A Pembroke Township man has been sentenced to 6 ½ years in prison for filing bogus tax returns, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of Illinois. Larry Dean Gibbs, 63, faced the law's reckoning on October 28, when U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce handed down the sentence for what has been characterized as an attempt to defraud the government of millions of dollars.
Gibbs was found guilty of filing false federal tax returns for the years 2012, 2013, and 2014, where he claimed to have earned $10 million annually from the "Larry Dean Gibbs Estate", as mentioned in Hoodline. In a case tried in Urbana this March, the jury heard evidence that Gibbs sought refunds totaling over $6.8 million, based on over $3 million per year supposedly withheld by the IRS. The case was scrutinized even further when Gibbs, who had just been released from federal prison for a similar offense in 2005, claimed a new identity as Mulumbua Humraukn El Taikem Bey and declared himself to be the Ambassador for the non-recognized Al Moroccan Empire National Republic, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Furthermore, in what Judge Bruce considered an obstruction of justice, Gibbs asserted that he was a member of the Maipuri Arauan Nation and claimed that a treaty required tribe members to be included on his jury – a move that brought additional complications to his trial. Judge Bruce harshly criticized Gibbs for filing "nonsensical sovereign citizen documents with the court," ignoring the court's advisements against such frivolous actions that congest the legal process.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court mandated one year of supervised release and instructed Gibbs to report to the Bureau of Prisons to begin his stint on January 7, 2025, though he remains on home detention until then. "Fraud upon the government ultimately harms honest taxpayers," said U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris, lauding the federal law enforcement partners' dedication to justice. Gregarious government officials also pointed to the importance of maintaining integrity within the tax system., Ramsay E. Covington, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Chicago Field Office, emphasized the unfair burden such fraudulent activities impose on honest taxpayers.
This case was brought to a close thanks to the combined efforts of the IRS Criminal Investigation Chicago Field Office and the FBI Chicago Field Office. Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney Eugene L. Miller took the helm in the prosecution, highlighting the government's unwavering commitment to rebuking those who try to manipulate the system for their own benefit.
