Image Credit: Facts on NewEarth Nation Surgoinsville TN / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
Residents in Hawkins County, Tennessee, are sounding the alarm over a self-proclaimed religious community with plans to expand beyond their initial purchase of 60 acres of land.
The group registered as a Domestic Religious Corporation Sole at the beginning of the year in Montana under the name NewEarth Nation Coalition with foreign national Simon Jean-Paul Adams – who goes by “Sacha Stone” – as its official leader. The group’s religious denomination is listed as “NewEarth Nation Society” in the filing on the Montana Secretary of State website.
By February, NewEarth, had bought 60 acres of unrestricted land in Hawkins County with plans to build a sovereign micronation made up of “divine sovereign citizens” quickly and with little oversight at the local level as the land is subject only to state regulations.
One county commissioner is concerned that the Stanley Valley Road property may become the future home of a Tennessee cult, not unlike the Branch Davidians of Waco, Texas.
Fifty “Memberships” of $10,000 each, called “golden tickets” that only give individuals the possibility to build but no actual ownership of land, have been taken in by NewEarth as tax deductible donations. Tier 2 memberships start at a minimum of $100,000.
Stone has stated that the property will exist with full autonomy from Federal or State authority as a “sovereign nation.”
Who is Stone? And are local residents right to be concerned that he may be running a real estate scam under the guise of a religion?
Matthew Williams, a Hawkins County resident, who runs the Facts of NewEarth Nation Surgoinsville TN Facebook page says that Stone’s religion is not a cohesive one.
Williams spoke at the county commission meeting in April about some of Stone’s past statements and videos which seemingly call for violence against government officials.
NewEarth has since responded with a Frequently Asked Questions page as a rebuttal to the concerns that Williams made public.
Registered as a 508(c)(1), a Domestic Religious Corporation Sole ensures continuity of ownership of property dedicated to the benefit of a legitimate religious organization. The designation cannot be used as a means to avoid or evade paying income taxes. A valid corporation sole enables a bona fide religious leader to operate as a sort of sole proprietorship with no board of directors, stockholders, or legal partners.
Examples of legitimate corporation soles are the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Office of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or one of the many diocesan bishops of the Catholic Church.
In a corporation sole, there is only one office holder at any given time, with a new leader taking over for a previous one only after that individual has permanently vacated their office.
Talk of NewEarth setting up the world’s first micronation made up of Sovereign Citizens immediately brings up concerns that the group will refuse to pay taxes.
This ruling emphasizes that no law, court decision, or other authority permits taxpayers to remove themselves from the federal tax system in order to avoid paying taxes. These arguments in the past have been called frivolous, and the courts have imposed penalties for making such arguments, and have upheld criminal tax evasion convictions against those who make these arguments.
People like the leaders of NewEarth who teach individuals how to be “Sovereign Citizens” perhaps?
Meet Marcia Willardson.
The trustee of the NewEarth project in Tennessee, Willardson is no stranger to the sham religious game. In 2010, Willardson allegedly helped defraud a man into signing over his house as a “Public Minister” of Spiritual Alliances Corporation Sole in California.
Stephan A. Gushtyuk, whose native language is Russian, was told through an interpreter to sign some documents believing that he would be provided with legal services. Instead, he learned two years later upon attempting to obtain a loan modification on his property, that he had signed over his house to the religious organization and to Willardson.
In 2023, a serial nonfiler of federal taxes who was associated with Willardson for years received a $10,000 penalty after trying to hide his assets in several trusts, some of which Willardson purportedly managed.
According to the IRS, Willardson “has a history of involvement with sham trusts used by tax-payers to shift income and avoid tax.”
Willardson has spoken with Hawkins County Mayor Mark DeWitte who has been reassured by her that NewEarth intends to pay property tax. DeWitte is also under the impression that Willardson has stated that concerns about the group’s citizens not having driver’s licenses or car tags is unfounded.
Perhaps Willardson has had a change of heart about what being a Sovereign Citizen entails after she was arrested for driving without a license in Nevada County, California, last year.
This seems highly unlikely as Willardson serves in a senior teaching fellow position associated with NewEarth’s Sovereignty Academy that teaches individuals how to become “sovereign beings.”
NewEarth’s brand of sovereignty blends spirituality with all of the typical trappings of Sovereign Citizenship doctrine. On the academy’s website, they state that the curriculum “will impart seminal wisdom and knowledge relating to claiming the straw man, standing down illicit authoritarianism, lawfully discharging illicit bills, levies and so much more.”
A description of the academy on NewEarth’s website uses spiritual language such as “a personal journey”, and “transformative” while also listing study topics such as the Insurrection Act, Lieber Code, and War Powers. How to Master the Art of Affidavits and Navigate International Law is on equal footing with Embrace Quantum Consciousness.
Sovereign Citizens believe that certain regulations, state licensing requirements in order to drive legally for one, do not apply to them. However, courts have consistently upheld that sovereign citizens are subject to the laws of their jurisdictions. Classified as anti-government extremists by the FBI, some sovereign citizens have opened fire on law enforcement during routine traffic stops which has led to their deaths.
NewEarth plans to host a “solstice event” on June 20th-21st in NewEarth Tanasi (Cherokee for Tennessee) meant to “reclaim the living soil to the Children of God after 1500 years of theft, enslavement, and genocide.”
Some scheduled to be in attendance have some impressive sounding names including His Majesty King Edmund Keli’i Silva Jr. of the Sovereign Kingdom of Hawaii but according to Williams, “His Majesty” is not a King at all, and is not recognized by the Hawaiian Royal Family.
NewEarth plans to consecrate their 60 acres of land with bonfire ceremonial rituals. While Willardson has said that locals are invited, the website page for the event states that a minimum donation of $400 is required to get a ticket.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
