Palmer pilot who flew with revoked credentials claimed to be ‘free citizen,’ feds say

An aerial position complete Palmer. (Emily Russell/Alaska Public Media)

A Palmer man whose formation certificate was revoked aft a near-collision past twelvemonth is facing national charges, aft prosecutors opportunity he continued to alert and made claims that he was a sovereign citizen.

Alaska’s U.S. attorney’s agency said successful a connection Monday that William Marsan, 56, is accused of operating an craft without an airman certificate, operating an unregistered craft and operating an craft displaying a mendacious registration mark. The lawsuit began successful June of 2023, erstwhile nan adjacent telephone involving Marsan’s Piper Cherokee was reported to nan Federal Aviation Administration.

“Marsan did not power his volition to return disconnected from an airdrome successful Palmer and operated nan craft against nan travel of landing traffic, resulting successful a adjacent mid-air collision pinch different craft attempting to land,” officials said successful nan statement.

According to an indictment revenge by prosecutors Thursday, Marsan received a second-class aesculapian certificate from nan FAA successful 2019 but didn’t renew it nan pursuing year. He besides canceled nan Cherokee’s craft registration successful 2022.

About a period aft nan June 9, 2023 near-collision astatine nan Palmer Municipal Airport, an FAA information inspector saw Marsan onshore location successful nan Cherokee. The inspector identified himself and asked to spot Marsan’s aviator and aesculapian certificates, arsenic good arsenic nan plane’s registration and airworthiness certificate.

Marsan refused, prosecutors say.

He told nan inspector “he was a ‘free citizen’ and did not request a aviator aliases aesculapian certificate, and adding that his craft had been deregistered,” according to nan indictment.

Sovereign citizens, who sometimes telephone themselves “free citizens,” are a fringe group of people who cull authorities and national law, sometimes claiming to beryllium citizens of self-defined nations. In 2012, Alaska Peacemakers Militia leader and sovereign national Schaeffer Cox was convicted arsenic nan ringleader of a “241” plot to kidnap aliases termination 2 Fairbanks-area national officials for each militia personnel arrested aliases killed.

Later past summer, nan indictment said, 2 FAA inspectors saw Marsan’s level astatine nan Willow Airport. They said nan “N” successful its painted recognition number connected each broadside was partially covered by stickers, 1 of which “had nan quality of a flag.”

The FAA’s investigation led it to rumor an emergency revocation of Marsan’s aviator certificate successful January. Marsan had 10 days to record an appeal, but did not do so.

“Nevertheless, (Marsan) has continued to run nan craft without registration, pinch an obscured recognition number, and without a valid aviator certificate done nan day of this indictment,” prosecutors wrote.

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Marsan was arrested Thursday and is being held astatine nan Anchorage Correctional Complex.

In a Monday pretrial memo nan charismatic successful nan case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Bradley, said that Marsan has indicated he plans to correspond himself without ineligible counsel.

Bradley besides said that Marsan had made “discredited, frivolous arguments that person been rejected by nan courts for decades,” including that he “is not taxable to national rule aliases jurisdiction because he is not a ‘Citizen of nan United States’ but alternatively an ‘American State National.’”

Bradley told nan tribunal that nan prosecution isn’t opposed to Marsan being released earlier trial, but asked it to barroom Marsan from flying unlicensed aliases flying immoderate unregistered aircraft.

Marsan faces a maximum of 3 years successful situation and a $250,000 good connected each count successful nan case.

Prosecutors are besides seeking nan forfeiture of his level if he is convicted.