Saturday, July 19, 2014

Crime: Chicago: Man admits filing false multi-billion-dollar liens against federal judges

U.S. Department of Justice 
Office of Public Affairs

Tyree Davis Sr., 42, of Flossmoor, Illinois, pleaded guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice and two counts of filing false retaliatory liens against government officials, the Justice Department announced today.

Davis pleaded guilty earlier today before U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm of the Central District of Illinois. Davis faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each of the obstruction of justice charges as well as a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each of the filing false retaliatory liens charges at his sentencing on Oct. 15.

A federal grand jury in Chicago returned an eight count federal indictment on July 24, 2013, charging Davis with obstruction of justice and filing fraudulent multi-billion dollar liens against government employees. According to the court documents, Davis obstructed justice by sending correspondence threatening to arrest two federal judges, including the judge who presided over the 2010 criminal tax trial of LaShawn Littrice. Littrice, whom Davis refers to as his wife, was convicted by a jury in June 2010 and sentenced to serve 42 months in prison in December 2010. Davis also filed false liens, titled Notice of Maritime Liens, claiming that each judge owed Littrice $100 billion. Davis then notified others, including credit bureaus, that he had filed the multi-billion dollar liens. In addition, 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 (IRS)-Criminal Investigation special agent. The liens were all publicly filed with the Cook County Recorder’s Office and claimed that each individual owed Littrice $100 billion. Each of the liens were re-recorded in order to add real property descriptions.

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