Atlanta 'Sovereign Citizen' Sentenced to Six Years for Possessing a Firearm
A 40-year-old Georgia man who authorities say was part of a ring of squatting in high-end homes near Atlanta, claiming them as their own, was sentenced to six years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Jermaine Eric Gibson, of Atlanta, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. Federal prosecutors requested a six-year sentence 鈥渢o promote Gibson鈥檚 respect for the law.鈥�
鈥淕ibson declared that the laws do not apply to him,鈥� Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracia M. King said in a sentencing memorandum. 鈥淧erhaps, this is why Gibson, a convicted felon, boldly possessed a firearm and did not hesitate to make it known to others that he possessed a firearm.鈥�
According to court documents and trial testimony, Gibson moved into a foreclosed home in Lithonia, Ga., an upscale, gated Atlanta suburb in March 2013. He quickly declared he owned the house, valued somewhere between $300,000 and $600,000, by filing paperwork with DeKalb County officials claiming he had deeded the home to himself.
After moving into the residence, authorities say, Gibson changed the locks on the doors and posted a warning to real estate agents to stay off the property. The home, however, was under contract to be sold, and Gibson was not the buyer.
Meanwhile, when the homebuyer contacted local police, she was told it was a civil matter and police wouldn鈥檛 be involved. The homebuyer then spoke to Gibson, telling him the house sale would be closing soon and asked him to leave. Gibson told the homebuyer that someone lied to her because she would not be moving into that home.
In further efforts to establish his 鈥渞ight鈥� to the residence, court documents say, Gibson 鈥渢aped to the windows fraudulent Quiet [sic] Claim Deeds and other sovereign citizen documents鈥� declaring he 鈥渨as a Foreign Official and that the Property was a Foreign Embassy.鈥�
Despite his efforts, the sale closed in April 2013, but the new buyer couldn鈥檛 move in because Gibson still remained in the home, illegally possessing firearms despite his felony record. Eventually, the mortgage lender and the homeowner joined together to file paperwork in DeKalb County to have Gibson evicted.
In the meantime, the FBI had begun a racketeering investigation into a dozen sovereign citizens, including Gibson, who had begun illegally occupying homes in eight Georgia counties, the reported in 2012.
On May 2, 2013, police obtained an arrest warrant after several people claimed to have seen long-barrel guns on the properties. Police served a search warrant at the home Gibson was illegally occupying and found a .38 caliber revolver in Gibson鈥檚 bed. It remains unclear if long guns were ever found on the premises.
Throughout the trial, Gibson proclaimed his innocence and protested the validity of the court. A day before his trial began, he filed a rambling 17-page, typed-written 鈥渁ffidavit of truth鈥� in which he described himself as a 鈥渓iving, breathing, flesh-and-blood man living under the laws of the God, Father and Creator of the boundless universe...鈥� He also claimed that the U.S. courts had no jurisdiction over him 鈥渂ecause it is not really a court as per Article III of Constitution of the United States, but rather a tribunal operated as a private corporation...鈥�
Gibson also claimed the criminal charges against him were really commercial charges 鈥渁s defined in the code of federal regulations 27 CFR 72.11.鈥� 鈥淢y attorney and the Court both do not seem to understand this regulation and, as such, my attorney is incompetent to defend [me],鈥� Gibson said.
Authorities are using the case to again warn that sovereign citizens 鈥撯�� considered a leading domestic terrorism threat by the 鈥撯�� will be prosecuted for breaking the law, just like everyone else.
鈥淪overeign citizens do not believe that laws apply to them except when it is to their benefit,鈥� said Sally Quillian Yates, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. 鈥淭his conviction demonstrates that our laws do apply to everyone. If you violate the law, you will be prosecuted.鈥�
J. Britt Johnson, who supervises the FBI鈥檚 Atlanta Field Office, echoed those sentiments. 鈥淚ndividuals and even groups who feel that our laws don鈥檛 apply to them can pose a more significant risk to law enforcement, particularly when they illegally arm themselves," Johnson said. 鈥淭he conviction in federal court of Mr. Gibson, a self-described sovereign citizen, is a clear reminder that he is not above the law.鈥�
