Illinois Man Indicted for Filing False Liens, Justice Department Says

According to the indictment, Davis obstructed justice by sending correspondence threatening to arrest two federal judges: the chief judge of the Northern District of Illinois and the judge who presided over the 2010 tax trial of LaShawn Littrice, whom Davis refers to as his wife. Littrice was convicted by a jury in June 2010 and sentenced to 42 months in prison in December 2010. Davis also filed false liens, titled Notice of Maritime Liens, against both judges and notified others that he had filed the liens. In addition to the two judges, Davis filed false liens against the U.S. Attorney and Clerk of Court for the Northern District of Illinois, an Assistant U.S. Attorney and an Internal Revenue Service -- Criminal Investigation Special Agent. All the liens were publicly filed with the Cook County Recorder's Office and claimed that each individual owed $100 billion. The liens were re-recorded two and three times in order to add property descriptions to them.

An indictment merely alleges that a crime has been committed, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Davis faces a maximum of 80 years in prison and a maximum fine of $2 million dollars.

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Tax Division Senior Litigation Counsel Jen E. Ihlo and Trial Attorney Matthew J. Kluge.