The state of Texas has initiated legal action against a man accused of attempting to destabilize the local governance of a county rich in oil by enticing Black individuals with free housing to influence voting outcomes.

Malcolm Tanner, labeled a “carpetbagger,” has acquired two five-acre plots in Loving County, which straddles the Texas-New Mexico border, according to a lawsuit filed by the state.

Tanner, hailing from Indiana and declaring his candidacy for the 2028 presidential race, has proposed offering these plots to as many as 1,000 individuals he describes as “melanated people,” at no cost.

In a video on Instagram, Tanner describes this initiative as part of a movement he calls the “melanated people of power.”

“It doesn’t matter where you are in the world. Whether in Africa, Asia, or anywhere else, as long as you are melanated, that’s what counts. This is for us, by us,” Tanner states.

‘Do not miss out on your opportunity to be a homeowner, to have a deed.’ 

Through social media posts, Tanner explains that he will take over Loving County, which he calls ‘Tanner County.’

In the state’s lawsuit, Attorney General Ken Paxton claims he will get his melanated residents to vote as he wants, easily outvoting the 64 citizens recorded by the last US census – but with a total taxable value of over $18 billion in 2024 thanks to petroleum.

Already dozens of people have taken him up on his offer to move and collect $5,000 a month, the state claimed in a lawsuit.

Malcolm Tanner bragged about the first home in Loving County, Texas – which he called ‘Tanner County’ – breaking ground in an Instagram post in January

Tanner, who claims to be a doctor, says he’s running for president in 2028. According to his social media posts, he also ran in 2024

‘Despite there being no homes or utilities on the land, Tanner has induced dozens of people, including many women and children, to move onto and inhabit the land without any provision for the proper disposal and treatment of sewage,’ Paxton said in a press release announcing the lawsuit.

‘These individuals are forced to live in RVs or other makeshift shelters.’

Tanner did not respond to several attempts by the Daily Mail to contact him via phone and social media. 

However, he appeared to address Texas’s legal action against him in a Facebook post.

‘I, Dr Malcolm Tanner, want the people of Texas and this country to know that I respect the authority of the Court and will fully comply with its orders. At the same time, I want the people of Loving County, of Texas, of America, and of the world to understand what is at stake here,’ he posted on Thursday. 

‘I want the world to know: this land is more than dirt and stone. It is a test of America’s promise. Will the government protect the rights of its citizens, or will it allow harassment to crush them? Will we prove that the smallest populated county in Texas can still honor the largest principles of our Republic?’

The recent arrivals have been seen around town, telling locals they’re here to ‘take over’ their county.

Resident Keionta Hinton, who owns the Fat Boys Cafe, says a group of newcomers came into her business in June.

With an estimated population of just 64, Loving County in west Texas tops the charts as the least populated state in the US

While Loving County is sparsely populated, it has one of the highest per-capita incomes thanks to its booming oil industry. In 2021, the median household income of Loving County households was $115,158

In a YouTube video, filmmaker John Wise, from Kansas, drives to the isolated town of Mentone, which is Loving County’s only community close to the New Mexico-Texas border

Mentone is believed to have one of the highest incomes per capita in the United States because of its oil and natural gas production 

Tanner appeared to respond to the lawsuit against him by the state of Texas last week

‘We’re here to take over your county,’ Hinton told the Houston Chronicle one of them told her. 

‘I’m going to be one of your commissioners.’

Loving County has had a history of voter roll manipulation by locals, who have registered family members in an attempt to win past elections.

With millions of dollars in oil revenue as temptation, locals aren’t surprised an outsider is now trying to do the same. 

‘This is the perfect place to try something like this,’ Constable Brandon Jones told the Chronicle. 

‘It’s the chickens coming home to roost.’

In the state lawsuit against Tanner, the Lone Star State alleges that Tanner’s promise of free land are false. 

‘Reports indicate that individuals who move to Defendant’s property are evicted when they fail to make monthly payments or perform work on defendant’s behalf; that defendant receives financial support from those individuals as a condition of them remaining on the property; and that defendant and his co-conspirators seek to engage in organized criminal activity on the property,’ the state claims.