Las Vegas NowNew Details on FBI Raid of Anti-Government Group

New Details on FBI Raid of Anti-Government Group

Federal government documents detail why four men with anti-government beliefs were arrested in Las Vegas last week.

When federal agents pulled a machine gun out of a home near Charleston and Cimarron, it was just one part of a three-state investigation.

For three years, the Nevada Joint Terrorism Task Force had been using confidential informants to investigate allegations of money laundering, tax evasion, and the possession of unregistered machine guns.

Neighbor Jim Ashness watched the raid unfold, "They probably took about 40 machine guns out. I mean, there was an M60, which is a .308 caliber, fully automatic."

The home belonged to Harold Call, whom the federal government says is a leader in an anti-government group called the Sovereign Movement.

Another alleged member of the group is former FBI Special Investigator Jan Lindsey.

Pictures of Lindsay's FBI credentials still appear on the website of convicted tax cheat Irwin Schiff. Lindsay is charged with tax evasion.

"It seems to be a common theme among these groups to develop various schemes to avoid paying taxes," said U.S. Attorney Gregory Brower.

Two other men, Samuel Davis and Shawn Rice, are charged with laundering $1.3 million for undercover FBI Agents.

Among other things, federal documents say members of the Sovereign Movement believe U.S. currency is invalid. The group also believes the government holds a secret $1 million account for each citizen dating back to the end of the gold currency standard in 1933.

The documents say the group uses a complicated process, including letters to the U.S. Treasury, to try to use that nonexistent money to fraudulently pay off debts.

All four men entered pleas of not guilty in federal court on Friday and were released from custody. Efforts to reach the men were unsuccessful.