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| |common_name = | |common_name = | ||
| |status = Current | |status = Current | ||
| |image_flag = ] | |||
| |image_flag = | |||
| |image_coat = |
|image_coat = ] | ||
| |symbol_type = Seal | |symbol_type = Seal | ||
| |national_motto = Unity, Peace, and Charity<ref>{{cite web|title=Motto|url=melchizedek.com|website=melchizedek.com|accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref> | |||
| |national_motto = ], unity, peace | |||
| |englishmotto = | |englishmotto = | ||
| |national_anthem = | |national_anthem = | ||
| |image_map = | |image_map = | ||
| |loctext = |
|loctext = ]<ref>{{cite web|title=Land Claim|url=http://melchizedek.com/territory-dom/territory-dom|website=melchizedek.com|accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref> | ||
| |area_km2 = | |area_km2 = | ||
| |nummembers = < 50 | |nummembers = < 50 | ||
| |established_event1 = New Charter<ref>{{cite web|title=New Charter|url=melchizedek.com|website=melchizedek.com|accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref> | |||
| |established_event1 = Declared | |||
| |established_date1 = |
|established_date1 = 2012 | ||
| |leader_title1 = Prime Minister<ref>{{cite web|title=Governmental Offices|url=http://melchizedek.com/government/governmental-offices/|website=http://melchizedek.com|publisher=Dominion of Melchizedek|accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref> | |||
| |leader_title1 = Leader | |||
| |leader_name1 = |
|leader_name1 = David Williams | ||
| |government_type = ] | |government_type = ] | ||
| |official_languages = ] |
|official_languages = ]<ref>{{cite web|title=Language|url=http://melchizedek.com/territory-dom/general-statistics|website=melchizedek.com|accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref> | ||
| |currency = World Reserve Currency<ref>{{cite web|title=Currency|url=http://melchizedek.com/territory-dom/general-statistics/|website=Melchizedek.com|accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref> | |||
| |currency = Dominion Dollar | |||
| |GDP_nominal = | |GDP_nominal = | ||
| |ethnic_groups = | |ethnic_groups = | ||
| Line 32: | Line 32: | ||
| |footnotes = | |footnotes = | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| The '''Dominion of Melchizedek (DoM)''', Is a Sovereign Ecclesiastical State having Treaties of Peace and Recognition with other Sovereign States Including <ref>{{cite web|title=International Recognition|url=http://melchizedek.com/government/international-recognition/|accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref>, <ref>{{cite web|title=International Recognition|url=http://melchizedek.com/government/international-recognition/|website=melchizedek.com|accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref>, <ref>{{cite web|title=International Recognition|url=http://melchizedek.com/government/international-recognition/|website=melchizedek.com|accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref>,and (2004]<ref>{{cite web|title=International Recognition|url=http://melchizedek.com/government/international-recognition/|website=Melchizedek.com|accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref> | |||
| The '''Dominion of Melchizedek (DoM)''', is a unilaterally declared, internationally unrecognised ] known for facilitating large scale banking ] in many parts of the world.<ref name=Quatloos></ref> | |||
| ==Origin and status== | ==Origin and status== | ||
| The Dominion of Melchizedek was unilaterally declared in 1990 by Mark Pedley, possibly with his father, David Pedley.<ref name=Quatloos/> Mark Pedley also uses a number of pseudonyms, including "Tzemach Ben David Netzer Korem" and "Branch Vinedresser". It borrows its name from the biblical king and priest ].<ref name=AsiaPacific /> | The Dominion of Melchizedek was unilaterally declared in 1990 by Mark Pedley, possibly with his father, David Pedley.<ref name=Quatloos/> Mark Pedley also uses a number of pseudonyms, including "Tzemach Ben David Netzer Korem" and "Branch Vinedresser". It borrows its name from the biblical king and priest ].<ref name=AsiaPacific /> | ||
| The Dominion of Melchizedek website |
The Dominion of Melchizedek Official website States that it is a recognized Ecclesiastical Sovereign State. Although mainstream media outlets, including '']'' magazine and '']'', have characterized it as a "ruse", and it has been described as "non-existent" by the United States ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/lr16368.htm |publisher=Securities and Exchange Commission|title=Litigation Release No. 16368|date=1999-11-23}}</ref>, The official Position of the United States Government in relationship to the Dominion of Melchizedek is determined by the US Federal Courts and the State Department.<ref>{{cite web|title=Foreign sovereign Immunites Act|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/Foreign_Sovereign_Immunities_Act}}</ref> Allegations and opinions of organizations and sub-entities of a State does not determine the Political Status of a State in International Law. <ref>{{cite web|title=Rights and Duties of States|url=http://www.cfr.org/sovereignty/montevideo-convention-rights-duties-states/p15897}}</ref> (The United States is Signatory to the OAS) | ||
| During the 1990s DoM began to claim sovereignty over a number of Pacific islands. DoM's claims include Taongi Atoll (near the Marshall Islands); Malpelo Island (a claimed possession of Colombia; Karitane Shoal (a reef often submerged under 9 metres of water); Solkope Island; and Clipperton Island (also a claimed possession of France) and a large section of Antarctica although the New Administration of the DoM only exerts Territorial Sovereignty over the Taongi Atoll.. and Although a dispute between the DoM and the Marshall Islands exists concerning the status of the DoM's "sovereignty," the DoM continues to assert physical possession and governmental rule over Taongi with no challenge by the Marshall Islands, the United States or any other nation. <ref>{{cite web|title=Land Claims|url=http://micronations.wikia.com/Dominion_of_Melchizedek|website=micronation.wki|accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref> | |||
| The claimed territories are extremely widely dispersed across the north and south Pacific and Antarctica. The principal land is ''Taongi'', otherwise known as ], an uninhabited Micronesian atoll falling under the administration of the Government of the ]. ] is an overseas possession of France; ] is submerged 9m under the Pacific, and the minor island of ] belongs to Fiji. There is no recorded territorial claim in ] and no land on which such a claim could be made. | |||
| It is a virtual nation that exists only on its webpage with the aim of luring gullible citizens from Third World Nations to buy into citizenship rights with a promise of easier procurement of a U.S. visa.<ref>http://www.asiapacificms.com/articles/cyberfraud_melchizedek/</ref> | |||
| ==Recognition== | ==Recognition== | ||
| According to the '']'', the ] extended ] to the DoM in 1993. | |||
| According to the '']'', the ] extended ] to the DoM in 1993, but the ''Post'' article went on to remark, "...you get the feeling that the Central African Republic would recognize the State of Denial if it had a letterhead."<ref name=wprtr>{{cite news |title=The Ruse That Roared |work=] |date=5 November 1995}}</ref> An article in the ''Quatloos'' online anti-fraud site noted that "Melchizedek has apparently obtained some sort of recognition from some smaller states ... all of which are notable for their corruption. Claims that the DoM has received recognition from any major government are purely lies."<ref name=Quatloos/> | |||
| The Dominion of Melchizedek (DoM) does have Treaties of Peace and Recognition with several Sovereign States Including <ref>{{cite web|title=International Recognition|url=http://melchizedek.com/government/international-recognition/|accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref>, <ref>{{cite web|title=International Recognition|url=http://melchizedek.com/government/international-recognition/|website=melchizedek.com|accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref>, <ref>{{cite web|title=International Recognition|url=http://melchizedek.com/government/international-recognition/|website=melchizedek.com|accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref>,and (2004]<ref>{{cite web|title=International Recognition|url=http://melchizedek.com/government/international-recognition/|website=Melchizedek.com|accessdate=24 February 2015}}</ref> | |||
| The Marshall Islands originally acknowledged the DoM's sovereignty. However, after allegations of illegality by individuals within the DoM were raised by the U.S. State Department, the Marshall Islands issued a diplomatic note to other nations, urging nations friendly to it not to recognize claims of DoM in the Marshall Islands. The recognized Iroijlaplap (chief) of Taongi was later quoted on an Australian television current affairs program as saying he had granted DoM a 50-year "sovereign lease" over the Taongi Atoll island. However, the Marshall Islands now argues that sovereignty over the atoll (as opposed to land title) belongs to the Marshall Islands and not to private citizens, therefore the Iroijlaplap's action should be considered a nullity. The DoM asserts that historical maps and territorial claims by the Marshall Islands did not include the Taongi Atoll island until the U.S. State Department interceded in the mid nineties. Although a dispute between the DoM and the Marshall Islands exists concerning the status of the DoM's "sovereignty," the DoM continues to assert physical possession and governmental rule over Taongi with no challenge by the Marshall Islands, the United States or any other nation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Recognition of DoM|url=http://micronations.wikia.com/Dominion_of_Melchizedek}}</ref> | |||
| According to International Law and Treaties such as the - | |||
| Article 3 | |||
| The political existence of the state is independent of recognition by the other states. Even before recognition the state has the right to defend its integrity and independence, to provide for its conservation and prosperity, and consequently to organize itself as it sees fit, to legislate upon its interests, administer its services, and to define the jurisdiction and competence of its courts. | |||
| The exercise of these rights has no other limitation than the exercise of the rights of other states according to international law. | |||
| Article 6 | |||
| The recognition of a state merely signifies that the state which recognizes it accepts the personality of the other with all the rights and duties determined by international law. Recognition is unconditional and irrevocable. | |||
| Article 7 | |||
| The recognition of a state merely signifies that the state which recognizes it accepts the personality of the other with all the rights and duties determined by international law. Recognition is unconditional and irrevocable. | |||
| ==Marshall Islands statement== | ==Marshall Islands statement== | ||
| Line 52: | Line 69: | ||
| ==Frauds linked to the Dominion of Melchizedek== | ==Frauds linked to the Dominion of Melchizedek== | ||
| Because the Founder and Former Member's associated with the Dominion of Melchizedek did not fully understand International law when it came to the process of Naturalization as defined by international law and likewise continued to carry United States Passports or the passports of their Domicile of Origin, none of the previous individuals associated with the DoM where legally members of the DoM in the eyes of International law. Moreover, individuals who have been stated as being arrested or punished for crimes in the name of the DoM where arrested and charged as United states Citizens or as Citizens within the Jurisdiction they belonged... Not as Members of the DoM. No reports to date have specifically linked said member's and the Dominion of Melchizedek. | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | in an address to the 4th International Financial Fraud Convention in London, 1999-05-27, John Shockey, a former special assistant in the office of the U.S. ], stated: | ||
| <blockquote> | <blockquote> | ||
| Melchizedek first came to my attention in June 1990, a few months after Mark Pedley was paroled from a 1986 conviction. Inquiries were received concerning bank names: Banco de Asia, Guardian Savings & Guaranty and Express Bank among others. Investigations that these entities had bank charters from the DOM and obtained through an entity named Consortium Finance Corporation headquartered in Lake Tahoe, California. Further investigation disclosed a principal alternately named John Hayden and Branch Vinedresser. Shortly thereafter the FBI took Branch Vinedresser into custody and revealed that he was Mark Pedley, who then was charged with violations of his parole. | Melchizedek first came to my attention in June 1990, a few months after Mark Pedley was paroled from a 1986 conviction. Inquiries were received concerning bank names: Banco de Asia, Guardian Savings & Guaranty and Express Bank among others. Investigations that these entities had bank charters from the DOM and obtained through an entity named Consortium Finance Corporation headquartered in Lake Tahoe, California. Further investigation disclosed a principal alternately named John Hayden and Branch Vinedresser. Shortly thereafter the FBI took Branch Vinedresser into custody and revealed that he was Mark Pedley, who then was charged with violations of his parole. | ||
| </blockquote> | </blockquote> | ||
| In the same address Stockey also stated that: "The Dominion of Melchizedek is a fraud, a major fraud, and not a legitimate sovereign entity. Persons associated with the Dominion of Melchizedek have been indicted and convicted of a variety of crimes."<ref name=Quatloos/> | |||
| At one stage in the early 2000s, DoM maintained a post office box address in ], the capital of ]. Coincidentally, one of the individuals identified by Philippine authorities in November 1998 as the ringleader of a series of frauds perpetrated in the name of DoM was John Gillespie, a former Australian felon who was convicted on the basis of his involvement in the ] horse substitution racket during the 1980s. According to a media report originally published in ''The Nation'' (Bangkok) on 1999-05-30, "hundreds of Filipinos, Chinese and Bangladeshis paid up to US$3,500 to Gillespie's gang for worthless Melchizedek travel documents," and some had also paid significant amounts of money to obtain "government jobs" on one of the uninhabited Pacific islands claimed by DoM. The total amount defrauded was estimated at one million dollars. While the other gang members were arrested, Gillespie himself eluded capture.<ref name=AsiaPacific>{{cite web|url=http://www.asiapacificms.com/articles/cyberfraud_melchizedek/ |title=Cyberfraud: The fictitious "Dominion of Melchizedek" |first=Bertil |last=Lintner |publisher=The Nation |location=Bangkok |date=May 30, 1999 |work=Asia Pacific Media Services |accessdate=2013-03-31}}</ref> | At one stage in the early 2000s, DoM maintained a post office box address in ], the capital of ]. Coincidentally, one of the individuals identified by Philippine authorities in November 1998 as the ringleader of a series of frauds perpetrated in the name of DoM was John Gillespie, a former Australian felon who was convicted on the basis of his involvement in the ] horse substitution racket during the 1980s. According to a media report originally published in ''The Nation'' (Bangkok) on 1999-05-30, "hundreds of Filipinos, Chinese and Bangladeshis paid up to US$3,500 to Gillespie's gang for worthless Melchizedek travel documents," and some had also paid significant amounts of money to obtain "government jobs" on one of the uninhabited Pacific islands claimed by DoM. The total amount defrauded was estimated at one million dollars. While the other gang members were arrested, Gillespie himself eluded capture.<ref name=AsiaPacific>{{cite web|url=http://www.asiapacificms.com/articles/cyberfraud_melchizedek/ |title=Cyberfraud: The fictitious "Dominion of Melchizedek" |first=Bertil |last=Lintner |publisher=The Nation |location=Bangkok |date=May 30, 1999 |work=Asia Pacific Media Services |accessdate=2013-03-31}}</ref> | ||
| Another fraud involving DoM is tied to Jeffrey Thayer, who was the Governor of the Bar Association from 1997 to 1999 and the current General Counsel and Humanitarian Projects Coordinator. Thayer practices law under a license granted by DoM, although he is not allowed to practice in California where was once licensed.<ref></ref> | Another fraud involving DoM is tied to Jeffrey Thayer, who was the Governor of the Bar Association from 1997 to 1999 and the current General Counsel and Humanitarian Projects Coordinator. Thayer practices law under a license granted by DoM, although he is not allowed to practice in California where was once licensed.<ref></ref> | ||
| Based on the DoM's official Website, they do not have their own currency but instead use the ] to conduct business and commerce. <ref>{{cite web|title=General Statistics|url=http://melchizedek.com/territory-dom/general-statistics/|website=melchizedek.com}}</ref>. | |||
| ==The Dominion of Melchizedek Today== | |||
| Two separate regimes have ruled the micro-nation since the days of the Pedleys, with no reports of illegality. In July of 2003, the DoM elected its first post-Pedley administration, that brought Richard James McDonald to the Presidency.... | |||
| Richard James McDonald is a former law enforcement officer and while acting as President of the DoM he announced the younger Pedley's departure from government service. Although acting as President of the DoM, McDonald committed Treason against the DoM by running his website and maintained his status as a United States Citizen. He was asked to Step Down as President in 2008 by the former Council of Elders. At that time was asked to take an interim position as President and Head-of-State of the Dominion of Melchizedek and asked to help write a new Charter for the DoM. | |||
| David Williams agreed to help write a new Charter for the DoM and worked with the Founder in doing so. An agreement on the new Charter could not be met at which time the DoM entered a State of interregnum. David Korem, being uneducated in International Law and the , failed to understand Naturalization and continued to operate as a United States Citizen while continuing to disturb the International Public Order as well as interfering in the Internal Political Workings of the United States and subsequently was arrested by authorities of the United States as a United States Citizen and thereby also committed treason against the Dominion of Melchizedek. | |||
| At that time a meeting was held in 2012 and an agreement was reached whereby the Founder relinquished all authority, association, and claims to the Dominion of Melchizedek and turned over said authority and land claims/titles to David Williams. This Marked the beginning of the second Post-Pedley Administration. | |||
| ==David Evan Pedley==<!-- This section is linked from ] --> | ==David Evan Pedley==<!-- This section is linked from ] --> | ||
| Line 81: | Line 111: | ||
| She is a ] business woman who has been involved in controversial banking and investments. She was prevented from operating companies that were purporting to be banks in ]<ref name=tisind>{{cite news |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/indystar/doc/240110761.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current |title=Indiana trying to expel `phantom' Asia Pacific Bank |work=] |date=9 November 1994 |page=E1}}</ref> and California.<ref name=sacwar>{{cite web |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB0DB1978FC04F6&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM#ixzz1HKfqBQGC |title="Nation" Waging "Spiritual War" on State Official |work=] |date=13 February 1995 |page=B1}}</ref> The United States ] sued Gamboa in 2009, alleging that she had used fictitious reports of gold mining operations to profit by fraudulently selling shares, siphoning off more than $1 million.<ref name=cnsemp>{{cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20120319023958/http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/06/15/SEC_Ties_Gold-Mining_Shares_to_Empty_Shell.htm |title=SEC Ties Gold-Mining Shares to Empty Shell |work=] |date=15 Jun 2009}}</ref><ref name=secsue>{{cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20090615063145/http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2009/lr21084.htm |title=SEC Sues ZNext Mining and its Principal for Fraud and Registration Violations |work=] |date=12 June 2009}}</ref> A judgment was ordered against her in August 2010 totaling $1.8 million; a $650,000 fine for the ZNext corporation, and $1.18 million for Gamboa personally. Gamboa was also permanently barred from selling penny stocks. She has not paid the fine and is attempting to have the decision overturned.<ref name=sfwfan /> | She is a ] business woman who has been involved in controversial banking and investments. She was prevented from operating companies that were purporting to be banks in ]<ref name=tisind>{{cite news |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/indystar/doc/240110761.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current |title=Indiana trying to expel `phantom' Asia Pacific Bank |work=] |date=9 November 1994 |page=E1}}</ref> and California.<ref name=sacwar>{{cite web |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB0DB1978FC04F6&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM#ixzz1HKfqBQGC |title="Nation" Waging "Spiritual War" on State Official |work=] |date=13 February 1995 |page=B1}}</ref> The United States ] sued Gamboa in 2009, alleging that she had used fictitious reports of gold mining operations to profit by fraudulently selling shares, siphoning off more than $1 million.<ref name=cnsemp>{{cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20120319023958/http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/06/15/SEC_Ties_Gold-Mining_Shares_to_Empty_Shell.htm |title=SEC Ties Gold-Mining Shares to Empty Shell |work=] |date=15 Jun 2009}}</ref><ref name=secsue>{{cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20090615063145/http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2009/lr21084.htm |title=SEC Sues ZNext Mining and its Principal for Fraud and Registration Violations |work=] |date=12 June 2009}}</ref> A judgment was ordered against her in August 2010 totaling $1.8 million; a $650,000 fine for the ZNext corporation, and $1.18 million for Gamboa personally. Gamboa was also permanently barred from selling penny stocks. She has not paid the fine and is attempting to have the decision overturned.<ref name=sfwfan /> | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 11:36, 24 February 2015
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|
| Dominion of MelchizedekMicronation | |
|---|---|
|
| |
| Motto: Unity, Peace, and Charity | |
| Status | Current |
| Location | Taongi |
| Official languages | English |
| Organizational structure | Ecclesiastical state |
| • Prime Minister | David Williams |
| Establishment | |
| • New Charter | 2012 |
| Membership | < 50 |
| Purported currency | World Reserve Currency |
The Dominion of Melchizedek (DoM), Is a Sovereign Ecclesiastical State having Treaties of Peace and Recognition with other Sovereign States Including the Central African Republic (2003), Republic of Cameroon (2004), Nigeria (2004),and the Republic of Burkino Faso (2004]
Origin and status
The Dominion of Melchizedek was unilaterally declared in 1990 by Mark Pedley, possibly with his father, David Pedley. Mark Pedley also uses a number of pseudonyms, including "Tzemach Ben David Netzer Korem" and "Branch Vinedresser". It borrows its name from the biblical king and priest Melchizedek.
The Dominion of Melchizedek Official website States that it is a recognized Ecclesiastical Sovereign State. Although mainstream media outlets, including Forbes magazine and The Washington Post, have characterized it as a "ruse", and it has been described as "non-existent" by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission., The official Position of the United States Government in relationship to the Dominion of Melchizedek is determined by the US Federal Courts and the State Department. Allegations and opinions of organizations and sub-entities of a State does not determine the Political Status of a State in International Law. (The United States is Signatory to the OAS)
During the 1990s DoM began to claim sovereignty over a number of Pacific islands. DoM's claims include Taongi Atoll (near the Marshall Islands); Malpelo Island (a claimed possession of Colombia; Karitane Shoal (a reef often submerged under 9 metres of water); Solkope Island; and Clipperton Island (also a claimed possession of France) and a large section of Antarctica although the New Administration of the DoM only exerts Territorial Sovereignty over the Taongi Atoll.. and Although a dispute between the DoM and the Marshall Islands exists concerning the status of the DoM's "sovereignty," the DoM continues to assert physical possession and governmental rule over Taongi with no challenge by the Marshall Islands, the United States or any other nation.
Recognition
According to the Washington Post, the Central African Republic extended diplomatic recognition to the DoM in 1993. The Dominion of Melchizedek (DoM) does have Treaties of Peace and Recognition with several Sovereign States Including the Central African Republic (2003), Republic of Cameroon (2004), Nigeria (2004),and the Republic of Burkino Faso (2004]
The Marshall Islands originally acknowledged the DoM's sovereignty. However, after allegations of illegality by individuals within the DoM were raised by the U.S. State Department, the Marshall Islands issued a diplomatic note to other nations, urging nations friendly to it not to recognize claims of DoM in the Marshall Islands. The recognized Iroijlaplap (chief) of Taongi was later quoted on an Australian television current affairs program as saying he had granted DoM a 50-year "sovereign lease" over the Taongi Atoll island. However, the Marshall Islands now argues that sovereignty over the atoll (as opposed to land title) belongs to the Marshall Islands and not to private citizens, therefore the Iroijlaplap's action should be considered a nullity. The DoM asserts that historical maps and territorial claims by the Marshall Islands did not include the Taongi Atoll island until the U.S. State Department interceded in the mid nineties. Although a dispute between the DoM and the Marshall Islands exists concerning the status of the DoM's "sovereignty," the DoM continues to assert physical possession and governmental rule over Taongi with no challenge by the Marshall Islands, the United States or any other nation.
According to International Law and Treaties such as the Convention on the Rights and Duties of states by the (OAS)-
Article 3
The political existence of the state is independent of recognition by the other states. Even before recognition the state has the right to defend its integrity and independence, to provide for its conservation and prosperity, and consequently to organize itself as it sees fit, to legislate upon its interests, administer its services, and to define the jurisdiction and competence of its courts.
The exercise of these rights has no other limitation than the exercise of the rights of other states according to international law.
Article 6
The recognition of a state merely signifies that the state which recognizes it accepts the personality of the other with all the rights and duties determined by international law. Recognition is unconditional and irrevocable.
Article 7
The recognition of a state merely signifies that the state which recognizes it accepts the personality of the other with all the rights and duties determined by international law. Recognition is unconditional and irrevocable.
Marshall Islands statement
In response to one of DoM's territorial claims, the government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands issued the following statement:
The Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands condemns the claims and activities asserted by representatives of the "Kingdom of EnenKio" and the "Dominion of Melchizedek". The representatives making claims of separate sovereignty are not citizens of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and have no right to make claims on behalf of Marshallese landowners. Furthermore, these representatives are making fraudulent assertions that violate the Republic of the Marshall Islands's constitution. The area of land and ocean which the "Kingdom of EnenKio" asserts as a sovereign nation separate from the Marshall Islands and the area of land and ocean which the "Dominion of Melchizedek" is asserting control over are areas within the geographical and political boundaries of the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Circular Note 01-98
Frauds linked to the Dominion of Melchizedek
Because the Founder and Former Member's associated with the Dominion of Melchizedek did not fully understand International law when it came to the process of Naturalization as defined by international law and likewise continued to carry United States Passports or the passports of their Domicile of Origin, none of the previous individuals associated with the DoM where legally members of the DoM in the eyes of International law. Moreover, individuals who have been stated as being arrested or punished for crimes in the name of the DoM where arrested and charged as United states Citizens or as Citizens within the Jurisdiction they belonged... Not as Members of the DoM. No reports to date have specifically linked said member's and the Dominion of Melchizedek.
in an address to the 4th International Financial Fraud Convention in London, 1999-05-27, John Shockey, a former special assistant in the office of the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency, stated:
Melchizedek first came to my attention in June 1990, a few months after Mark Pedley was paroled from a 1986 conviction. Inquiries were received concerning bank names: Banco de Asia, Guardian Savings & Guaranty and Express Bank among others. Investigations that these entities had bank charters from the DOM and obtained through an entity named Consortium Finance Corporation headquartered in Lake Tahoe, California. Further investigation disclosed a principal alternately named John Hayden and Branch Vinedresser. Shortly thereafter the FBI took Branch Vinedresser into custody and revealed that he was Mark Pedley, who then was charged with violations of his parole.
At one stage in the early 2000s, DoM maintained a post office box address in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Coincidentally, one of the individuals identified by Philippine authorities in November 1998 as the ringleader of a series of frauds perpetrated in the name of DoM was John Gillespie, a former Australian felon who was convicted on the basis of his involvement in the Fine Cotton horse substitution racket during the 1980s. According to a media report originally published in The Nation (Bangkok) on 1999-05-30, "hundreds of Filipinos, Chinese and Bangladeshis paid up to US$3,500 to Gillespie's gang for worthless Melchizedek travel documents," and some had also paid significant amounts of money to obtain "government jobs" on one of the uninhabited Pacific islands claimed by DoM. The total amount defrauded was estimated at one million dollars. While the other gang members were arrested, Gillespie himself eluded capture.
Another fraud involving DoM is tied to Jeffrey Thayer, who was the Governor of the Bar Association from 1997 to 1999 and the current General Counsel and Humanitarian Projects Coordinator. Thayer practices law under a license granted by DoM, although he is not allowed to practice in California where was once licensed.
Based on the DoM's official Website, they do not have their own currency but instead use the World Reserve Currency to conduct business and commerce. .
The Dominion of Melchizedek Today
Two separate regimes have ruled the micro-nation since the days of the Pedleys, with no reports of illegality. In July of 2003, the DoM elected its first post-Pedley administration, that brought Richard James McDonald to the Presidency....
Richard James McDonald is a former law enforcement officer and while acting as President of the DoM he announced the younger Pedley's departure from government service. Although acting as President of the DoM, McDonald committed Treason against the DoM by running his website State-Citizen.org and maintained his status as a United States Citizen. He was asked to Step Down as President in 2008 by the former Council of Elders. At that time Ambassador David Williams was asked to take an interim position as President and Head-of-State of the Dominion of Melchizedek and asked to help write a new Charter for the DoM.
David Williams agreed to help write a new Charter for the DoM and worked with the Founder in doing so. An agreement on the new Charter could not be met at which time the DoM entered a State of interregnum. David Korem, being uneducated in International Law and the LAW OF NATIONS, failed to understand Naturalization and continued to operate as a United States Citizen while continuing to disturb the International Public Order as well as interfering in the Internal Political Workings of the United States and subsequently was arrested by authorities of the United States as a United States Citizen and thereby also committed treason against the Dominion of Melchizedek.
At that time a meeting was held in 2012 and an agreement was reached whereby the Founder relinquished all authority, association, and claims to the Dominion of Melchizedek and turned over said authority and land claims/titles to David Williams. This Marked the beginning of the second Post-Pedley Administration.
David Evan Pedley
After being convicted of several financial crimes in the 1970s, including stock fraud, David Pedley was incarcerated. He claims the charges were false and the result of a "witch-hunt" against him. While incarcerated, he started a cattle business, which his son Mark operated for him in Los Angeles, California.
While in Mexican custody Pedley apparently died, though the circumstances are not clear. A closed casket funeral was held in Altadena, California in 1987. At the funeral, FBI agents approached the Pedley family and requested to fingerprint David Pedley's body. This request was denied by the family and allegedly some government regulators believe that Pedley is still alive. Pedley is the co-author, with his son, of the Melchizedek Bible.
Mark Logan Pedley
Mark Logan Pedley (born 19 July 1953), later changed to Mark Wellington, (also known as "Tzemach Ben David Netzer Korem" and "Branch Vinedresser"; Branch Vinedresser being a translation of his Hebrew name Tzemach Korem). He is the son of David Pedley and was the Head of the House of Elders, Vice President, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the DoM. Pedley is the co-author, with his father, of the Melchizedek Bible.
In 1983, Pedley was convicted of mail and interstate fraud relating to a land fraud in California and jailed for 3 years. Shortly after his release, he was again successfully prosecuted in 1986 for a $6 million currency fraud scheme that was operated in 1982-3; he was jailed for 8 years and fined $25,000. Having been paroled in 1990, he set up the Dominion of Melchizedek. His parole was revoked in late 1991 due to a violation of his conditions, arising from his promotion of a fictitious country, and was returned to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence. In 1994, following his release, Pedley married Pearlasia Gamboa, who was made president of Melchizedek.
In 2010, under the name Tzemach David Netzer Korem, he was charged with, and later pled guilty to, share manipulation regarding ZNext Mining. ZNext Mining was investigated by a multi-agency taskforce as part of Operation Broken Trust, a US-wide operation in 2010 that targeted investment fraud. In 2011 he was sentenced to 2 years in prison.
Pearlasia Gamboa
Main article: Pearlasia GamboaPearlasia Gamboa was president of the Dominion of Melchizedek. She is married to Mark Pedley.
She is a Filipina-American business woman who has been involved in controversial banking and investments. She was prevented from operating companies that were purporting to be banks in Indiana and California. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission sued Gamboa in 2009, alleging that she had used fictitious reports of gold mining operations to profit by fraudulently selling shares, siphoning off more than $1 million. A judgment was ordered against her in August 2010 totaling $1.8 million; a $650,000 fine for the ZNext corporation, and $1.18 million for Gamboa personally. Gamboa was also permanently barred from selling penny stocks. She has not paid the fine and is attempting to have the decision overturned.
See also
References
- . melchizedek.com. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - "Land Claim". melchizedek.com. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- "Language". melchizedek.com. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- "Governmental Offices". http://melchizedek.com. Dominion of Melchizedek. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - . melchizedek.com. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - "Currency". Melchizedek.com. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- "International Recognition". Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- "International Recognition". melchizedek.com. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- "International Recognition". melchizedek.com. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- "International Recognition". Melchizedek.com. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Quatlooswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Lintner, Bertil (May 30, 1999). "Cyberfraud: The fictitious "Dominion of Melchizedek"". Asia Pacific Media Services. Bangkok: The Nation. Retrieved 2013-03-31.
- "Litigation Release No. 16368". Securities and Exchange Commission. 1999-11-23.
- "Foreign sovereign Immunites Act".
- "Rights and Duties of States".
- "Land Claims". micronation.wki. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- "International Recognition". Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- "International Recognition". melchizedek.com. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- "International Recognition". melchizedek.com. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- "International Recognition". Melchizedek.com. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- "Recognition of DoM".
- http://www.angelfire.com/nv/micronations/images/marshall2b.jpg
- State Bar of California: member info, Jeffrey Taylor, Beverly Hills
- "General Statistics". melchizedek.com.
- David Pasztor (1996-05-02). "Scam Without A Country". Dallas Observer. Village Voice Media.
- ^ "Fantasy Island: The Strange Tale of Alleged Fraudster Pearlasia Gamboa". SF Weekly. 6 June 2011.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
wprtrwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Boy, Do We Know Tzemach Ben David Netzer Korem". Forbes. 8 October 2010.
- ^ Tillman, Robert (2002). Global Pirates: Fraud in the Offshore Insurance Industry. pp. 111–2.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - "U.S. ATTORNEY ANNOUNCES REGIONAL RESULTS OF "OPERATION BROKEN TRUST" TARGETING INVESTMENT FRAUD". United States Department of Justice. 6 December 2010.
- Tillman, Robert (2002). Global Pirates: Fraud in the Offshore Insurance Industry. p. 112.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - "Indiana trying to expel `phantom' Asia Pacific Bank". The Indianapolis Star. 9 November 1994. p. E1.
- ""Nation" Waging "Spiritual War" on State Official". The Sacramento Bee. 13 February 1995. p. B1.
- "SEC Ties Gold-Mining Shares to Empty Shell". Courthouse News Service. 15 Jun 2009.
- "SEC Sues ZNext Mining and its Principal for Fraud and Registration Violations". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 12 June 2009.
External links
- Official site
- Scamdog - Another article describing Melchizedek's criminal activities.
- Warning from the Comptroller of the US Treasury Department.
- 1999 US Securities and Exchange Commission civil case involving bank licensed by the Dominion of Melchizedek
- "THE RUSE THAT ROARED; It's War! Island Nation Targets France in Ruthenian Missile Crisis", The Washington Post, November 5, 1995
- "No Man Is An Island", Dallas Observer, June 27, 1996
- "The Dominion Of Melchizedek Manipulation", DC Indymedia, January 10, 2008
