The man who owns the moon, or at least in his mind, Dr. Dennis Hope has made a living selling ‘land plots’ on the moon and surrounding planets such as Venus and Mars.

Sounds like a joke, right?

Well he’s been taking full advantage of this outlandish scheme since 1980 by selling lunar property and declaring himself as the owner of Lunar Embassy and President of the Galactic Government. The 65-year-old Nevada man credits his dummy from back when he was a ventriloquist in the days before he “owned” the moon for his success. The dummy taught him a valuable lesson: you can say anything you want to anybody as long as you smile.

His business has earned him a profit of $11 million since 1996.

Dr. Hope is actively involved in “selling” parts of the moon through certificates of ownership called “Lunar deeds.” As many are calling him a con artist and making claims that this has to be illegal, Dr Hope is using The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 to clarify that his business is legal. The treaty forbids countries from claiming celestial bodies; however, there is no such provision forbidding private individuals from doing so.

Interested in buying a lot on the moon?

After the purchase is complete, along with the property, new owners receive the following documents :