Prison for anti-tax activist who was once a child star - Times Union

Unger, 62, who became an orthodontist in Columbia County, is considered an "elder" in the anti-government, anti-tax "sovereign citizen" movement, which the FBI considers a potential domestic terrorism threat.

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On Monday, McAvoy was far more interested in Unger's role as a "sovereign citizen" who filed 14 false tax returns seeking more than $36 million in refunds from the IRS between 2007 and 2011. He sentenced Unger to 97 months in prison followed by supervised release for three years.

"Mr. Unger is trying to do everything in his power to bring down the United States of America," the judge said. "There's no surer way to tear down this country than from the inside, and that's exactly what he tried to do."

Moments earlier, Unger, carrying a Bible, delivered a rambling speech emphasizing his devout commitment to Jesus, whose death Unger recalled in graphic detail. Unger quoted the book of Exodus, said his criminal case has been the greatest experience of his life and spoke compassionately about the plight of inmates in the Rensselaer County jail, where he has been staying. Unger claimed inmates spend their days watching tabloid talk show hosts Jerry Springer and Maury Povich — and took time to explain his introduction to the term "baby mamas."

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Unger, using the name "Dr. Sam Kennedy," preached an anti-tax message on Internet broadcasts and during seminars in Albany in which he worked to convince others how to scam the federal government. The FBI interviewed Unger in 2010 after a sovereign citizens group he help found — Guardians of the Free Republics — mailed letters to every U.S. governor suggesting they could be "removed."

State Police arrested Unger on Dec. 29, 2012 near Ogdensburg. McAvoy noted that Unger refused to give the police his name, identifying himself as a "1922 silver dollar coin." It is considered a reference to the United States going off the gold standard, which "sovereign citizens" believe destroyed America.

Prison for anti-tax activist who was once a child star - Times Union