Gunnison County man indicted by statewide grand jury for extortion, retaliating against judges, and forgery apprehended
Feb. 15, 2023 (DENVER)—The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday took into custody a Gunnison County man who was indicted by the statewide grand jury in April 2022 for allegedly using sovereign citizen-like tactics over a two-year period to commit extortion and threaten several judges, law enforcement officers, and prosecutors in Gunnison, Montrose, and Alamosa Counties, Attorney General Phil Weiser announced today.
“Those who file fraudulent documents and engage in retaliatory behavior to attempt to intimidate or influence judges, law enforcement officials, and victims are a threat to the rule of law and public safety. No one is above the law, and we will hold those accountable who try to use the legal system to target and threaten public officials in Colorado,” Weiser said.
According to the 24-count indictment, Brett Andrew Nelson filed multiple fraudulent documents, including powers of attorney and default judgments, against a variety of public officials and victims associated with criminal and domestic relations cases in which he was charged as a defendant, claiming they owed him millions of dollars in monetary damages. Nelson allegedly filed documents with threatening statements to judges and filed announcements of liens on several judges’ property to try to influence their rulings in cases he was involved in. Nelson also filed powers of attorney purportedly giving him the authority to act on behalf of judges in an to attempt to dismiss cases where he was charged.
The investigation also revealed that Nelson filed fraudulent quitclaim deeds on multiple residences attempting to transfer ownership of the properties to himself. The owners of the properties include various individuals who encountered Nelson through his criminal and domestic relations cases, including alleged victims in those cases and law enforcement officers. In addition, Nelson filed supposed default judgments against a variety of individuals associated with his criminal and domestic relations cases, including the mother of his child.
Nelson is charged with various counts of criminal extortion (F4), retaliation against a judge (F4), attempt to influence a public servant (F4), stalking (F5), forgery (F5), and other charges.
Nelson is in the process of being transported to the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office on a $300,000 cash-only bond. The case is filed in Gunnison County District Court under case number 2022CR34. The case was assigned to a special prosecutor in the 21st Judicial District in Mesa County due to a conflict with the 7th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Attorneys from the Department of Law’s Special Prosecutions Unit will assist the 21st Judicial District Attorney’s Office as special prosecutors.
A grand jury indictment is a formal accusation that an individual committed a crime under Colorado laws. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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