The rise and fall of Chief Thunderbird IV

Here's a story I'll be watching closely. Not only does it have Kansas ties, but it involves a couple of other hot topics: illegal immigration and fake Indians, you know, Ward Churchill types.

Chief Thunderbird IV, whose "white man's name" is Malcolm L. Webber, is being held in a Wichita, Kansas jail on charges that he's selling "tribal memberships" to his tribe, the Kaweah Indian Nation, which is not recognized by the federal government.

It looks like we have a Ward Churchill wanna-be one state to the left of Colorado.

From the Wichita Eagle:

Webber is charged with attempting to defraud the federal government, harboring illegal immigrants and possession of false identification documents with intent to defraud the United States.

According to court documents, Webber told authorities they had no right to be "on sovereign land" when they came to arrest him earlier this month.

(Magistrate Judge Donald) Bostwick said he was concerned that if freed on bail, Webber may use his network of tribal offices in Texas and Mexico to flee. He asked Kerns to address those concerns when the hearing resumes.

The judge also expressed concerns about the safety of court officials, given the statements Webber allegedly made about sovereignty, and about how the court could prevent Webber from having prohibited contacts with other tribal members.

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