MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - A self-proclaimed sovereign citizen is squatting in a multimillion dollar home in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Memphis. No one knows why he moved in or how long he has been there, but we do know he has 24 hours to move out.
Sovereigns believe they don't have to follow local, state or federal laws. This sovereign has good taste. The neighborhood is home to FedEx founder Fred Smith, and Pitt Hyde, who founded AutoZone.
Late Tuesday afternoon, bank representatives showed up at the home with a police escort and posted a note, telling the squatters inside they have 24 hours to move out of the nearly 10,000 square foot home.
The squatter doesn't own it, but for now he and his family are living large on the 4-acre estate.
Pictures from inside the home show the large kitchen, luxurious living room, den, master bedroom and outdoor pool. According to police, the foreclosed home has been owned by a bank but was recently sold.
Monday night when a bank representative went to the home, he discovered the front gate was chained shut and private property signs posted, along with sovereign citizen rhetoric on handmade signs.
Whoever is staying inside isn't alone. That same night, ABC 24 News shot video of what appears to be three girls in the window, but police could never make contact with anyone inside the home.
At the home Tuesday you could once again see the girls peering out the window, but no one would let us past the gate. Outside the home, a red flag is posted with a green star reading Moorish American National Republic.
Police say the sovereign inside goes by the name Abka Re Bey, who files a lot of sovereign citizen records at the Shelby County Register of Deeds office. Those records imply he doesn't believe he has to follow the laws of the U.S. because he considers himself a member of the Moorish National Republic.
So what happens if the squatters don't move out? We'll have to wait and see what police do Wednesday.
