The self-proclaimed “president” of the sovereign citizen group Republic for the united States of America (RuSA) was sentenced Wednesday to 18 years in federal prison following his conviction on fraud and tax charges.
James Timothy Turner, who goes by the name Tim Turner, was convicted in a federal jury in Alabama in March after court filings and evidence showed that he went around the country in 2008 and 2009, holding seminars on how to submit fraudulent bonds to the government as payment for federal taxes. Turner even once sent a $300 million bond in his own name to the Treasury Department.
He was convicted on conspiracy to defraud the United States, attempting to pay taxes with fictitious financial instruments, attempting to obstruct and impede the IRS, failing to file a 2009 federal income tax return and falsely testifying under oath in a bankruptcy proceeding, according to a Justice Department press release.
“This sentence should send a message that if you attempt to use retaliatory tax liens and fraudulent tax schemes as weapons against the United States and its citizens you will be punished,” said acting U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Stewart for the Middle District of Alabama in the release. “We cannot and will not tolerate those who violate the law for financial gain. I would like to thank the law enforcement officers who worked vigilantly on this case to bring this criminal to justice.”
