Jan. 6 rioter who used sovereign citizen 'gobbledygook' at trial is found guilty
Jan. 6 rioter who used sovereign citizen 'gobbledygook' at trial is found guilty
A jury convicted Taylor James Johnatakis on multiple charges, including assaulting officers. The federal judge overseeing his trial grew frustrated with his arguments.
Following that logic if you’re sovereign then it’s not really a riot or insurrection. It’s another nation engaging in war with another nation. The election wasn’t any of their business to begin with since they’re sovereign.
That “sovereign citizen” just lost a war against arguably the most powerful nation on the globe.
Fucking moron. I hope he’s able to grow and learn from this experience in a positive way. 🤷♂️
I've never heard of a SovCit that isn't a fucking moron unless they're a grifter. Anyone with a lick of sense would be able to figure out their beliefs are all silly.
The whole thing started as a mail order scam targeting poor black communities, especially obviously people charged with crimes, who are desperate enough to believe this stuff will work. They think they are buying legal magic words that will make courts do whatever they want.
There's a seminal case from Canada that lays out their history and categorizes their arguments, it's worth the read just for the great research and writing, but it provides a playbook for judges and lawyers to properly dispose of these cases. They used to be a nightmare when they first came around because they would grind things to a halt. Now courts know how to handle it and they are some of the easier cases to dispose.
Here's the case: only 200 pages, ha! https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abqb/doc/2012/2012abqb571/2012abqb571.html
Calls them OCPA litigants: Organized Pseudolegal Commercial Argument.
SovCits are what happens when people are willing to believe anything that makes their opinion right, and ignore anything that proves them wrong.
They use the law as a shield, but the second they want to break the law, they say it doesn't matter.
If someone showed up at their house and claimed it was now their house due to annexation, they'd be on the phone to the cops faster than you could imagine.
They want everyone else to follow the rules, and for them to do anything they want.
If someone showed up at their house and claimed it was now their house due to annexation, they’d be on the phone to the cops faster than you could imagine.
They actually have tried that (more than once) and it was harder to evict them than you would think.
Police had tried multiple times to get the squatters to leave the home, including using a helicopter and armored vehicles, The Sun reported. They were able to get a search warrant after pulling over Michael Lawrence Warren, one of the squatters, for a traffic stop and discovering his identity and criminal history, which included sex offenses.
https://www.insider.com/sovereign-citizens-moved-into-15-million-mansion-in-maryland-2021-7
I hope he’s able to grow and learn from this experience…
That’s some heroic optimism right there
Legendary really
Yeah, but according to the article he apologized to one of the officers he attacked, so they should just let him go.
So wait, why was he there to support trump if he doesn't believe in any form of gov....
Mental gymnastics at an Olympic level.
SovCits in courts and at traffic stops are an unending source of entertainment. "The flag has a fringe on it, therefore this court is being run on maritime law and something something anyway this is all illegitimate and you must find me not guilty!"
I also like it when they make their own license plates and try to argue that's their right.
My favorite was the group of sovereign citizens living in a compound, they keep harassing people and authorities to stay of their sovereign property. Then they had a fire and they're begging the fire department to come save them, without a hint of irony.
They're basically adult brats: they believe they can do whatever they want cause they're big babies now, but if something goes wrong the parents/state gotta run to help them. And obviously no time-out because they said "I'm sorry".
If there was actually some technicality that meant they were trying them in the wrong type of court or whatever, wouldn't they just end that trial and go and do it properly?
I swear I've heard this sort of nonsense strategy before...
Ahh the wonders of long-term lead poisoning.
"I have repented all my sins," Johnatakis said during the trial, saying he requested that Lamberth "discharge" the matter — a common phrase from sovereign citizens — since, he said, there was no "controversy" before the court.
During the trial, Johnatakis questioned an FBI agent, Michael Kiley, on whether he accepted Johnatakis' apology for his actions. Kiley responded that it wasn't his place to accept Johnatakis' apology.
I DECLARE REPENTANCE!
TRIAL BY COMBAT! Quick someone get him 2 big Mac's, a large fry and a diet coke...he needs the energy for the battle.
I love it when sovcits are hit by reality. They don’t have to accept it. They also don’t have to change their beliefs. At least they get punished and locked away for our safety.
You mean the sovcit magic spells and incantations still don't work?!
If they are sovereign citizens and not citizens of the USofA, shouldn’t they be tried as illegal aliens and sent to migrant camps in desert or to Gitmo?
They can all go live at an airport where all stateless individuals are warehoused.
Tom Hanks doesn't need their company
I thought that was in Walmarts?
you can be a sovereign citizen any time you want by renouncing your citizenship. it's a real thing you can do and it has a process. and then you're completely fucked.
You generally can't be made stateless, from my understanding, so unless you have dual citizenship, I doubt you could.
not according to Wikipedia
the U.S. does not prohibit its citizens from making themselves stateless, but the State Department strongly recommends against it,
I hope he gets treated for his undiagnosed mental illness in prison.
Sometimes people are just stupid and/or self-involved, no mental illness necessary.
Sometimes it's only what they think instead of how they think that's disturbing. ... I mean, it's still a bit disturbing to see such an emaciated hampster trying to run on a rusty wheel, but...
Is it mental illness or just extreme stupidity?
sitting quietly behind some bars is exactly the mental help this one needs
So he's saying he'd like to visit Guantanamo? I mean, that is where we send foreign fighters....
A fool for a client..
gobble de hwat?
I’m more impressed he speaks the fictional goblin language from Harry Potter so fluently. Gotta give them that.