Conch Republic 'ambassador' convicted; mental evaluation ordered

A federal jury deliberated less than two hours Thursday before convicting a Pine Bluff man who drove around town in a black limousine and liked to be called "Ambassador" on a charge of impersonating a diplomat to obtain something of value -- in this case, freedom from traffic citations.

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The 42-year-old man, who officially changed his name years ago from Nimrod Sanders to The-Nimrod Sterling, was also convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The first charge stemmed from an Oct. 1, 2013, traffic stop by a state trooper in a Jefferson County construction zone. On Tuesday, the first day of Sterling's jury trial before U.S. District Judge Billy Roy Wilson, Cpl. Jeff Preston testified that he clocked Sterling, driving a Jeep Liberty, traveling 75 mph in a 60 mph zone.

Preston said he was prepared to issue a $330 speeding ticket to Sterling, but hesitated after Sterling handed him a "diplomatic identification card" that described him, next to his photograph, as an ambassador for the Conch Republic. The back of the card said, "The bearer is officially immune from traffic infractions, detention, arrest or civil and criminal prosecution absent his/her consent."

Preston said that since he couldn't immediately verify whether the republic, which he had never heard of, was among countries that have legitimate diplomatic relations with the United States, he followed the state police policy of "avoiding an international incident" by letting Sterling -- and his mother, Susie, who was a passenger in the Jeep -- drive off with a verbal warning.

Nearly a year later, authorities got a tip from Jason Cole, who said Sterling had hired him through an advertisement on Craigslist to be one of four or five armed bodyguards, each of whom was paid $200 per day to drive the "ambassador" and his Jamaican wife, the "ambassadress," to dinner, shopping centers and nightclubs in Sterling's limousine, which carried magnetic diplomatic flags.

Cole said he had grown suspicious about Sterling's claim to be the human resources chief for the Ambassador Sterling Foundation, which somehow helped the community. But he said he was especially alarmed about seeing shotguns inside the couple's Olive Street home, since he had overheard Sterling brag about regularly firing a gun in his backyard and tell a bartender he would shoot any police officer who harassed him about the gun "and bury him in the woods."

Acting on information generated by Cole's tip, agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a search warrant on Sterling's home and limousine on Oct. 14, 2014. They found a loaded shotgun leaning against a wall at the head of Sterling's side of the bed, leading to the second charge, since Sanders had four prior felony convictions -- for burglary, bank robbery and twice being a felon in possession of a firearm -- that forbade him from possessing a gun.

The ATF agents also found numerous "diplomatic" papers, decals and magnets, prompting them to call in agents from the Diplomatic Services branch of the U.S. State Department who determined the items were fake. The agents also noted finding fake FBI jackets, BB guns that looked real, and a bank statement for "the Ambassador Sterling Foundation" that showed a recent $20,000 deposit from someone who purchased counterfeit merchandise through a Canadian contact.

Federal prosecutors -- assistant U.S. attorneys Linda Lipe and Ali Ahmad -- told jurors during the three-day trial that federal agents eventually became aware of multiple instances in which Sterling had evaded traffic citations by local and state police by displaying his phony "diplomatic" credentials. They showed jurors pages from a website for the Republic of Conch, a fictitious entity that claims to include the Florida Keys and includes tongue-in-cheek references to its mission of "mitigating world tension through humor."

Pictures on the website of "diplomatic" paraphernalia resembled many of the cards, magnets and signs that agents found in Sterling's house. Agents said several signs outside the large red-brick house had emblems mirroring those on the website and warned, "No Trespassing/Diplomatic Territory/Deadly Force Authority."

Throughout the trial, Sterling acted as his own attorney, with assistance from stand-by counsel Nicole Lybrand of the federal public defender's office. Sterling's wife, Kayan, sat in the gallery each day, wearing sparkling jewelry and shoes. On the first day of the trial, she wore a full-length white evening gown with a matching fake-fur stole.

Sterling, who handled his own cross-examinations of government witnesses, also gave his own closing argument Thursday morning, telling jurors, "I never tried to pretend I wasn't" a diplomat.

He called the charges against him "ludicrous" and said Cole lied on the witness stand and "worked as James Bond secretly for the government for months."

Sterling also told jurors he had "no idea" that the loaded shotgun, which belonged to his mother, was in his house until the agents found it.

Referring to the signs in his yard, he said, "The sign is what it is. I've never tried to hide the fact that I accepted a diplomatic position, so I was definitely not pretending."

After jurors delivered the guilty verdicts, Wilson released the panel and ordered Sterling to undergo a mental examination before his sentencing. The judge had denied an earlier request from prosecutors for a mental examination after Sterling opposed the request.

On Thursday, the judge cited statements that Sterling made during his closing arguments as well as claims that he would refuse to cooperate with probation officers in a pre-sentence investigation in ordering the evaluation. No sentencing date was set.

Metro on 05/22/2015

photo

Pulaski County sheriff's office

Nimrod Sanders' booking photo of April 7, 2015.

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