A well known leader of an anti-government `` sovereign citizens '' group was indicted Tuesday in Montgomery , Alabama , for tax crimes , the Justice Department announced . A 10-count indictment charges James Timothy Turner with conspiracy to defraud the United States , attempting to pay taxes with fictitious financial instruments , attempting to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service , failure to file federal tax returns and giving false testimony in a bankruptcy proceeding . The government says Turner , the self-proclaimed president of a sovereign-citizens group called Republic for the united States of America , was arrested Tuesday and had a brief court appearance . Turner will remain in jail pending a Monday detention hearing , according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney 's Office for the Middle District of Alabama . According to the indictment , Turner allegedly tried to pay his 2008 taxes with a $ 300 million fake bond and assisted others trying to pay taxes with up to $ 100 billion dollars in fraudulent bonds . Prosecutors also said Turner gave seminars teaching others how to defraud the IRS and to file retaliatory liens against government officials . Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center said Turner 's sovereign citizens group rejects the authority of the government and its ability to enforce laws and collect taxes . Potok said that in late 2010 the group sent letters to governors in all 50 states calling on them to step down . The taxes charges brought against Turner carry a maximum of 164 years in prison as well as large financial penalties if he is convicted . CNN was not able to identify a lawyer representing Turner .
The defendant heads a group that calls itself the Republic for the united States of America . Authorities describe it as a `` soverign citizens '' group . The group rejects the authority of the government and paying taxes . Turner is facing a 10-count indictment for alleged tax crimes .