Supporters Tried To Buy Humvees For Freemen Man Attempted To Use Bogus Checks Signed By Schweitzer To Purchase Eight Vehicles

Associates of the Montana freemen tried to use bogus checks signed by leader LeRoy Schweitzer to buy eight Humvees for the freemen ranch in eastern Montana, the Denver Post reported Wednesday.

Attempts to buy the military-type vehicles from a suburban Denver dealership came just weeks before Schweitzer and fellow freeman Daniel Petersen were arrested on the group’s Justus Township compound near Jordan, Mont.

The anti-government crusaders’ March 25 arrests sparked an 81-day standoff between the FBI and 16 freemen holed up on the ranch.

Joseph Repac visited Medved Chevrolet in Wheat Ridge three times in February to try to buy Humvees for the Montana freemen, the Post reported, quoting unidentified employees. New Zealander Barry P. Taylor accompanied Repac on one trip, the employees said.

Repac and Taylor were among 12 antigovernment activists indicted last week by a Colorado grand jury on charges of forgery, theft and filing false liens. Authorities say they were part of a scheme to bankrupt the U.S. government by using phony liens and checks, many issued by the freemen.

Repac told Medved employees the all-terrain Humvees would be purchased by a “very wealthy man in Montana - LeRoy Schweitzer” and that the vehicles were bound for the freemen ranch.

When dealer John Medved refused to accept a $750,000 check signed by Schweitzer, Repac threatened him and his staff, telling them that he would “lien them all and all of their property,” the newspaper said.

The all-terrain Humvees, used during Operation Desert Storm, cost $50,000 to $90,000 each; Medved sells about 50 a year. They can reach speeds of 85 mph, haul up to five people plus ammunition, and drive through muddy or rocky terrain.

Employees said Repac was boisterous during his visits and told them the group’s money was coming from foreclosing on liens, sources told the Post.

Repac, of Westminster, Colo., formerly was associated with a Tijeras, N.M.-based newspaper, The Free American. But Free American owner Clayton Douglas said Tuesday that he severed all ties with Repac about a year ago when Repac “got involved with liens and the Schweitzer stuff.”

Douglas said Repac showed up with a $20 million check signed by Schweitzer. “I told him that if he wanted to impress me, he should go out and cash it and then buy me coffee.”

Repac frequently has spoken at gatherings of Patriot groups and has written a book about the Federal Reserve.

Douglas said one of Repac’s favorite topics is the fraud allegedly perpetrated by Federal Reserve.