COEYMANS — The FBI considers beliefs like his akin to a domestic terrorism threat.

He owes $49,387 in town and Albany County taxes.

And he sits on the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk school board, heading the finance committee.

Rodney Krzykowski's back taxes and political beliefs have drawn concern from residents at recent school board meetings. They question how an elected official who files documents typical of a sovereign citizen, a movement where members claim they are exempt from the government's laws, can uphold an oath to defend the Constitution.

School board members rarely acknowledge the remarks at meetings. Officials who commented said they are not concerned. Krzykowski isn't talking.

Krzykowski, 72, unsuccessfully ran for the board twice before winning election in May 2011, when he placed second among eight candidates in a race for three seats. By that time, he had owed taxes going back as far as 2001, according to public records.

Since elected, he has demanded $1 million from the town for using his name, which he claims is copyrighted, on code violation charges on notices regarding his land on Route 143.

In paperwork filed in town court, he declares himself a "sovereign citizen."

Other documents also link Krzykowski with the movement of the same name, which the FBI said often clogs courts with paperwork and can become hostile toward law enforcement. Terry Nichols, who helped plan the Oklahoma City bombing, was among its members.

The FBI's Albany office would not discuss Krzykowski and there is no indication he is being investigated.

Krzykowski did not answer repeated telephone calls. When tracked down at a Feb. 28 school board meeting, he told a Times Union reporter he wouldn't speak and referred her to the local court.

Mark Potok, an expert on sovereign citizens with the Southern Poverty Law Center, said Krzykowski's many letters, court documents and Uniform Commercial Code filings are typical sovereign citizen techniques.

Sovereign citizens believe the government went bankrupt in 1932 when it abandoned the gold standard and began using its citizens as collateral in trade agreements, according to the FBI. This belief is known as the redemption theory, and its adherents believe they can access secret U.S. treasury accounts in their names by filing obscure legal documents.

Driver's licenses, Social Security numbers and birth certificates are often cited by sovereign citizens as security the government uses in trade agreements.

In a June 2010 UCC financing statement, Krzykowski transfers all his property to himself. In another document, he writes, "to state 'value' of Birth Certificate of RODNEY ALLEN KRZYKOWSKI, Debtor, to value $100,000,000.00 as per charge back process filed with the department of treasury."

In another filing, an 18-page document, he enters into "a security agreement" with himself and claims a lien against himself in the amount of $100 million.

A fine and bankruptcy

Krzykowski is a lifelong RCS district resident who has dabbled in various businesses for more than 50 years. At a recent court appearance over alleged local code violations, he told a judge he has a high school education and has been self-employed since 1959.

A 2010 consent order entered into between Krzykowski and the state Department of Environmental Conservation states he's running a "tire recovery business" known as RAK Tire on his property on Route 143. He previously ran a restaurant and bar business, R.K.'s Winners Circle Ltd., on the property and has driven tractor-trailers. His property is cluttered with tires, mounds of dirt, old cars and 18-wheeler trailers.

In 2010, Krzykowski agreed to pay a $2,000 fine after the DEC concluded he had 4,000 to 6,000 waste tires on his property without a permit.

A DEC spokesman said the agency continues to investigate the property but will not comment further.

Krzykowski filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection twice over the past eight years. The second case was closed in May 2011.

Albany County spokeswoman Mary Rozak said his bankruptcy filings have made it difficult for the county to collect the back taxes owed.

"It seems to be that (Krzykowski) knew the system," Rozak said.

Besides, she said, the county questions whether the land is worth taking given the condition of the property.

Krzykowski's recent code enforcement issues accuse him of accumulating excessive amounts of trash, tall weeds, overgrown plants and inoperable or unregistered vehicles.

A judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest in December when he missed a court appearance, but the matter was resolved and a new court date was scheduled.

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In court documents, Krzykowski responds to the allegations by stating that only he has control over his property. He alleges "a decades-long campaign of harassment by the town and the code enforcement officer against the claimant" in a notice of claim — a precursor to a municipal lawsuit — filed with the town clerk. The claim demands $50 million from the town.

The court file contains a series of unusual documents, some marked with a stamp that reads, "secured party creditor and trustee Rodney A. Krzykowski." In the documents, he said his various filings "changed my status from government entity to sovereign citizen."

He told town Judge George Dardani Jr. on March 1 that he intended to represent himself on the code violation charges and had prepared several motions for the judge. Dardani told him he qualified for a public defender and encouraged him to show the motions to an attorney before submitting them. Krzykowski will reappear April 5.

Coeymans town Building Inspector and Code Enforcement Officer Laverne Conrad said Krzykowski has also filed a series of documents against him. He said he didn't understand what the papers meant, so he forwarded them to the town attorney.

Town Attorney David Wukitsch did not return calls for comment.

Documents filed with the town clerk last year demanded $500,000, and later $1 million, from then-town Supervisor James Youmans. Krzykowski alleged the town violated his copyright by using his name on a town notice.

"Please be advised that the town of Coeymans maintains that you have no claim whatsoever against the town because there is no contractual relationship, either express or implied," a letter from the town attorney states.

The FBI has characterized the "sovereign citizens" as anti-government extremists who believe that even though they are in the country they are separate or "sovereign" from the United States. "As a result, they believe they don't have to answer to any government authority, including courts, taxing entities, motor vehicle departments, or law enforcement," the FBI says on its website.

The sovereign citizen movement has grown with the downturn of the economy because it is seen by some as a way to escape financial difficulty, said James Kolbe, an Albany-based supervisory special agent of the FBI's joint terrorism task force.

Nevertheless, he said, the movement has been on the FBI's radar for years.

Recently, three Ulster County men who Kolbe identified as being affiliated with the sovereign movement were sentenced to prison for what the FBI calls "paper terrorism" -— filing fake liens, court papers and outrageous bills against bankers and public officials. Ed Parenteau and Jeffrey Burfeindt, were convicted of federal mail fraud and were sentenced to 21 months and 6 months, respectively. Richard Ulloa, in a separate criminal case, was sentenced to five years after being convicted of federal mail fraud. Ulloa has appealed his conviction.

Coeymans Police Investigator Jerry DeLuca only said the department is learning more about the movement.

"We have become aware of sovereign citizens and are conscious of it," he said.

No comment

Despite Krzykowski's troubles, RCS School Board meetings continue with business as usual.

At the Jan. 24 school board meeting, former member Cathy DeLuca, who is also the police investigator's wife, demanded Krzykowski either resign or be suspended from the board because of his tax issues.

"I'd like to know why the board has allowed Mr. Krzykowski to be purposely delinquent on his taxes for more than five years and yet sits on the finance board and on this school board," she said.

No one on the board responded, and they moved on to the next matter.

At the Feb. 7 meeting, a resident asked Krzykowski how his political views affect his oath of office.

"At this point, this whole matter is under legal proceeding and until that's resolved I have no comment," Krzykowski responded.

As Krzykowski asked a question about the 2012-13 budget at the Feb. 28 meeting, someone in the audience softly snickered, "Why don't you pay your taxes?"

At the public comment period near the end of the meeting, one of two such periods, resident Dave Bartlett tried to ask a question about Krzykowski, but was halted by Board President John Vadney because it did not pertain to certain items on the agenda.

Residents heckled Vadney to let Bartlett ask his question, which came after a resident spoke off-topic for several minutes in praise of the board.

"I don't see how this pertains to our agenda tonight," Vadney said.

"This absolutely pertains to the board," Bartlett said. "I would like my question to be answered."

Vadney told Bartlett to get in touch with the board. Bartlett sat down, and the board's attorney, Margo May, addressed the public.

"Mr. Krzykowski took his oath of office to uphold the Constitution of New York State and the federal government," she said. "He is a United States citizen and is considered as such unless he revokes his citizenship and that can only be done in a foreign country in accordance with rules that are set and it has to be done in a diplomatic arena or in a consulate. So at this point in time there is no reason to believe that he is not a U.S. citizen."

Some in the crowd yelled that the statement did not answer the man's question, but May only shrugged, and the meeting continued.

Vadney later showed up at Bartlett's house, his wife, Amy Bartlett, said, and left her his phone number.

The Bartletts, who have four young children in the district, question why Vadney has allowed Krzykowski to continue chairing the finance committee.

"I am concerned if he in fact is a sovereign citizen," she said. "I question his motives for getting on a public school board."

Vadney has the power to remove Krzykowski as finance committee chairman. But he said he is hesitant to do that until Krzykowski's legal issues are resolved.

"What happens if he owes $100,000 and a court agreement is reached and he pays $20,000? Should he be blacklisted for not paying $80,000?" Vadney said.

Krzykowski cannot be removed from the board unless he is convicted of a crime, Vadney said. He said he was unfamiliar with the sovereign citizen movement.

"We have no inherent powers once we leave that boardroom," he said. "I cannot myself just start going on school property and start doing an investigation. That's not up to me."

May said Krzykowski has not been convicted of a crime, and there is no basis for removing him.

Superintendent Elisabeth Smith said she had no comment on the matter.

But RCS Teachers' Association President Matt Miller said the board can do more than they claim.

Miller said Vadney supported Krzykowski's run, along with board members Michael Robbins and Jeff Lukens.

Miller said he has talked to New York State United Teachers about the matter, and the union told him the board can conduct an inquiry or ask the education commissioner to remove a board member.

"It's usually for improper conduct," he said. "We feel that one fits the bill. I don't believe it's proper for him to be on the board, especially making decisions about the taxes that we pay."

Times Union Research Director Sarah Hinman-Ryan contributed to this article.

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