They could be dismissed as a nuisance, a loose network of individuals living in the United States who call themselves “sovereign citizens” and believe that federal, state, and local governments operate illegally. Some of their actions, although quirky, are not crimes. The offenses they do commit seem minor, including regularly false license plates, driver’s licenses, and even currency.
However, a closer look at sovereign citizens’ more severe crimes, from financial scams to impersonating or threatening law enforcement officials, gives reason for concern. If someone challenges (e.g., a standard traffic stop for false license plates) their ideology, the behavior of these sovereign-citizen extremists quickly can escalate to violence. Since 2000, lone-offender sovereign-citizen extremists have killed six law enforcement officers. In 2010, two Arkansas police officers stopped sovereign-citizen extremists Jerry Kane and his 16-year-old son Joseph during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 40. Joseph Kane jumped out of the vehicle and opened fire with an AK-47 assault rifle, killing both officers.
The sovereign-citizen threat likely will grow as the nationwide movement is fueled by the Internet, the economic downturn, and seminars held across the country that spread their ideology and show people how they can tap into funds and eliminate debt through fraudulent methods. As sovereign citizens’ numbers grow, so do the chances of contact with law enforcement and, thus, the risks that incidents will end in violence. Law enforcement and judicial officials must understand the sovereign-citizen movement, be able to identify indicators, and know how to protect themselves from the group’s threatening tactics.
Ideology and Motivation
Open Quotes on Blue Bar
The FBI considers
sovereign-citizen
extremists as
comprising a domestic
terrorist movement…
Close Quotes on Blue Bar
The FBI considers sovereign-citizen extremists as comprising a domestic terrorist movement, which, scattered across the United States, has existed for decades, with well-known members, such as Terry Nichols, who helped plan the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, bombing. Sovereign citizens do not represent an anarchist group, nor are they a militia, although they sometimes use or buy illegal weapons. Rather, they operate as individuals without established leadership and only come together in loosely affiliated groups to train, help each other with paperwork, or socialize and talk about their ideology. They may refer to themselves as “constitutionalists” or “freemen,” which is not necessarily a connection to a specific group, but, rather, an indication that they are free from government control. They follow their own set of laws. While the philosophies and conspiracy theories can vary from person to person, their core beliefs are the same: The government operates outside of its jurisdiction. Because of this belief, they do not recognize federal, state, or local laws, policies, or regulations.1
One prevalent sovereign-citizen theory is the Redemption Theory, which claims the U.S. government went bankrupt when it abandoned the gold standard basis for currency in 1933 and began using citizens as collateral in trade agreements with foreign governments.2 These beliefs can provide a gateway to illegal activity because such individuals believe the U.S. government does not act in the best interests of the American people. By announcing themselves as sovereign citizens, they are emancipated from the responsibilities of being a U.S. citizen, including paying taxes, possessing a state driver’s license, or obeying the law.
Illegal Activity
Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Oklahoma City
Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building,
Oklahoma City.
The Redemption Theory belief leads to their most prevalent method to defraud banks, credit institutions, and the U.S. government: the Redemption Scheme. Sovereign citizens believe that when the U.S. government removed itself from the gold standard, it rendered U.S. currency as a valueless credit note, exchanging one credit document (such as a dollar bill) for another. They assert that the U.S. government now uses citizens as collateral, issuing social security numbers and birth certificates to register people in trade agreements with other countries. Each citizen has a monetary net worth, which they believe is kept in a U.S. Treasury Direct account, valued from $630,000 to more than $3 million. These accounts, they claim, are in a third-party’s name, a “strawman,” that they can access, which they commonly refer to as “freeing money from the strawman.” In essence, it is extorting money from the U.S. Treasury Department. Sovereign citizens file legitimate IRS and Uniform Commercial Code forms for illegitimate purposes, believing that doing so correctly will compel the U.S. Treasury to fulfill its debts, such as credit card debts, taxes, and mortgages.3
What a great way for that douchecanoes kids to introduced to law enforcement officials.
All these so called special citizens need to be deported.. If the police give a lawful command you obey it!
You can’t deport an American you idiot
they claim not to be a US citizen
Their claim is using law over 200 years old , which has long ago been superseded by the American Constitution . So she is an American , however I agree , I think Mars would be a good place to send her .
That first clip.. that voice is so irritating!
BLU3_ST33L you absolute knobhead. you dont undesratnd sarcasm well, do you?
regarding the last video….meth is a dangerous drug.
TeslaDRay, I feel terrible for his child. The kid should have been rescued right then and there.
Hilarious…….
The fact these people exist is painful
Articles of Confederation are not law of the land. The Articles were the framework for the Constitution which is the law of the land,and the Constitution doesn’t refer to sovereign citizen rights.
I am a sovereign citizen of planet Venus, and I am in the process of getting my green card for planet Vulcan. Sounds like the cop is “raping” Tinkerbell. Shame.
The atmosphere of Venus is so poisonous that life as we know it cannot exist there. Are you a form of life unknown to us? LOL!
These punks have been watching too many of the wrong videos! Respect for the law… if you’re not doing anything illegal and not here illegally then why would you do this crap? It wouldn’t pay for me to be a law enforcement officer! I’d be a cop today but by the end of the week I’d be on the news! Hell what these punks don’t seem to understand is that we wouldn’t even be safe in our own homes if it would for laws and law enforcement officers! That being said I don’t particularly like license checks and road checks but when I go thru one… I have and show complete respect for the law and just hope that they do the same for me! Hell I was going down the road one day in my Hotrod and didn’t have my seatbelt on which is against the law here in S.C. and a $25 to $150 fine… the cop turned around and pulled me over and said sir reason I pulled you over is because you weren’t wearing your seatbelt but I see that you’ve got it on now! He said I guess that you’re gonna swear that you had it on tho… is this some kind of trick? I said no I seen you turning around so I put it on out of respect for the law but I don’t like wearing the damn things! He said have a great day and let me go!
Its odd that all of these sovereign citizens look poor and uneducated.
Citing the Articles of Confederation what are they putting in the water
“Well that would just be pure anarchy” well that is just pure gold
The cop deserves a medal , for his patience .
The cops should just not engage with these idiots. Call for backup immediately. Let them deal with a show of force.
They tried to get out of a ticket, but got right into handcuffs instead. good call.
LOL “YOU TRIED TO ATTACK MY NUTS! THAT IS NOT PROPER USE OF THAT DEVICE!”
Love when they try to cite law but then fumble over their own words because they are trying to make up legit sounding bullshit.
No wonder the chick with the backpack flipped out so bad…METH….turns out it’s bad for ya
Boys nuts roasting on an open fire.
These so-called sovereign citizens don’t even know how to form a full sentence how do
they think they can question the police? Speeding is a crime in ANY STATE and in Canada.
That idiot in Illinois tried really hard to get arrested
Articles of Confederation is invalid