Dominion of Melchizedek

Micronation

The Dominion of Melchizedek (DoM) is a micronation known for facilitating large scale banking fraud in many parts of the world during the 1990s and early 2000s.

The Dominion of Melchizedek was unilaterally declared in 1990 by U. S. citizen Mark Pedley, possibly with his father, David Pedley. Mark Pedley also uses a number of pseudonyms, including "Tzemach Ben David Netzer Korem" and "Branch Vinedresser". It borrows its name from the biblical king and priest Melchizedek. When created, the DoM first laid claim to the Colombian island of Malpelo, a small island 300 miles off the Pacific coast of Colombia. Later, it invented the Karitane Shoal in the South Pacific, which is supposedly completely submerged for part of the day; Clipperton Island, an overseas possession of France which lies 1,500 miles west of Nicaragua; and Taongi, otherwise known as Bokak Atoll, an uninhabited Micronesian atoll falling under the administration of the Government of the Marshall Islands. It also claims the portion of Antarctica unclaimed by sovereign states, from 90 degrees to 150 degrees west, known as Marie Byrd Land. It has been described as "non existent" by the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and as a "non recognised sovereignty" by the U. S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. It appears on an EU list of fantasy passports issued by private individuals or organisations. Media reports have described it as a "virtual country",

On the DoM's official website, they claim a number of nations have recognized their sovereignty, with links to supporting documents. Upon closer examination, a number of these are merely correspondence acknowledging various requests made of these established states, or appear to be responses to offers of financial support. Of the entire list, only one appears to be actual verifiable recognition: from the Central African Republic. By the end of the 1990s, the DoM claimed that some 300 banking licenses had been sold. DoM apologists have suggested that there is no link between Melchizedek and the illegal activities conducted by "banks" it has "licensed"; The companies he was using had been licensed in the DoM. One of the most notorious victims of the scam was businessman Rogério Cavaco Silva, brother of former President of Portugal Aníbal Cavaco Silva, who in 1996 was conned out of US$35,000 which were supposed to guarantee a loan to complete a hotel in the Algarve. Six Portuguese perpetrators, who conned a total of 39 businesspeople (including Cavaco Silva) between 1996 and 1999, were sentenced in 2007 to several periods in prison, the longest of which was six years. The DoM has also been involved in selling passports widely regarded as fraudulent, misrepresenting them as internationally recognised. In 1998, three individuals purporting to be officials of the DoM were arrested in the Philippines. The ringleader, John Gillespie, an Australian felon who was involved in the Fine Cotton horse substitution scam, eluded capture. The passport scam grossed an estimated US$1,000,000 from hundreds of individuals, with some paying up to $3,500 for these documents.

After being convicted of several financial crimes in the 1970s, including stock fraud, David Pedley was incarcerated. He claims the charges were false and the result of a "witch hunt" against him. While incarcerated, he started a cattle business, which his son Mark operated for him in Los Angeles, California. While in Mexican custody Pedley apparently died, though the circumstances are not clear. A closed casket funeral was held in Altadena, California in 1987. At the funeral, FBI agents approached the Pedley family and requested to fingerprint David Pedley's body. This request was denied by the family and allegedly some government regulators believe that Pedley is still alive. In 2011 he was sentenced to two years in prison;

Pearlasia Gamboa was president of the Dominion of Melchizedek. and California. The U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued Gamboa in 2009, alleging that she had used fictitious reports of gold mining operations to profit by fraudulently selling shares, siphoning off more than $1 million. A judgment was ordered against her in August 2010 totaling $1.8 million; a $650,000 fine for the ZNext corporation, and $1.18 million for Gamboa personally. Gamboa was also permanently barred from selling penny stocks. As of 2011 she had still not paid the fine and was attempting to have the decision overturned.