Free Tribal Trustee Lisa Cypress – Jailed for Defending Indigenous Land Rights in Virginia
Free Tribal Trustee Lisa Cypress – Jailed for Defending Indigenous Land Rights in Virginia
The Issue
Indigenous Leader and Nurse Jailed for Protecting Her Tribe’s Land — Demand Justice Now
Lisa Cypress, a respected Tribal Trustee of the Accawmacke Indians of Virginia and a Registered Nurse (MSN, RN) with over 35 years of service, has been unjustly jailed in Northampton County, Virginia, for defending her people’s ancestral land.
Her act was legal.
Her imprisonment is not.
What Happened
As Tribal Trustee, Lisa executed a lawful quitclaim deed on PRE COLONIAL patented tribal land — property that has belonged to the Accawmacke people since before the founding of the United States. Instead of recognizing her legal right to act on behalf of her Nation, Northampton County officials charged her with 51 felony counts under Virginia’s “false lien or encumbrance” law (§18.2-213.2).
That law, created in 2013 after a few “paper terrorism” cases, was meant to stop people from filing fraudulent or retaliatory liens against public officials — not to criminalize lawful property filings or the exercise of Indigenous sovereignty.
To our knowledge, no one in Virginia has ever been prosecuted under this law in this way. This is the largest known indictment under §18.2-213.2 and the first time it has ever been used against a Tribal leader.
If convicted on all counts, Lisa could face up to 510 years in prison — for an act that is not illegal.
Why This Matters
This case is about more than one woman.
It’s about the survival of a people and the abuse of power by a county determined to silence them.
Lisa’s prosecution:
Misuses a state law that was never intended for property disputes.
Floods her with 51 charges — so extreme and baseless that she cannot obtain private counsel.
Forces her to represent herself, as a Nation, against the same system trying to erase her people.
Reveals a pattern of racial and gender bias, targeting an Indigenous woman for doing her job as a Tribal Trustee.
This is not justice.
This is persecution — an assault on tribal sovereignty and Indigenous leadership.
Who Lisa Is
Lisa Cypress is a healer, not a criminal.
She has spent decades caring for patients and communities as a MSN registered nurse.
She stands as a respected leader, entrusted to protect the rights and lands of the Accawmacke people — lands that are pre-colonial, Crown-patented, and historically recognized.
Northampton County has turned a lawful act into a weapon — punishing an Indigenous leader for protecting her community.
We Are Still Here
For generations, the Accawmacke people have endured erasure, displacement, and systemic injustice. Now, county officials are using the court system to finish what history began — by criminalizing Indigenous sovereignty.
We will not be erased. We will not be silenced.
We are the Accawmacke Indians of Virginia — and we are still here.
Governor Youngkin doesn't care!
Senator Kaine doesn't care!
Senator Warner doesn't care!
📞 TAKE ACTION HER COURT DATE IS 11/18-19 at Northampton County Courthouse In Virginia
Call and email the officials responsible — demand that they drop all charges and release Lisa Cypress immediately.
Judge Lynwood W. Lewis Jr. – (757) 678-0465 | tljohnson@vacourts.gov
Jack A. Thornton III, Commonwealth’s Attorney – (757) 678-0455 | jathornton@co.northampton.va.us
Justice for Lisa. Justice for the Accawmacke. Justice for all.
✊🏽 Sign, share, and stand with us today.
412
The Issue
Indigenous Leader and Nurse Jailed for Protecting Her Tribe’s Land — Demand Justice Now
Lisa Cypress, a respected Tribal Trustee of the Accawmacke Indians of Virginia and a Registered Nurse (MSN, RN) with over 35 years of service, has been unjustly jailed in Northampton County, Virginia, for defending her people’s ancestral land.
Her act was legal.
Her imprisonment is not.
What Happened
As Tribal Trustee, Lisa executed a lawful quitclaim deed on PRE COLONIAL patented tribal land — property that has belonged to the Accawmacke people since before the founding of the United States. Instead of recognizing her legal right to act on behalf of her Nation, Northampton County officials charged her with 51 felony counts under Virginia’s “false lien or encumbrance” law (§18.2-213.2).
That law, created in 2013 after a few “paper terrorism” cases, was meant to stop people from filing fraudulent or retaliatory liens against public officials — not to criminalize lawful property filings or the exercise of Indigenous sovereignty.
To our knowledge, no one in Virginia has ever been prosecuted under this law in this way. This is the largest known indictment under §18.2-213.2 and the first time it has ever been used against a Tribal leader.
If convicted on all counts, Lisa could face up to 510 years in prison — for an act that is not illegal.
Why This Matters
This case is about more than one woman.
It’s about the survival of a people and the abuse of power by a county determined to silence them.
Lisa’s prosecution:
Misuses a state law that was never intended for property disputes.
Floods her with 51 charges — so extreme and baseless that she cannot obtain private counsel.
Forces her to represent herself, as a Nation, against the same system trying to erase her people.
Reveals a pattern of racial and gender bias, targeting an Indigenous woman for doing her job as a Tribal Trustee.
This is not justice.
This is persecution — an assault on tribal sovereignty and Indigenous leadership.
Who Lisa Is
Lisa Cypress is a healer, not a criminal.
She has spent decades caring for patients and communities as a MSN registered nurse.
She stands as a respected leader, entrusted to protect the rights and lands of the Accawmacke people — lands that are pre-colonial, Crown-patented, and historically recognized.
Northampton County has turned a lawful act into a weapon — punishing an Indigenous leader for protecting her community.
We Are Still Here
For generations, the Accawmacke people have endured erasure, displacement, and systemic injustice. Now, county officials are using the court system to finish what history began — by criminalizing Indigenous sovereignty.
We will not be erased. We will not be silenced.
We are the Accawmacke Indians of Virginia — and we are still here.
Governor Youngkin doesn't care!
Senator Kaine doesn't care!
Senator Warner doesn't care!
📞 TAKE ACTION HER COURT DATE IS 11/18-19 at Northampton County Courthouse In Virginia
Call and email the officials responsible — demand that they drop all charges and release Lisa Cypress immediately.
Judge Lynwood W. Lewis Jr. – (757) 678-0465 | tljohnson@vacourts.gov
Jack A. Thornton III, Commonwealth’s Attorney – (757) 678-0455 | jathornton@co.northampton.va.us
Justice for Lisa. Justice for the Accawmacke. Justice for all.
✊🏽 Sign, share, and stand with us today.
412
The Decision Makers
Supporter Voices
Petition created on September 23, 2025