public records would likely be searched by a party looking for adverse claims against the properties of Judge Hovland and Jordheim, such as prospective lenders, credit card issuers, and credit rating agencies,” the appeals panel found. “He also filed the facially suspect statement electronically and it became a public record without review.”

    And, as the appeals panel highlighted in a potentially ominous footnote, different results are possible in different jurisdictions. (PP Blog emphasis added):

    “Some States have amended UCC Article 9 to give filing officers discretion to refuse apparently fraudulent or unauthorized filings and to streamline procedures for the removal of fraudulent filings. See White & Summers, Uniform Commercial Code § 31-16 (6th ed. 2010). Absent such an amendment, the UCC grants little authority to refuse to accept fraudulent filings. See § 9-520(a) & cmt. 2.”

    See “The Lawless Ones” report by the Anti-Defamation League.

    Read the Feb. 9, 2012, ruling against Davis and Reed by a three-judge panel in the Eighth Circuit.

  • RECOMMENDED READING: ‘Sovereign’ Reports: Mayor Of Fayetteville, N.C., Retracts Proclamation Declaring ‘Moorish American Week’; New Jersey Man Allegedly Declares He’s A ‘Sovereign’ After Bizarre Encounter With Allentown (Pa.) Police In Middle Of The Night

    Part of the Moorish American Week proclamation. Fayetteville was one of 11 American cities reportedly to approve the proclamation, which has led to questions about whether government officials simply rubber-stamped a document that claimed a "sovereign Theocratic Government" had been formed inside the United States.

    As the website of the purported “Moorish American National Government” informs visitors that 11 U.S. mayors “have issued official proclamations in recognition of Moorish American Week,” the mayor of Fayetteville, N.C., tells the Fayetteville Observer that he is withdrawing the proclamation he approved.

    An obscure group called “Moorish Americans” has “attempted to file court documents claiming sovereignty from the U.S.,” the newspaper reports.

    On a page of its website, the Moorish American National Government publishes a “Proclamation Of Status And Jurisdiction Of The Moorish Americans.”

    “In the course of human events,” the Moorish proclamation begins, “The Founding Fathers of The United States brought forth on this Continent two new Nations. One, themselves, a conglomerate of Pale Skin Descendants from the Nations of Europe.

    “The other Nation,” the proclamation continues, “a Comity of Olive Skin Nationals extracted from various Countries affixed indigenously to the North Western and South Western Shores of Africa, yet latent in slavery. Now, in the plan of Universal Justice, it has become necessary for the latter, standing in their Proper Person, to proclaim their true Free National Status, thus dissolving the political bands and assumable jurisdictions of the former.” (Emphasis added.)

    Among the claims made by “Moorish Americans” in the proclamation approved by Fayetteville and other cities was that the Moorish had “formed a sovereign Theocratic Government.”

    ‘Moorish’-Related Litigation

    The PP Blog used “justia moorish” — without the quotes — in a Google search. (Justia.com is a resource that publishes court filings and judicial rulings.) The Google search returned several references to litigation in which “Moorish” was a term in case stylings.

    As one example, this Justia page shows a ruling in the Northern District of Illinois in which a federal judge weighed the confusing issues in a lawsuit by an entity known as the Moorish Science Temple of America against the city of Berwyn, Ill. As another example, this Justia page refers to a case filed in New Jersey federal court on Dec. 21, 2011.

    That case references the “MOORISH SCIENCE TEMPLE OF AMERICA 4TH & 5TH GENERATION and ATTORNEYS IN FACT ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF CHESTER R. JENKINS, JR.” as plaintiffs, with the defendants listed as “SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY, JOHN DOE, CHARLES M. RAND and MAUREEN B. MANTINEO.”

    No case filing is accessible through the Justia link.

    A ruling in a different case in Wisconsin federal court is available through this Justia link. The case is styled “Anchorbank FSB v. Moorish Science Temple of America.”

    Meanwhile, a ruling in a case in which Soloman Seales Jr. is listed as the plaintiff and “Branch Moorish Science Temple and Unknown Gerard” are listed as the defendants is available through this Justia.com link. That case was filed in Missouri federal court, and Seales is described as a “prisoner” who brought the action against the Moorish entity.

    Separately, the Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Blog reported in July 2011 that a “Moorish Nation” Defense is clogging up the court system in Mecklenburg County, N.C. Charlotte, a famous American city, is the county seat of Mecklenburg County.

    From the Blog:

    “The details of this strategy vary throughout the nation, but the underlying theory is that a defendant is of Moorish decent, and is not subject to the laws of the United States,” wrote attorney Brad Smith. “According to the Mecklenburg County version, the defendant takes on a new name, and declares that he cannot be prosecuted for any crimes which occurred under his prior name.”

    The “Moorish Defense,” Smith wrote, “is nothing more than a scam” that may cause harm to defendants accused of crimes.

    Visit the website of the Southern Poverty Law Center to acquaint yourself with some of the strangeness associated with purported “Moorish Americans” who are gaining a toehold among some people of African descent while Moorish adherents engage in behavior similar to adherents of the “sovereign citizen” movement.

    Although the “sovereign citizen” movement was largely white and has racist roots, those “roots have been virtually forgotten by increasing numbers of black Americans who have melded it with selective interpretations of the teachings of pioneer black nationalist Noble Drew Ali, who founded the exclusively black Moorish Science Temple of America (MSTA) almost 100 years ago,” SPLC reports.

    Strange ‘Sovereign’ Event In Pennsylvania

    The Allentown (Pa.) Morning Call is reporting that a New Jersey man was arrested this week on charges of indecent exposure, open lewdness, public drunkenness and disorderly conduct.

    After police stopped the man amid reports he had urinated in front of a 7-Eleven convenience store at 3:05 a.m. on Feb. 16, the man allegedly declared his purported sovereignty and told an officer to “kiss” something, the newspaper reported.

    Read the Morning Call story on what the man allegedly told police.

     

  • Reputed Colorado ‘Sovereign Citizen’ Matthew O’Neill Pleads Guilty To Providing False Information After Mailing White Powder To State Department Of Revenue; Envelope Triggered Terrorism Scare And Evacuation Of Employees From Government Building

    On May 17, 2011, Matthew “Matt” O’Neill, 52, entered a post office in Kremmling, Colo., and “filled out documents for certified or registered mail,” federal prosecutors said.

    O’Neill, though, did not immediately put his envelope in the mail. Instead, he left the post office and “reentered several times before finally mailing” it, prosecutors said.

    By May 25, a mail-room employee of the Colorado Department of Revenue had begun the typical process of opening the envelope, stapling the documents inside and routing it to the intended recipient, prosecutors said.

    After placing the envelope on her desk, the recipient observed “white powder” falling out onto her work space. She then took the contents to another office, informed a colleague about the suspicious substance — and the two employees placed the contents on the desk, left the office and locked the door.

    They next informed the Revenue Department floor manager, who immediately dialed 9/11 and contacted the Colorado State Patrol. Fearing they’d been exposed to a biological or chemical substance, the two employees tried to decontaminate themselves by washing their hands, prosecutors said.

    More moments of high anxiety followed as the employees waited for the Denver Fire Department and the HAZMAT team to arrive. Practically every adult in America understands the horror caused when powdered substances spill out of envelopes. In September 2011 — about a week after the 9/11 terrorist attacks — the anthrax attacks began through the mail.

    Five people died. Seventeen became infected. One of the largest investigations in U.S. history began.

    When the fire department and HAZMAT team arrived at the Revenue Department, first responders — necessarily expecting the worst — took precautions with clothing and equipment and entered the building. An evacuation of people ensued.

    It was not the first time the Revenue Department had heard from Matthew O’Neill.

    As the probe continued, investigators learned that O’Neill had “sent several documents that express his views as a sovereign citizen, and that he believes that he does not have to pay state or federal taxes.”

    O’Neill pleaded guilty this week to providing false information related to a terrorism offense for his mailing of the white powder, which proved to be baking soda but nevertheless caused fear to spread and left employees wondering if they’d lose their limbs or perhaps even their lives.

    “Those who mail a threat, especially one containing material simulating a biological or chemical agent, will face felony criminal consequences,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh.

    “All threatening communications are taken seriously, the recipient of these types of threats cannot determine the true nature of the implied, or stated danger,” said James Yacone, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Denver office. “The FBI wants to remind everyone that mailing a threatening communication that contains a hoax of any kind in a parcel will be aggressively investigated.  We will continue to respond to such threats, along with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, through the combined resources of the Joint Terrorism Task Force.”

    Whether the power was harmful was not the issue, said the region’s top postal inspector.

    Threatening mailings “not only constitute a federal crime, but cause alarm to victims and victim institutions,” said Tommy Coke, acting postal inspector in charge of the Denver Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

    Sentencing for O’Neill before U.S. District Judge Marcia S. Krieger is set for June 4. He potentially faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

    Some “sovereign citizens” have attempted to use the mail to instill fear among judges, prosecutors, investigators, litigation opponents, community officials and taxing authorities.

  • BULLETIN: Andrew Isaac Chance Sentenced To 65 Months In Federal Prison For False-Lien And Tax Scams; ‘Tax Defier’ Filed Bogus UCC Statement For $1.313 Billion Against Federal Prosecutor, Justice Department Says

    BULLETIN: Andrew Isaac Chance, the Maryland man described by the Justice Department as a “tax defier” and recidivist fraudster who filed a bogus lien for $1.313 billion against a federal prosecutor, has been sentenced to 65 months in federal prison.

    Chance, a retired station manager of the Washington (D.C.) Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, explained that he filed liens against the federal prosecutor and a Maryland state prosecutor because they had “done him wrong,” prosecutors said.

    The bogus lien against the federal prosecutor was in the form of a UCC Financing Statement filed in Maryland. The Uniform Commercial Code has been in the news in recent days in the context of purported “sovereign citizens.”

    Michael Lee Crane, an Arizona man now charged in three murders in late January, told a judge at his arraignment on the first two murder charges that “I would like to reserve my right to Uniform Commercial Code 1-207, and the Uniform Commercial Code 1-103.”

    Chance filed the false lien against the federal prosecutor who’d handled an earlier tax-fraud case against him “shortly after” Chance was released from prison. Chance, prosecutors said, was on federal probation when he filed the lien.

    After filing the bogus lien, Chance returned to the same behavior that landed him in prison initially, filing three false claims for tax refunds, prosecutors said.

    “This sentence shows that filing false tax returns and retaliating against federal prosecutors and other government officials, who are simply doing their jobs, will not be tolerated,” said John A. DiCicco, principal deputy assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

    In the false-liens case, Chance was charged under the same law federal prosecutors in Washington state used to charge AdSurfDaily figure and purported “sovereign citizen” Kenneth Wayne Leaming: Retaliating against a Federal judge or Federal law enforcement officer by false claim or slander of title.

    Leaming allegedly was involved in the filing of several retaliatory liens against federal officials.  He also faces charges of harboring fugitives, being a felon in possession of firearms and uttering a bogus “Bonded Promissory Note.”

  • Man Accused In Murder Of Prominent Arizona Couple Tells Judge He Reserves ‘Right To Uniform Commercial Code,’ Raising Specter Of ‘Sovereign’ Killer

    EDITOR’S NOTE: As the PP Blog was preparing this story for publication today, Michael Crane was charged with a third murder. The victim, Bruce Gaudet, was found in a burning home Jan. 26, four days before the fire at the home of Lawrence and Glenna Shapiro.

    The story of the Shapiro homicides and Crane’s first court appearance in their deaths is below . . .

    Lawrence Shapiro, 79, and Glenna Shapiro, 78, were found murdered late last month in Arizona. Lawrence was a physician, his wife of more than 50 years an educator. For nearly 30 years, she was the leader of what became the Arizona branch of the National Kidney Foundation. The PP Blog encourages its audience to visit this remarkable Blog, an homage to the remarkable lives of the Shapiros.

    What leaps off the pages is a story of love and profound respect and gratitude for two human beings who touched people of all stripes. It is simply unthinkable that they allegedly were bound and their Paradise Valley home set ablaze, with the Shapiros inside.

    A suspect has been charged with their murder and other crimes. His name is Michael Lee Crane. He is 31 years old, and declined his first chance to have the court appoint an attorney for him.

    This is the Maricopa County video of his initial appearance after being charged with the murder of the Shapiros.

    What he said at that appearance after being advised he’d been charged with murder, armed robbery, burglary, arson of an occupied structure and kidnapping — and after he listened to an exchange between the prosecutor and the judge over the possibility that the death penalty could apply in the case — provides a glimpse into a chilling mind-set.

    “Do you have any questions, sir?” the judge asked, after setting cash bond at $3 million.

    “Umm, no — but I have a statement I’d like to make,” Crane replied.

    The judge advised Crane against making any statements, but he ignored the advice.

    “I would like to reserve my right to Uniform Commercial Code 1-207, and the Uniform Commercial Code 1-103,” he said.

    Here is a man charged with taking human lives and burning the bodies, and yet he spouts the Uniform Commercial Code to the judge — something  fantastically incongruous in the context of the charges against him.

    “The Uniform Commercial Code does not apply to criminal proceedings, sir,” the judge said.

    It is unclear from the video whether the judge was wondering if she’d just arraigned a “sovereign citizen.” She did not utter the phrase.

    Read “Return of the Sovereigns” on the website of the Southern Poverty Law Center for some background on why “sovereign citizens” and the Uniform Commercial Code have become entwined.

    Although Crane did not declare his belief system at the proceeding, questions are now being raised about whether the Shapiros met their fates at the hands of a “sovereign citizen.”

  • UNBELIEVABLE: ‘Sovereign Citizen’ Imprisoned For Harassing Mayor Of Kirkland, Wash., Files Lawsuit Against Federal Prosecutors; Complaint By David Russell Myrland Apparently Alleges ‘Grammar’ Conspiracy By Public Officials

    UPDATED 3:38 P.M. ET (U.S.A.)

    David Russell Myrland, the Washington state “sovereign citizen” ordered in December 2011 to spend 40 months in federal prison for threatening the mayor of Kirkland and other public officials, has filed a lawsuit against federal prosecutors in Seattle that alleges (apparently) that law enforcement engaged in a grammar conspiracy against him.

    The story first was reported today by Seattle Weekly.

    Myrland’s 28-page complaint (including purported exhibits) formally was filed Jan. 23. Information within the complaint suggests Myrland began working on the document only days after his prison sentence was handed down Dec. 2. He is listed as an inmate at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Chicago.

    MCC houses prisoners of all security levels, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website.

    While apparently alleging a grammar conspiracy by government officials contributed to his legal problems in a threats case, David Russell Myrland may be demonstrating his own lack of command over language skills.

    “Sovereign citizens” are known to file all sorts of wild documents, but  Myrland’s grammar lawsuit may set a new standard for the absurd. The document appears to parse virtually every word of a criminal complaint filed against him in the threats case by a special agent of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

    It does the same thing with Myrland’s plea agreement in the case.

    Both documents purport to break down individual words into their individual parts of speech, but the complaint suggests Myrland himself may suffer from grammar confusion. The word “mayor,” for instance, is declared an adjective under the interpretation “key” Myrland included in the complaint.

    “Mayor” is actually a noun.

    Myrland also declares the word “the” an adverb under his numbering system. “The” is actually a definite article. Mistakes involving other words pepper the complaint.

    Seattle Weekly reported that the office of U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan declined comment on Myrland’s complaint, “except to say he could face civil sanctions for filing a frivolous lawsuit. “

  • BULLETIN: David Carroll Stephenson, Alleged Accomplice Of AdSurfDaily Figure And Purported ‘Sovereign Citizen’ Kenneth Wayne Leaming, Now Jailed Near Seattle; Feds Say False Liens Totaling $30 Million Were Filed Against Prison Officials

    Kenneth Wayne Leaming

    BULLETIN: David Carroll Stephenson, an alleged business associate of AdSurfDaily figure and purported “sovereign citizen” Kenneth Wayne Leaming, has been moved from a federal prison in Arizona to the SeaTac federal detention center near Seattle to answer charges that he conspired with Leaming to file false liens against two Federal Bureau of Prisons officials.

    Leaming, 56, remains in federal custody at SeaTac. In addition to charges that he worked with Stephenson to file bogus liens totaling $30 million against Harley Lappin and Dennis R. Smith, Leaming is accused of filing false liens against at least five public officials involved in the AdSurfDaily Ponzi case. He’s also charged with harboring two federal fugitives from Arkansas at his residence in Spanaway, Wash., being a felon in possession of firearms and uttering a bogus “Bonded Promissory Note” with a purported face value of $1 million.

    Lappin is the former director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons; Smith is the warden of the Federal Correctional Institution in Phoenix. Stephenson and Leaming divined a construction by which Lappin owed Stephenson $10 million and Smith owed him $20 million, the FBI said in court documents filed in November 2011.

    The scheme involved a Leaming-associated company known as American-International Business Law Inc. The firm, which is listed in Washington state as the registered agent of at least 73  companies, also has been part of the ASD story narrative and was referenced in the Congressional Record last year in the context of a purported “claim against the United States of America.”

    Some of the firms with which American-International had a business relationship formed their names with words typically associated with government or banking. One was called “Homeland Security Service,” for instance. Another was called “Presidential Detail.” Yet another was called “Federal Asset Management Service.” Still another was called “Federal Fleet Management,” according to records.

    At least two of the entities used forms of the name JP Morgan, according to records. The firm also was listed as the registered agent of two firms allegedly operated by the federal fugitives Leaming allegedly concealed.

    Stephenson, 56, was serving a 96-month prison sentence (ending in January 2013) for defrauding the United States in a tax scam during the time in which he plotted with Leaming last year to carry out the fraud against Lappin and Smith, the FBI said.

    An FBI affidavit filed in November alleges that Leaming was conducting research on the real estate holdings and personal finances of U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts and his wife and discussed a scheme to serve Stephenson-related documents on Roberts through the school his children attended.

    Robert’s is chief judge of the U.S. Supreme Court and America’s highest-ranking judicial officer. He is one of nine members of the Supreme Court.

    Other Leaming email correspondence cited by the FBI suggests he sent a “certified,” Stephenson-related letter to the personal residence of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and was trying to find a home address for Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer — instead of sending Stephenson-related correspondence to the Supreme Court address.

    Like Roberts, Ginsburg and Breyer are members of the Supreme Court.

    Breyer’s name was in the news yesterday, amid reports that he was robbed while vacationing with his wife and several friends in Nevis last week by a masked intruder wielding a machete. The Supreme Court is on break. There were no reports that anyone was injured in the Nevis incident, but the robber allegedly got away with $1,000.

    On Oct. 2, 2011, the PP Blog reported that ASD members were encouraged in an email to identify a federal judge, federal prosecutors and a special agent of the U.S. Secret Service as “DOJ thieves” in “county”-level filings and to send a “certified copy” of their claims to the home address of Chief Justice Roberts.

    The email was attributed to “Keny,” a nickname used by Leaming.

    Court records suggest Leaming was under FBI surveillance when the email was sent. He was arrested by an FBI terrorism task force about seven weeks later.

    In court filings in the original liens case against Leaming in November, the FBI said “one of the specific documents” found in Washington state sought the staggering sum of $225.4 billion and listed “Kenneth Wayne, sovereign man” as “grantee,” and public officials as “grantors.”

    Bogus liens against Mary Peters, the former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, and Cutler Dawson, president and CEO of Navy Federal Credit Union, also were discovered, according to court filings.

    Leaming was arrested on the liens charges via a criminal complaint filed in November. The firearms, fugitive-harboring and false-utterance charges were added in a superseding grand-jury indictment returned on Jan. 26.

    The two fugitives Leaming allegedly harbored were implicated in an Arkansas-based, home-business scam that fetched more than $2 million, according to court records. Meanwhile, the ASD Ponzi scheme fetched at least $110 million, federal prosecutors said.

    Timothy Shawn Donavan, 63, and Sharon Jeannette Henningsen, 67 — the fugitives allegedly found with Leaming — both are listed as federal detainees at facilities in Texas. They initially were jailed at SeaTac in Washington state, but made bond after their November arrests and returned to Arkansas, according to federal records.

    Bizarre pleadings laced with language associated with “sovereign citizens” soon began to appear in their Arkansas proceedings. Donavan’s bond was revoked after he refused to be sworn as a witness at a pretrial proceeding in Arkansas, according to records. He is jailed at a federal facility in Texas.

    Henningsen currently is in federal custody at a Texas facility that provides specialized medical care and mental-health services, according to records.

    Andy Bowdoin, the 77-year-old alleged operator of the ASD Ponzi scheme, is awaiting his September 2012 federal criminal trial on charges of wire fraud, securities fraud and selling unregistered securities.

  • DEVELOPING STORY: U.S.-Based Website Listed In JSS Tripler-Related Action In Italy Suddenly Will Not Resolve To Server; Redirect To The Netherlands No Longer Works

    Are the Ponzi clouds darkening for JSS Tripler?

    On Feb. 4, the PP Blog reported that a JSS Tripler-related website listed in an action by CONSOB, the Italian securities regulator, was based in the United States and had been programmed to redirect to the Netherlands several days after CONSOB announced the action.

    That domain — JSS-Tripler.com — now is throwing a server error and no longer is redirecting the traffic to Europe. The site generates an “Unable to connect” message in the Firefox browser and an “Unknown error: 1214” message when pinged, meaning the server is in a black hole.

    The circumstances under which the server went dark are unclear. It is not known, for instance, if law enforcement, the hosting company or the JSS Tripler affiliate — purportedly a woman — caused the domain to stop working. Its registration is valid until Feb. 24, according to records.

    Earlier this week, the site was directing to a JustBeenPaid subdomain styled “marketing.” JustBeenPaid and Frederick Mann are the purported operators of JSS Tripler, which advertises a return of 2 percent a day. The return computes to an annualized return of 730 percent.

    Despite the CONSOB action, cheerleading for JustBeenPaid/JSS Tripler continue on the Ponzi cesspits such as TalkGold and MoneyMakerGroup.

    Just BeenPaid/JSS Tripler makes members affirm they are “not an employee or official of any government agency.” In addition, it makes them affirm they are not “acting on behalf of or collecting information for or on behalf of any government agency” and not “an employee, by contract or otherwise, of any media or research company.”

    The Terms alone appear to be an invitation to join an international financial conspiracy. Regardless, the Ponzi-forum cheerleading continues.

    JustBeenPaid has traded on the names of American icons Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, Benjamin Franklin, Mark Zuckerberg — and even the name of fictional spaceman “Mr. Spock” from the Star Trek series on American television.

    Frederick Mann was a cheerleader for the alleged AdSurfDaily Ponzi scheme in 2008, according to promos. ASD was based in Florida.

    In May 2008, Mann asserted that “[p]ast performance indicates a strong probablility (sic) that ASD will continue to perform as advertised,” according to a promo.

    Two months later, the U.S. Secret Service seized tens of millions of dollars from bank accounts linked to ASD President Andy Bowdoin and others.

    Some ASD figures are known to have ties to so-called “sovereign citizens” — and any number of ASD members have invested in crackpot legal theories such as all commerce is lawful as long as parties agree to a contract.

    Such bizarre constructions would legalize slavery, securities fraud, tax fraud, Ponzi schemes and narcotics-trafficking, among other pursuits.

    And because some “sovereign citizens” believe they can divine a contract out of thin air and demand a litigation result from judges, prosecutors, investigators and creditors, bizarre courtroom clashes have been occurring across the United States.