Monty Ervin, from Montgomery, Ala., allegedly neglected to report more than $9 million in rental income from his property management company and failed to pay $1 million in income tax. To justify the tax evasion, Ervin attempted to renounce his U.S. citizenship multiple times, saying he was a "sovereign citizen" and not subject to the law.
He even allegedly claimed that he was the governor of Alabama in its "original jurisdiction," and the government found that he had buried $350,000 worth of gold coins in his yard. When he was arrested this March, the Justice Department said he was carrying a notebook with coordinates for an island off the coast of Honduras.
Ervin was sentenced to 10 years in prison and is required to pay $1.4 million in restitution to the IRS.
