DOMESTIC TERRORISMModern-Day Outlaws, “Sovereign Citizens” Threaten the Rule of Law
The FBI considers sovereign citizens a domestic terrorism threat. My research into sovereign citizens has found they have long been active in the U.S. and other countries. At the core of their beliefs is the denial of the government’s legitimacy. They commonly do not register their vehicles, acquire driver’s licenses or car insurance, or pay taxes. And they pose a significant threat to the public.
In May 2024, an Oklahoma man was arrested and charged with kidnapping and murdering two women, becoming the fifth member of an anti-government group called “God’s Misfits” to face such charges.
With the investigation still underway, details about God’s Misfits remain scarce. The group’s members may be part of the so-called “sovereign citizen” movement – people who believe they owe no allegiance to any government and are not required to obey laws.
My research into sovereign citizens has found they have long been active in the U.S. and other countries. At the core of their beliefs is the denial of the government’s legitimacy. They commonly do not register their vehicles, acquire driver’s licenses or car insurance, or pay taxes. And they pose a significant threat to the public.
Harassment and Abuse
One threat they pose is “paper terrorism,” which involves harassing public officials with legal threats to intimidate them. Sometimes officials are targeted because they arrested or prosecuted someone from the movement.
This method involves filing fake deeds and liens against public officials the sovereign citizens think wronged them. County recorders are sounding the alarm.
This type of act – a form of fraud that can be illegal – is rare nationwide but common in some places, local and federal officials have said.
For instance, in 2023, a New Mexico man allegedly filed a US$20 million lien against property owned by federal employees he believed were connected with the termination of his Social Security benefits. All told, he has allegedly filed $1 billion in false liens against federal employees.
Federal prosecutors have charged him with retaliating against a federal employee by making a false claim. Court documents identify the man as a sovereign citizen who describes himself as a “private attorney general.” He is awaiting trial.
More Violent Threats
The FBI considers sovereign citizens a domestic terrorism threat.
In April 2024, a Utah man was charged in federal court with stalking after allegedly telling staff at the Salt Lake County Recorder’s Office that they had committed treason and the penalty was death.
Court documents show that the man has identified himself as a “sovereign citizen” and made quasi-legal claims that prosecutors characterize as arguments commonly used by sovereign citizens – claims that were dismissed by a judge as “frivolous and without merit.” Trial is set to begin July 1, 2024.
