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FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION SITUATIONAL INFORMATION REPORT Criminal Tradecraft Alert

San Antonio Divisions 22 June 2011

(U//LES) Identified Tactics Used by Sovereign Citizen Group Members and Supporters When Interacting with Law Enforcement
(U//LES) This is an update to an SIR published on 21 May 2010. (U//LES) Sovereign citizens believe they are not subject to any federal, state, and municipal laws and often engage in tactics to avoid citations when interacting with law enforcement. The ability to recognize sovereign citizen tactics is important, as sovereign citizens have a history of becoming violent when confronted with law enforcement. (U//LES) Sovereign citizens may recite rhetoric which appears to be memorized, refuse to provide identification and insurance documents, claim the officer is violating the sovereign citizens constitutional rights by issuing a ticket, and/or insist law enforcement officers sign documents provided by the sovereign citizen. When signing a citation, sovereign citizens may write reservation of rights or all rights reserved in addition to their signature, which they believe nullifies their signature.

(U) Law Enforcement Sensitive: This information is the property of the FBI and may be distributed to state, tribal, or local government law enforcement officials with a need-to-know. Further distribution without FBI authorization is prohibited. Precautions should be taken to ensure this information is stored and/or destroyed in a manner that precludes unauthorized access. (U) Warning: This is an information report, not finally evaluated intelligence. It is being shared for informational purposes but has not been fully evaluated, integrated with other information, interpreted, or analyzed. Receiving agencies are cautioned not to take actions based solely on this raw reporting unless the information is independently verified. A presumption of innocence still exists for any person being reported on in this report. (U) Note: This product reflects the views of the San Antonio Divisions and has not been vetted by FBI Headquarters.

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(U//LES) Sovereign citizens do not believe in toll roads, maintaining state-issued drivers licenses, or registering their vehicles, claiming that utilization of roadways is a Constitutional right under the 14th Amendment and/or is a God-given right and cannot be regulated by the government. (U//LES) From December 2010 through January 2011, guidance was given to the members of an identified Texas sovereign citizen group on their interactions with law enforcement. Members were advised to never argue and to calmly recite the following upon being approached by a law enforcement officer: o (U//LES) In recognition to your service to the community, I respect your oath of office. We now have a private contract between us whereby I require you to remain on the backside of the Bill of Rights and proceeding and attaching to the Constitution of the Republic of Texas. o (U//LES) Members were further advised that if asked to provide their drivers license and proof of insurance, they should respond, I dont have one, but the state does. Members were also told to put their documents on the dashboard next to the steering wheel, to never hand documents to the officer, and to write all rights reserved on their ticket. o (U//LES) Members were advised to stress to the police that the sovereign citizen is there in liberty to use the common ways, that rights come from God, but privileges come from man via the 14th Amendment, and that roadways, lakes, and forests are inherited from God and cannot be regulated. (U//LES) In April 2010, an identified US Person 1 was stopped by a San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) officer for a speeding violation in San Antonio, Texas. When the officer asked for US Person 1 drivers license, US Person 1 refused to roll down his window and told the officer he did not have to provide any information because it was not a law. US Person 1 then rolled his window down a very small amount and stated he was in fear of his life, claiming the officer had a gun to assault him. The officer again asked US Person 1 to comply, and US Person 1 replied that he had constitutional rights. o (U//LES) The officer requested back-up assistance, and when back-up arrived, US Person 1 again refused to cooperate. The officers broke the window of US Person 1 vehicle and arrested him for Failure to Identify and Resisting Arrest. o (U//LES) Further investigation revealed US Person 1 hosts a weekly radio show in San Antonio which primarily focuses on sovereign citizen topics. (U//LES) In March 2010, an identified US Person 2 was stopped by a College Station Police Department (CSPD) officer in College Station, Texas, for not displaying a state inspection sticker. Upon making contact with US Person 2, the officer noted US Person 2 did not have his drivers license with him and was driving on an expired license.

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o (U//LES) US Person 2 attempted to compel the officer to read and sign a document entitled, Formal Notice of Possible Breach of Oath of Office and Possible Violation of Rights, citing section 1983 of United States Code, Title 42 (civil remedy for deprivation of rights). Despite being informed that he was only being issued a citation for driving with an expired license, US Person 2 advised the officer that should he be arrested for the infraction, the officer faced life imprisonment for breach of US Person 2 4th Amendment rights. o (U//LES) US Person 2 initially refused to sign the citation, alleging the Texas Penal Code and Transportation Code were unconstitutional. When advised that a refusal to sign the citation would result in US Person 2 arrest, US Person 2 countered that this would be an unconstitutional arrest, as it would breach Title 18, Section 242 of the US Code, which requires a warrant to make an arrest. US Person 2 further advised that a violation of this section of the US Code could result in the officer being punished by a life sentence in prison. o (U//LES) US Person 2 eventually signed the citation, was civil throughout the encounter, and did not make any threats toward the officer or law enforcement. (U) Comment (U//LES) Individuals who adhere to the sovereign citizen ideology believe that almost all branches of the United States government are illegitimate entities that make, enforce, and interpret illegal and immoral laws. Sovereign citizen rejection of laws and regulations leads to their frequent involvement in criminal activity, such as federal firearms and explosives violations; redemption schemes; the use of fake license plates, drivers licenses, and documents that falsely claim diplomatic and law enforcement privileges. 1 (U//LES) This SIR was written in conjunction with the FBI Houston Division.

(U) This report has been prepared by the San Antonio Division of the FBI. Comments and queries may be addressed to the San Antonio Field Intelligence Group, 210-225-6741.
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(U//LES) FBI San Antonio Division; 21 May 2010; (U//LES) Identified Tactics Used by Sovereign Citizen Group Members and Supporters When Interacting with Law Enforcement; UNCLASSIFIED/LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE.

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UNCLASSIFIED//LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE Distribution Deputy Assistant Director, directorate of Intelligence National Security Analysis and Production Branch Production Services Unit, Directorate of Intelligence FBI Intranet LEO (local SIG only)

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