Michigan Man Claims To Be Sovereign Citizen, Charged In Check Case

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A southeastern Michigan man who prosecutors said claimed to be a sovereign citizen of the United States has been charged after sending three $1 million checks to the state to pay his taxes, authorities announced Thursday.

The 54-year-old man faces three counts of no-account check in Ingham County District Court, Michigan's Attorney General's office said. The charges are felonies and punishable by two years in prison or $500 fines.

Court records did not list a defense attorney for him or indicate if the man had been arrested, and The Associated Press was unable Thursday to find a telephone number for him.

Members of the sovereign citizen movement believe the government has no authority over them, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

The checks were sent in January 2021 to Michigan's Treasury office. Each bore TCF Bank routing numbers, but bounced because the Macomb County man had no account with the bank.

The man asserted that he is a sovereign citizen and exempt from certain Michigan law, including paying taxes, the attorney general's office said.

"As residents of Michigan, we share the legal obligation to pay income tax," Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a release. "These taxes pay for our schools, our roads, our government services. Cheating on taxes hurts everyone and is fundamentally unfair to everyone else who abides by the law."

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