Court records show that a group of Arizonans accused of using fraudulent documents to get an inmate out of prison 20 years early attempted to use a similar scheme to free a second inmate.
The second case came to light during a hearing in Maricopa County Superior Court on Nov. 7 in a case brought by the Arizona State Bar against Black Canyon Enterprises PLLC. That is a business connected to David Cramer, who was released by the Arizona Department of Corrections in June after his daughters filed multiple orders in his case purportedly dismissing the charges and ordering his release.
A judge eventually found the orders were fraudulent orders after Cramer was re-arrested on Aug. 20.
The Bar said that Cramer’s daughters and others associated with Black Canyon Enterprises are not licensed attorneys and claimed they are engaged in the “unauthorized practice of law,” a violation of rules set by the Arizona Supreme Court.
Judge Adele Ponce said she issued a temporary cease and desist order telling them to stop engaging in that practice.
The second case
In court, James Lee, an attorney for the State Bar, asked Ponce to extend that order.
“The State Bar asserts that the public may be subject to ongoing and potentially serious consequences if the current temporary cease and desist order is not extended,” Lee said, arguing the Cramer case is not an isolated incident.
He cited the case of Tony Deng.
Deng is currently serving a sentence of 35 years to life after being found guilty by a jury of 11 felonies in 2015 for engaging in sexual conduct with a minor, according to prison records.
Maricopa County Court Records show that Cindy Baker filed documents with the court earlier this year claiming that on March 31, Deng received a “full acquittance and discharge” and had his sentence vacated.
In 2024, Baker had also filed a document claiming she and Black Canyon Enterprises were appointed “attorney-in-fact” on behalf of Deng. The filing included an attached invoice asking the state to pay Black Canyon Enterprises $15,350 from Deng’s inmate trust account for notary and legal services.
Baker, who is a licensed notary public in Arizona, also signed documents in the Cramer case.
Unlike in the David Cramer case, it does not appear the scheme resulted in Deng’s release.
According to the Department of Corrections, he has been incarcerated since October 2023 at the Lewis Prison in Buckeye, the same prison where David Cramer was held prior to his accidental release.
Legal theories
Baker and Black Canyon Enterprises did not respond to requests for comment, but Cramer’s daughters have long claimed they did nothing wrong and continue to claim their father legally secured his release from prison.
“Allegations of fraud or escape on him and his children are false. Fraud would only exist if David had signed in another’s name. He did not. His filings were correct, unrebutted, and constitutionally protected,” according to a statement on Black Canyon Enterprises’ website.
Their arguments appear rooted in a fringe legal theory rooted in “common law,” a term that dates back to 12th-century England. But, in modern America, it can refer to a legal theory connected to the sovereign citizen movement.
“In the sovereign worldview, ‘common law’ refers to a legal structure that is validated by the Constitution and/or biblical or divine mandate,” according to a 2016 paper by J.M. Berger, a researcher who studies extremism. “To sovereigns, common law supersedes the illegitimate laws currently effective in the United States.”
In a statement, Black Canyon Enterprises’ representatives claimed, “Every individual named or associated with this website and company was formally appointed by David under lawful private authority. This includes his daughters, who acted as attorneys-in-fact under his appointment. Such appointments are fully lawful and do not require a state bar license.”
Baker and Cramer’s daughters did not attend the Nov. 7 hearing in the State Bar case, but in an earlier court date they reiterated their belief that the court did not have authority in the case.
“We do not consent to these proceedings,” Haven McQueen, one of Cramer’s daughters, said during a virtual hearing on Sept. 30. She interrupted the judge several times during the hearing to repeat that sentiment.
“I have heard you say this, ma’am. You don’t need to keep repeating it,” Judge Ponce responded. “And I’m telling you, if you have these types of arguments or jurisdictional arguments, I urge you to put it in a motion and the court will consider any motion you file.”
