ISSN: 2710-4028 DOI: doi.org/10.54208/1000/0006 129
Lawrence also appears to have advised another Capitol
rioter, Howard Adams. On the eve of a December
2022 court hearing held in Florida, Lawrence posted
an “URGENT CALL TO ACTION” on Telegram,
asking other American Nationals to attend the hearing
to show their support for Adams. Adams also wrote
that the judge in the case “admitted that the court had
no jurisdiction over him due to his ...standing as an
American National,” and that the “judge further said
that if Howard had peers” (other American Nationals)
come to the courthouse, then “he would be tried by a jury
of his peers.” News reports indicate that about 50 self-
identified American Nationals subsequently gathered
outside the courthouse (Sandoval, 2022). Inside the
courtroom, they refused to stand when the Magistrate
entered the room, and therefore were removed. Adams
argued with the judge, and ultimately was remanded
to jail awaiting transfer to Washington D.C. (Sandoval,
2022). In total, there are at least 13 defendants (including
Bauer and Adams) facing charges in connection with
the Capitol Breach case who have deployed sovereign
citizen tactics in court (Weill, 2022). Adams pleaded
guilty to a felony charge for his involvement with the
Capitol Breach and was sentenced to eight months in
prison, 36 months of supervised release, plus fines and
restitution (Department of Justice, 2023b). Whether
Lawrence is advising other Capitol Breach defendants
is unclear.
C. Lawrence Telegram Offshoot Channel Focused on
CPS
Until recently, a Telegram offshoot group of Lawrence’s
community existed called “State National Mothers and
Fathers.” This population was mostly comprised of
parents who considered themselves “State Nationals ...
with adversarial issues with the courts, CPS/DHS, or
hostile exes, to support each other and pool resources.”
The group had over 200 members when the Telegram
group was deactivated in early 2023 for unknown
reasons.
Before the group shut down, members shared and
discussed unfounded beliefs about CPS and techniques
they believed will purportedly prevent these agencies
from removing their children. One suggestion was
to trademark and copyright the child’s name, and
subsequently sell the name as merchandise (Hines,
2021). Doing so, they explained, would allow one
to claim copyright infringement by CPS--for listing
the child’s name in a document and interfering with
commerce--which, they claim, results in orders
from CPS being destroyed (Hines, 2021). Claiming
intellectual property in personal names is a notorious
sovereign citizen strategy.
“Children are property” was a second common theme
in the group. Members explained that if CPS removes
a child from a home, then that action equates to theft,
which constitutes kidnapping or child abduction.
A variation of this strategy is the belief among some
that under “common law,” removing one’s child is
considered “theft of property.” Noteworthy here is
that common law is being used by the group in an
unorthodox manner, as foundational and absolute law,
as opposed to the more traditional notion of law based
on court decision legal precedents. Any government
attempt to garnish wages for child support was also
identified as illegal.
Other shared beliefs among group members included
that:
More specifically, Lawrence advises that “quo warranto
is a prerogative writ requiring the person to whom
it is directed to show what authority they have for
exercising some right, power, or franchise they claim to
hold.” Group members believed that once they became
ASNs, they were then immune from CPS interference.
1. CPS and Family Court are both corporations
and thus are nonexistent
2. CPS, as a corporation, cannot force someone
to “contract” with it (i.e., coercive contracts
equate to coercive slavery, which is illegal)
3. CPS targets single parents who are easy marks,
and takes children against their will for human
sex trafficking and
4. employing a demand for “quo warranto,”
a common law claim that requires proof of
authority, can defeat state and court operations.
Lawrence also appears to have advised another Capitol
rioter, Howard Adams. On the eve of a December
2022 court hearing held in Florida, Lawrence posted
an “URGENT CALL TO ACTION” on Telegram,
asking other American Nationals to attend the hearing
to show their support for Adams. Adams also wrote
that the judge in the case “admitted that the court had
no jurisdiction over him due to his ...standing as an
American National,” and that the “judge further said
that if Howard had peers” (other American Nationals)
come to the courthouse, then “he would be tried by a jury
of his peers.” News reports indicate that about 50 self-
identified American Nationals subsequently gathered
outside the courthouse (Sandoval, 2022). Inside the
courtroom, they refused to stand when the Magistrate
entered the room, and therefore were removed. Adams
argued with the judge, and ultimately was remanded
to jail awaiting transfer to Washington D.C. (Sandoval,
2022). In total, there are at least 13 defendants (including
Bauer and Adams) facing charges in connection with
the Capitol Breach case who have deployed sovereign
citizen tactics in court (Weill, 2022). Adams pleaded
guilty to a felony charge for his involvement with the
Capitol Breach and was sentenced to eight months in
prison, 36 months of supervised release, plus fines and
restitution (Department of Justice, 2023b). Whether
Lawrence is advising other Capitol Breach defendants
is unclear.
C. Lawrence Telegram Offshoot Channel Focused on
CPS
Until recently, a Telegram offshoot group of Lawrence’s
community existed called “State National Mothers and
Fathers.” This population was mostly comprised of
parents who considered themselves “State Nationals ...
with adversarial issues with the courts, CPS/DHS, or
hostile exes, to support each other and pool resources.”
The group had over 200 members when the Telegram
group was deactivated in early 2023 for unknown
reasons.
Before the group shut down, members shared and
discussed unfounded beliefs about CPS and techniques
they believed will purportedly prevent these agencies
from removing their children. One suggestion was
to trademark and copyright the child’s name, and
subsequently sell the name as merchandise (Hines,
2021). Doing so, they explained, would allow one
to claim copyright infringement by CPS--for listing
the child’s name in a document and interfering with
commerce--which, they claim, results in orders
from CPS being destroyed (Hines, 2021). Claiming
intellectual property in personal names is a notorious
sovereign citizen strategy.
“Children are property” was a second common theme
in the group. Members explained that if CPS removes
a child from a home, then that action equates to theft,
which constitutes kidnapping or child abduction.
A variation of this strategy is the belief among some
that under “common law,” removing one’s child is
considered “theft of property.” Noteworthy here is
that common law is being used by the group in an
unorthodox manner, as foundational and absolute law,
as opposed to the more traditional notion of law based
on court decision legal precedents. Any government
attempt to garnish wages for child support was also
identified as illegal.
Other shared beliefs among group members included
that:
More specifically, Lawrence advises that “quo warranto
is a prerogative writ requiring the person to whom
it is directed to show what authority they have for
exercising some right, power, or franchise they claim to
hold.” Group members believed that once they became
ASNs, they were then immune from CPS interference.
1. CPS and Family Court are both corporations
and thus are nonexistent
2. CPS, as a corporation, cannot force someone
to “contract” with it (i.e., coercive contracts
equate to coercive slavery, which is illegal)
3. CPS targets single parents who are easy marks,
and takes children against their will for human
sex trafficking and
4. employing a demand for “quo warranto,”
a common law claim that requires proof of
authority, can defeat state and court operations.
