False lien

A false lien is document that purports to describe a lien, but which has no legal basis, or which is based upon false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or representations. In the United States, the filing of false liens has been used as a tool of harassment and revenge in "paper terrorism", often against government officials.

Overview

When used maliciously, the filer falsely submits a lien against their target alleging that the target owes the filer some sum of money for services or goods not delivered. The lien is inexpensive and relatively easy to file but, for the target, requires significant time and lawyers fees to be dissolved by a court. For example, a resident of Seattle who worked for General Electric had had his wages deducted due to unpaid income taxes. In response, he filed a false lien of US$62,399.78 against General Electric for unpaid wages which GE had owed him for work performed but had "given away" to the Internal Revenue Service without his permission. He also filed liens against President George H. W. Bush, US Senator Slade Gorton, the Attorney General of Washington, Jack Welch Jr. (the CEO of GE), and various other public officials and judges. The liens against the public officials were justified because they had failed to help the filer and were not fulfilling their Oathes of Office. The practice was pioneered by the Posse Comitatus.

Countermeasures

As a result, the U.S. Congress has criminalized the filing of false liens, and the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines treat the filing of a false lien against a government official as equally serious as threatening the government officials of the United States. The Bureau of Prisons has responded by treating lien documents and personal information (such as Social Security Numbers) of federal agents, judges, etc. as contraband in federal prisons. Various U.S. states have been developing ways of combating false liens.