DENVER — A San Luis Valley man with recent ties to Gunnison County was sentenced earlier this week to 12 years in the Department of Corrections for committing extortion and threatening several judges, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, attorneys, and citizens in Gunnison, Montrose, and Alamosa counties over a two-year period.

Last month, a jury found Brett Andrew Nelson guilty on 20 of 24 counts brought against him by the statewide grand jury in April 2022.

According to the office of the Attorney General, who announced the sentencing in a press release on Wednesday, Nelson lived in a rural area north of Alamosa. No additional information, such as where Nelson specifically lived or when, was available.

"Brett Nelson's actions undermined the integrity of our legal system and endangered the safety of several Coloradans who were doing their job,” said Attorney General Phil Weiser, whose office prosecuted the case. “This conviction and sentencing advances the rule of law and protects public safety,”

State prosecutors presented evidence that, starting in 2018, Nelson used sovereign citizen-like tactics by starting to submit numerous fraudulent documents such as powers of attorney and default judgments against public officials and individuals involved in criminal and domestic relations cases where he was a defendant.

Nelson also filed documents containing threats directed at judges and lodged announcements of liens on several judges' properties in an attempt to influence case outcomes. In efforts to dismiss cases in which he was involved, he submitted powers of attorney, granting him authority to represent judges.

Other evidence presented at the trial demonstrated how Nelson submitted fraudulent quitclaim deeds on multiple properties, aiming to transfer ownership to himself. The properties belonged to various individuals involved in Nelson's criminal and domestic relations cases, including victims and law enforcement officers. Nelson also filed false default judgments against individuals connected to his legal matters, including the mother of his child.

Nelson’s case went to trial in Gunnison County District Court. The jury returned a verdict after five hours of deliberations.