Craig M. Sandberg Appointed by U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to Represent Individual Whom Prosecutors Called a Member of the “Sovereign Citizen” Movement

For Immediate Release: March 27, 2015

Chicago, IL – Following a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of making a false claims for a federal tax refund for tax years 2005 through 2008, respectively, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 287. However, when he failed to attend the sentencing hearing, Defendant was indicted for failing to appear for sentencing, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 3146(a)(1). The district court sentenced Defendant to “total punishment” of 78 months imprisonment, which was composed of a sentence of 50 months for the underlying offenses (served concurrent with each other) plus a consecutive 28 months’ sentence for the failure to appear count.

NOTE: The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Illinois called the defendant a member of the "sovereign citizen" movement. “The FBI considers sovereign-citizen extremists as comprising a domestic terrorist movement….”

WHAT: Direct appeal in United States v. Marcotte (Docket Nos. 15-1266 and 15-1271) from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois (Case Nos. 3:13-cr-30053-MJR and 3:14-cr-30107-MJR)

WHO: Craig M. Sandberg represents the defendant pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act (“CJA”), Title 18, United States Code, §3006A the Criminal Justice Act (“CJA”), having been appointed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

WHERE: United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse, 219 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois