Anson Chi was born in New York City. He attended Plano Senior High School at Plano, Texas, and graduated in 1996. Chi was arrested for theft in 1998 in San Angelo, Texas. Anson Chi has been identified as being part of the sovereign citizen movement. In 2007, Chi allegedly expressed support for tax protesters Edward and Elaine Brown. He posted a YouTube video stating that he would not file federal income tax returns or pay federal income tax.