Handcuffs (Shorebeat File Photo/ banspy/ Flickr)
A Brick man who prosecutors say is part of the “sovereign citizen” movement has been charged with filing false liens against the property of others.
Karl P. Scheufler, 47, who also goes by the names “Without Prejudice” and “Iesus: The Christ, An Irrevocable Trust,” was charged with filing a false public instrument, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
Scheufler’s arrest stems from the charge of falsifying government records after he allegedly filed a false Uniform Commercial Code Financing Statement – essentially, he is accused of placing liens against victims – from his home in Brick.
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Scheufler, prosecutors say, considers himself a “sovereign citizen,” part of a movement made up of people who consider themselves only answerable to their own interpretation of common law, versus state and federal laws. The movement has gained momentum in recent years, with participants believing they are not “federal citizens” who accept a nation’s laws versus their own.
The matter was brought to the attention of the Prosecutor’s Office by alleged victims who had previous dealings with Schuefler, Della Fave said. Brick Township Police provided assistance.
