Judge rejects ex-Colusa County supervisor’s bid for freedom
U.S. Magistrate Judge
Kalfsbeek, a supervisor from 1987-91, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2010 following his conviction on conspiracy, mail fraud and money laundering charges. He and others were indicted in 2005.
Kalfsbeek was founder, president and chairman of the board of Puget's
Claire said the company, which was not licensed to sell insurance, peddled "pseudo-insurance" to its members.
In court papers before trial, federal prosecutors said Puget's Sound "was a self-described Christian-based organization that purported to sell to its members a legally recognized alternative to the automobile liability insurance offered by state licensed insurance companies.
"In its promotional literature, (it) claimed that the insurance codes of every state were only binding on commercial entities 'and are not binding on we the people, not being engaged in commerce.'"
Kalfsbeek and his co-defendants considered themselves "sovereign citizens" not covered by federal or state law.
Kalfsbeek and his attorney in the criminal case,
While Tedmon's testimony "was credible overall," the judge wrote, Kalfsbeek's testimony was "unreliable. He appeared sincere in his beliefs, but his memory was unclear and frequently inconsistent with the documentary record. His testimony was internally contradictory. His demeanor cast doubt on the accuracy of his memory."
Claire said Kalfsbeek's written communications with Tedmon about the plea offer they received from federal prosecutors in
Kalfsbeek frequently engaged in "pseudo-legal gibberish," according to Claire.
She cited a 2007 email from then-Assistant U.S. Attorney
"I have a plan for resolving the whole case that I think might sell with the other defendants, but I'm not sure about your guy given his anti-government views, which seem more firmly entrenched than the others," Lapham wrote.
Claire's recommendation to reject Kalfsbeek's petition will now go to U.S. District Judge
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