‘Sovereign citizen’ who sent state bogus checks for $1M sentenced

A man who claims he is a sovereign citizen has been sentenced in connection with sending bogus $1 million checks to the state to pay his taxes, the Michigan Attorney General announced Thursday.

Damon Montgomery was sentenced Wednesday in Ingham County Circuit Court to 337 days jail with 337 days credit, as well as fines and costs.

He had pleaded guilty to three counts of no-account check, felonies punishable by two years in prison or a $500 fine, investigators said in a statement.

As a term of the plea agreement, the state dropped an habitual felony offender enhancement against him, according to the release.

The charges stem from Montgomery mailing three checks to the Michigan Department of Treasury in January 2021.

"Each check contained TCF Bank routing numbers and was made payable to the state of Michigan" for a million dollars, officials reported Thursday.  "The checks were returned as Montgomery did not have an account at TCF Bank.

"As a self-proclaimed Sovereign Citizen, Montgomery believes he is exempt from certain Michigan laws and regulations, is not under the jurisdiction of any government, and is not subject to taxes."

The Treasury Department referred the case to the state Attorney General’s Financial Crimes Division, which investigated the case.

“Those who use schemes and tricks to evade paying their fair share of taxes will be held accountable,” said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. “I’m grateful for the dedicated work of the staff at the Michigan Department of Treasury, and the attorneys and investigators in the Financial Crimes Division of the Department of Attorney General who ensured justice was served."