A man who claimed sovereignty over the government and refused to participate in his trial for theft and fraud has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Alberto Marrufo was convicted of theft and fraud in a jury trial in Pima County in August. He was accused of paying off car loans using a check from a U.S. Treasury account. Authorities were uncertain how he acquired the routing and account numbers to access the Treasury funds.
Marrufo has identified as a "sovereign citizen," a group of ideologically allied anti-government, anti-tax activists whose interpretation of the law leads to a belief that individuals can declare independence from government authority.
At his trial, Marrufo was not represented by counsel, did not present evidence in his defense, never spoke and refused to sit at the defendant's table. He chose instead to sit in the audience.
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Read more about Marrufo's case and the sovereign citizen movement here.
