A Colorado man who simply seems like a barrel of guffaws ended up with a 12-year jail sentence this week after spending two years flooding judges and personal individuals with the form of “paper terrorism” made widespread by the sovereign citizen motion.
Brett Andrew Nelson isn’t any stranger to the authorized system. Over the course of two years, he ended up in court docket dealing with visitors violations, in addition to a slew of different minor points reminiscent of a canine chunk case and points in household court docket. As a substitute of paying the few thousand {dollars} in fines and going to mediation, Nelson started a marketing campaign of what the FBI calls “paper terrorism,” in addition to threatening habits. Right here’s a couple of of his actions over the course of two years in keeping with CBS:
Following that, the indictment particulars a stockpile of threats.
- Nelson asserted in an Alamosa County submitting that his freedom was a basic proper of his “property” and warned that any motion in opposition to his property – reminiscent of arrest, court docket continuing, or authorized course of – could be punishable by demise.
- Nelson filed a declare of damages in opposition to the mom of his youngster within the quantity of $202,000, accused her of “legal kidnapping” and an “act of treason,” and demanded she ship him the kid or be arrested.
- Nelson filed a declare of damages in opposition to the Gunnison County decide who presided over the kid custody case for a similar quantity, demanded return of his youngster, and threatened to file a lien in opposition to her private property. That decide bought a safety system for her dwelling and the sheriff’s workplace elevated patrols within the space after Nelson known as the house and spoke to the decide’s husband.
- Nelson filed a default judgement in opposition to an Alamosa County decide claiming the decide owed him $425,000, filed an influence of legal professional doc proclaiming his authorized authority over the decide, filed a judgement doc rising the awarded damages to nearly $7 million, then repeatedly messaged the decide’s private e mail handle demanding cost. That decide warned his members of the family to name 9-1-1 if Nelson was ever seen, and supplied them a photograph of him.
- Nelson filed a default judgement in opposition to a Colorado State Patrol trooper for $5,000; one other in opposition to Alamosa County Sheriff’s Workplace deputy for $650,000 and two different deputies for $36,000 every; one other in opposition to a Gunnison County deputy for $75,000; and one other in opposition to a corporal with Gunnison County Sheriff’s Workplace for $95,000
- Nelson filed a default judgement in opposition to the deputy district legal professional in twelfth Judicial District who prosecuted visitors offenses in opposition to Nelson, within the quantity of $275,000 for “unlawfully administering his property, unlawful detainment in a false court docket, abuse of her place, ‘assault of the rights of We The Folks,’ (and) acts of treason, humiliation and intimidation,” as acknowledged in indictment.
- Nelson filed a default judgement in opposition to a Gunnison County nurse for $185,000.
- Nelson filed a default judgement in opposition to a Gunnison County social employee who was concerned in a toddler abuse investigation in opposition to Nelson for $45,000.
- Nelson was charged with theft in 2017. He filed default judgements in opposition to the three alleged victims within the quantities of $325,000 and $550,000.
- Nelson additionally filed an influence of legal professional discover in opposition to the deputy district legal professional who prosecuted the theft case, plus the identical discover in opposition to one other deputy DA within the seventh who prosecuted two misdemeanor instances in opposition to Nelson, and yet one more discover in opposition to the County Lawyer for Alamosa County after he refused to simply accept Nelson’s earlier paperwork and filings.
- Nelson additionally filed a requirement for $135,000 from the then-editor editor of the Gunnison Nation Instances who reported on the theft case.
That’s fairly the stack of bullshit! People within the cities the place he rained down pseudo legalese and frivolous authorized actions lived in concern of Nelson. Despite the fact that he has been sentence to 12 years for 20 counts of extortion, forgery, and threatening judges in Gunnison, Montrose, and Alamosa counties, they’re nonetheless afraid for his or her security, as Greg Haase, one among Nelson’s neighbors and victims, informed CBS:
“It was so common. We began speaking to different individuals on the town, ‘Oh, I’ve 4 of these (filings).’”
Haase stated the householders affiliation took over the eviction course of for the 93-year-old house owner who was renting to Nelson and received him out of the neighborhood.
Haase stated he, his spouse, his neighbors and plenty of neighborhood members are relieved Nelson is behind bars. However they don’t seem to be assured he’ll keep there, that his bond received’t be lowered, or that they’re finished with the trauma inflicted by Nelson.
“We’re uncertain that Drew Nelson will finally be held accountable for all the hurt he has precipitated,” Haase stated. “Our lawyer would say the system was not designed to take care of somebody who abuses it like this. And if the authorized system can’t defend judges in opposition to the hostile acts of a defendant, what hope can the remainder of us have that the system will finally present justice in our instances?”
Most Individuals make contact with police and the authorized system by way of visitors court docket, so numerous sovereign citizen bullshit facilities across the automotive. Police even obtain particular coaching in deal with these people working on one other planet.
Sovereign residents usually use faux license plates on their vehicles and declare they haven’t any want for issues like driver’s licenses, automotive registration or insurance coverage. They use authorized mumbo jumbo to reject their American citizenship, or deny the validity of the U.S. solely to determine themselves both immune from following the legislation. This, in fact, by no means works, however doesn’t cease them from attempting.
They’re a enjoyable bunch. Perhaps Nelson can find out about the true legal guidelines that really do exist within the jail authorized library, thought that will simply make him much more harmful by the point he will get out.
