"Sovereigns" convicted for selling "diplomatic" IDs

[Nikki]

Nice catch and thanks for the report.

It's pathetic that three men who should be spending time with their grandchildren are just going to be spending time.

[Lambkin]

It looks like the conclusion of this prior thread: http://quatloos.com/Q-Forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=4655

[Unidyne]

It looks like the conclusion of this prior thread: http://quatloos.com/Q-Forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=4655

Partners in crime, perhaps?

[Unidyne]

Found some more about Mr. Goodyke! Seems he has a record of this "Sovrun" nonsense.

http://www.justice.gov/tax/txdv06764.htm
http://www.justice.gov/tax/txdv05493.htm
http://kansascity.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/p ... 081308.htm
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/708192/Perm ... -P-Goodyke
http://www.scribd.com/doc/307196/US-Dep ... 05-tax-493

[The Observer]

Well, if nothing else, you have to give them credit for being creative and taking the sovereign movement to new height - er a new low in scamming people. Next month: the selling of certificates that authorize you to be a sovereign fairy godmother with powers to vanquish the ebil gubmint.

[fortinbras]

Under 18 USC § 915, someone falsely pretending to be a diplomatic official of a foreign govt in other to obtain or attempt to obtain "any money, paper, document, or other thing of value", is prosecuted as a felony with a prison sentence up to 10 years.

The cases shows that the "thing of value" can be immunity from arrest or from a traffic ticket, or any sort of credit, investment, or gift from a non-govt source. The pretense can include pretending to be a diplomat from an imaginary country.

Defenses that have NOT worked are the claims that the imposture was so absurd that nobody should have been deceived, or that the perp actually thought he somehow had been made a diplomat, or (in one case and very implausibly) that he did not know that the foreign dignitary he was pretending to be was an official of a foreign govt.

So these guys just convicted were selling to their customers the tools of a crime which the customers wanted, and were being encouraged, to commit. Undoubtedly their list of customers is already in the FBI's hands.

[Blup]

I really wish I could see the police report from when he flashed his phony "diplomat" card at the cop. Really wish!

[Doktor Avalanche]

I really wish I could see the police report from when he flashed his phony "diplomat" card at the cop. Really wish!

It looked something like this: