Lehmark impersonator indicted on third-degree forgery, misdemeanor charges

Today, an indictment was filed in the Second Senate of the Court of First Instance, charging Baraka Mtajiri with third-degree forgery, misdemeanor harassment, and attempted misdemeanor fraud. It alleges that Mtajiri had forged a document that claimed to be a treaty of mutual recognition between Lehmark and Versmark, & further attempted to contact the Chief Minister of Versmark through a personal email that was obtained illicitly.

The indictment (case CFI 2 01/2026) comes after an statement released by the Versmarkian government on his supposed claim to the throne of Lehmark, indicating that Mtajiri had been already under investigation by Versmark and that he had previously attempted to “become the Emperor [of Lehmark], sabotage as many government systems as possible, and take as many citizens as he could with him,” as the statement reads.

According to public records, Mtajiri established the “Second Empire of Lehmark” on 9 March 2026, seemingly seeking to depose William Lehman, the incumbent Emperor, from his position. This was followed by attempts by Mtajiri to falsify diplomatic ties between his micronation and Versmark in April, leading to a cease-and-desist notice issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A notice issued by the MFA on 20 May, confirming the cease-and-desist, indicated that Versmark “does not recognize independence nor sovereignty of the ‘Second Empire of Lehmark’”, and that it would seek to revoke Mtajiri’s Versmarkian citizenship.

The Empire of Lehmark has also denounced Mtajiri’s actions, stating through its X account that “any social media or wiki pages created after March 2026 are unauthorised and fabricated”; it later found him guilty on 5 counts of treason and sentenced him to 50 years in prison, stripping him of his citizenship in absentia.

Third-degree forgery is classified as a Class D felony in Versmark’s Criminal Code, 3rd Ed., and carries a potential sentence of suspension from public office for up to a year, or prohibition from standing for office for 90 days. Misdemeanor harassment and attempted misdemeanor fraud are both classified as misdemeanors, and carry a potential sentence of prohibition from standing for office for 90 days.

Comments

4 responses to “Lehmark impersonator indicted on third-degree forgery, misdemeanor charges”

  1. Zacharias Theodesius Ezra van Staden Suputranegoro Avatar

    last time i heard of a micronational coup was last year

  2. Zacharias Theodesius Ezra van Staden Suputranegoro Avatar

    last time i heard of a micronational coup was last year

  3. […] The sentencing document can be found in full here. The National has previously reported on further context surrounding Mtajiri and his purported claim to Lehmark here. […]

  4. […] The sentencing document can be found in full here. The National has previously reported on further context surrounding Mtajiri and his purported claim to Lehmark here. […]