Federal Jury Convicts Knoxville Man and Former Washington State Prosecutor Turned Leader of Sovereign Citizen Movement of Wire Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Following an eight-day trial before the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, Chief U.S. District Court Judge, a jury found Randall Keith Beane, 50, of Knoxville, Tennessee, and Heather Ann Tucci-Jarraf, 45, of Pierce County, Washington, guilty of conspiracy to commit money laundering.  The jury also found Beane guilty of six additional counts of wire and bank fraud.

Sentencing is set for Beane on June 12, 2018, and Tucci-Jarraf on June 26, 2018 in U.S. District Court.  Tucci-Jarraf faces a sentence of up to 20 years.  Beane faces up to 30 years on the charges. There is no parole in the federal system.

Evidence presented at trial showed that Tucci-Jarraf acted as an unlicensed attorney for Beane in a scheme to defraud United Services Automobile Association (USAA) Bank, of more than 31 million dollars.  In court filings, Tucci-Jarraf and Beane claim the government was foreclosed upon and has no jurisdiction over them.  The defendants asserted at trial that the United States hides individuals’ secret accounts in the Federal Reserve Bank, a common ideology among sovereign citizen groups.  Tucci-Jarraf was a former prosecutor in Pierce County, Washington.

"When wrongdoers attempt to stand behind an anti-government movement to hide or justify fraudulent criminal activity, they will fail.  This jury sent the message that the American judicial system will not shield them, and these two defendants now know they will be punished, whether or not they acknowledge the authority of the Court to do so," said U.S. Attorney J. Douglas Overbey.

The United States is also forfeiting a motor home worth over $500,000 that Beane purchased with the proceeds of the bank and wire fraud offenses.  The loss to victim USAA bank totaled over $550,000.

Beane was arrested by FBI Special Agents in July 2017 as he attempted to flee in a half-million dollar motor coach purchased with stolen funds.  He resisted arrest and fought the agents during the incident.  Tucci-Jarraf was arrested in Washington, D.C., after attempting to meet with President Trump at the White House.

“Americans are free to believe as they choose about their government,” said Renae McDermott, special agent in charge of the FBI Knoxville Field Office.  “When those beliefs turn into criminal actions, law enforcement must act.”

The FBI’s white collar crime squad and cyber task force conducted the investigation.    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cynthia Davidson and Anne-Marie Svolto represented the United States.

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