‘Sovereign citizens’ get 10 years for duping debtors with phony federal treasury scheme [View all]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/07/21/sovereign-citizens-get-10-years-for-duping-debtors-with-phony-federal-treasury-scheme/

‘Sovereign citizens’ get 10 years for duping debtors with phony federal treasury scheme
By Travis Gettys
Monday, July 21, 2014 15:06 EDT

Three “sovereign citizens” from South Carolina were sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for their roles in a bogus debt-elimination scheme.

James Dew, Jerry Hartsoe, and Mark Shannon were each convicted in April on eight counts of mail fraud in connection with their Eden Gifted Properties, which offered to pay clients’ debts – for a fee – using phony government documents.

A fourth man, Ronald Kevin Hayes, pleaded guilty in January to failing to report a felony to authorities.

The FBI launched an investigation of the company, which also used the name “Hakanumatata For All,” after several banks complained about packets containing more than 50 elaborately titled but ultimately meaningless legal documents.