Fitzgerald was not alone, and the woman had also targeted other legal stalwarts like U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow, and Magistrate Judges Geraldine Soat Brown and Arlander Keys with similar fake liens.
The Chicago Sun Times reported that Cherron Phillips has a history of disturbing court proceedings and is a member of the "sovereign citizen" movement, a group of people who claim to reject federal authority and disrupt the court system with frivolous suits and liens.
Playing true to her cult beliefs, Cherron told U.S. District Judge Michael J. Reagan that she rejected the authority of the federal court and her court-appointed attorney should be held liable for any losses she incurs as a result of the trial.
Other persons of note who testified previously in the same trial that Phillips had targeted them, too, included former Chief Judge James Holderman and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Shakeshaft.
Fitzgerald was instrumental in securing the conviction of Devon Phillips, Cherron's brother, in 2009. The fake lien of $100 billion was filed in 2011. Fitzgerald testified that he was puzzled when the lien was first brought to his notice. He told the court clearly that he did not owe anybody $100 billion and did not owe Devon Phillips a penny.
Cherron Phillips' trial had been delayed earlier and the judge originally assigned to her case had removed himself from the case.
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