- A Wisconsin man who is part of the "Sovereign Citizen" movement and pleaded guilty to threatening nearly 30 judicial, police and municipal officials around South Jersey will lose that sovereignty when he enters prison, authorities announced Wednesday.
Michael G. Rinderele, 30, of Waukesha, Wisc., was sentenced Oct. 15 to five years in prison by Superior Court Judge Samuel D. Natal in a plea deal on charges of threats and other improper influence in official and political matters and four counts of retaliation against a public official or past public officials.
Rinderle admitted to financially threatening a Voorhees Township Municipal Court judge via email in connection with traffic tickets issued to Rinderle's common-law wife, Joann Ellis, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors say Rinderle went on to file fraudulent commercial liens against the judge and 27 other public officials in Voorhees and Winslow Township, including court staff of police personnel.
Rinderle was also ordered to pay more than $600 in fines and to have no contact with his victims or their families.
Prosecutors say members of the Sovereign Citizen movement — who claim to be outside the realm of statutory law — commonly use bureaucratic processes to engage in "paper terrorism" as a form of harassment.(1)
Source: 'Sovereign Citizen' to serve 5-year prison term for threats to South Jersey officials.
(1) See generally,
(1) See generally,
- The New York Times: In Paper War, Flood of Liens Is the Weapon,
- National Association of Secretaries of State: State Strategies to Subvert Fraudulent Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) Filings (A Report for State Business Filing Agencies).