Wesley Snipes, sovereign nationals and the death of Chase Allan
FARMINGTON, UTAH: Chase Allan was fatally shot 12 times by Farmington Police Department cops during a traffic stop on Wednesday, March 1. The 25-year-old man was pulled over after cops noticed he didn't have a legitimate license plate and instead had a plaque that read “American State Citizen, Utah” and featured the US seal, which many have described as a sovereign citizen symbol.
While Allan's personal beliefs aren't definitively known, there were several hints he identified with the sovereign citizen movement, which has been described as a group of people who don't think they are bound by the laws of the land they reside in. Driving without a legitimate license plate, refusing to cooperate with law enforcement, and claiming absolute independence are typical among members of the movement, as noted by Vice. Actor Wesley Snipes apparently once identified as a Sovereign Citizen or "nonresident alien" while fighting the IRS over tax evasion charges.
ALSO READ
Chase Allan death update: 25-yr-old was previously accused of 'resisting' officers in court
Sovereign citizen
It's worth noting that Allan's family has rejected the term "sovereign citizen" and instead described him as an "American state national." Allan's sister Courtney Vandegrift told Heavy in a statement, "The term sovereign citizen has been used by certain entities to weaponize government and law enforcement against the people.” However, sovereign citizen expert Christine Sarteschi told Vice that “aside from a bit of difference in nomenclature, they are the same."
Sovereign citizens “believe they are not under the jurisdiction of the federal government and consider themselves exempt from US law," per the Southern Poverty Law Center. "They use a variety of conspiracy theories and falsehoods to justify their beliefs and their activities, some of which are illegal and violent.” According to the SPLC, the movement’s roots are “racist and antisemitic.”
Wesley Snipes tax case
Like Chase and his family, actor Wesley Snipes has also previously been identified as part of the Sovereign Citizen movement. Snipes, popular for his work in films like the 'Blade' vampire trilogy, became an unlikely face for the movement, many of whose members believe that Americans aren't obligated to pay income taxes and that the government taxes its citizens illegally.
In 2006, Snipes, anti-tax advocate Eddie Ray Kahn, and former CPA Douglas Rosile were indicted on eight counts alleging tax fraud, conspiracy, and willful failure to file returns. Following the indictment, Snipes sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service declaring he was a "nonresident alien" of the United States. He refuted his Social Security number and warned federal employees that continued prosecution could lead to professional consequences for them. The document also claimed the IRS deceives people to "terrorize, enslave, rape or pillage" taxpayers.
Warning the IRS
Snipes said in the 600-page declaration that he had "no ill intent or malice" and didn't want to evade any lawful requirement to pay taxes. However, he insisted that the government had "no lawful authority to impose any kind of criminal sanctions." The actor declared that he had no taxable US income and so the IRS Form 1040 was "absolutely the wrong form for me to file," adding that taxes withheld were "stolen funds." The document also warned the federal government's "illegal collection action" would result in "significant personal liability" for those involved. "Warning - pursuit of such a high profile target will open the door for your increased collateral risk," Snipes wrote. "I certainly don't believe this is in your best interest and can be avoided." At the time, Snipes' lawyer Robert Barnes denied the letter was intended as a threat. "Not at all, not at all," he was quoted as saying in the Ocala Star-Banner. "A lot of it was very gentle."
Big victory
In 2008, a jury found Snipes not guilty of two felony charges of fraud and conspiracy. The embroiled thespian was also acquitted on three misdemeanor charges of failing to file tax returns or to pay taxes from 2002 to 2004. However, he was found guilty of failing to file returns or pay taxes from 1999 through 2001 and was sentenced to three years in prison. Yet the big victory for Snipes was that his persistence led to his acquittal from felony tax fraud and conspiracy charges, for which he would have faced up to 16 years if convicted. Meanwhile, Kahn and Rosile were both convicted of tax fraud and conspiracy and drew longer prison terms than Snipes, Forbes reported.