United States v. Walton

The Moorish Temple is a religious organization that believes Moors are the rightful owners of North America. As a “Grand Sheik,” Walton preached that the government occupies Moorish land and owes its members payment, which they could acquire by filing specialized tax returns. Many people filed fraudulent tax returns at Walton’s urging. Walton pled guilty to mail fraud. An attachment to the PSR showed that other defendants received sentences ranging from probation to 28 months’ imprisonment for similar schemes but the probation officer calculated a range of 70-87 months for Walton, based on an agreed‐upon intended‐loss amount of $16,391,161. The Seventh Circuit affirmed a 68-month sentence, noting Walton’s leadership role and the vulnerable nature of his followers. View "United States v. Walton" on Justia Law