After three $1 million checks bounced in an attempt to pay his taxes, a Michigan man is now facing felony charges after trying to pay his taxes with the money.
A news release from the Michigan Attorney General’s office stated that Damon Montgomery, 54, sent three checks to the state Treasury in January 2021 to pay his taxes, but all three were returned as unpaid because the checks contained routing numbers for TCF Bank, where he did not have an account, according to the news release.
The checks were made payable to the State of Michigan and were each worth $1 million.
According to a news release, Montgomery is facing three counts of failure to conduct an account check. He may face up to two years in prison for each offense or a $500 fine, whichever is greater.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel stated in a press statement that “we, as residents of Michigan, share a legal obligation to pay income tax.”
“These taxes help to fund our public schools, roads, and other government services. Everybody loses when people cheat on their taxes, and it is essentially unfair to everyone else who follows the rules. We will continue to collaborate with our Treasury colleagues to ensure that justice is maintained.”
According to the announcement, Montgomery’s arraignment has been scheduled for February 22nd at 9:30 a.m. Judge Louise Alderson of the Ingham County Court has been assigned to hear his case.
According to the press release, Montgomery maintains that he is a sovereign citizen, and as such is free from some Michigan laws. This includes the payment of taxes. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, sovereign citizen believes that they, rather than courts, juries, law enforcement, or elected authorities, should be the ones who decide which laws to follow.
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Other “sovereign citizens” have attempted to utilize their beliefs to circumvent the law, but have been unsuccessful.
A release from the Department of Justice stated that Michael Levant William of Savannah, Georgia, will be sentenced to 110 months in prison in 2020 for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, the sentence will be carried out in 2020. (DOJ). Williams contended that his status as a sovereign citizen freed him from the provisions of the law that made it illegal for someone with his criminal record to own a firearm.
The Department of Justice announced in a separate announcement that another man, Ronald Allen Wright, of Columbia, South Carolina, was sentenced to ten years in prison in 2019 after a jury found him guilty of tax fraud and conspiracy to conduct wire fraud, among other charges.
His conviction arose from the sovereign citizen worldview, which holds that debts can be discharged by gaining access to hidden government financial accounts, as well as other arguments. According to the evidence given at the trial, Wright attempted to get about $15 million in consumer debt discharged.
