A Pueblo general contractor who insisted a federal court had no authority over him has been convicted of tax evasion and fraud.
Michael Destry Williams, 49, a self-employed contractor who worked primarily on residential construction projects, didn’t pay income and self-employment tax from 2005 through 2007.
Williams was also self-employed as a real estate investor who bought, renovated and resold residential properties.
Williams refused a court-appointed attorney and filed documents in the case in the name “Michael-destry Family of Williams.” In at least one, he denied the court’s authority to try him, saying he was being held in jail after being kidnapped “without our consent.”
“Request emergency transfer or asylum within the jurisdiction of the United State District Court … with a judge of competent jurisdiction,” he wrote.
At a hearing in August, Williams was removed from the courtroom and placed in a holding cell after becoming disruptive, according to a court document.
A U.S. District Court jury on Tuesday found him guilty of three counts of tax evasion, one count of structuring, two counts of bank fraud, and other charges. He is scheduled to be sentenced at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 27, 2014 and faces more than 60 years in prison.
Prosecutors said Williams, who operated under the name Greenwood Construction, attempted to defraud Colorado East Bank and Trust by depositing fabricated U.S. Treasury checks to Greenview’s account.
He also mailed frivolous “criminal referrals,” some of them accusing a judge who presided over a case in which he was named as a defendant, and the Clerk of the El Paso County District Court with committing criminal tax and related offenses, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Denver.
“This defendant attempted to hide his income from the IRS, a ploy that doesn’t work,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh. “The agents who investigated this case and the trial team who prosecuted the defendant deserve recognition for their hard work and successful outcome.”
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671, tmcghee@denverpost.com or
