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F.A.C.T.Net does not sell documents, it only lends them according to the terms of your library cardholder agreement with F.A.C.T.Net, Inc. ------------------------------------------------------------------- CARD CATALOG ENTRY ------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Kidnapping Indictments [Joseph Szimhart, LaVerne Collins, Kenneth Paolini, Lawrence Levy, Henry Kriegal, Neil Cote, CUT, Scientology] Joseph Szimhart, a 44-year-old Eldorado, NM, resident who describes himself as a "cult information specialist," was arrested in Santa Fe at the end of January on an Idaho warrant charging him with the kidnapping -- or aiding or abetting the kidnapping -- of 39-year-old LaVerne Collins, a Boise member of the Church Universal and Triumphant, in order to "deprogram" her. He denied the charges, saying, "All I do is share information with these people. I don't re-commend coercive situations anymore because there's too much trauma involved for everyone." Witnesses told police that a man posing as a pizza deliveryman dragged Collins screaming from her Boise house; returning home a week later, she said she was taken first to a mountain cabin and then to various hotels and motels in the area where she met with Szimhart and Kenneth Paolini who, along with Collins's mother and sister, is also charged in the affair. She said that during her captivity they showed her videotapes depicting numerous churches as cults that used mind control techniques on their followers. The aim, she said, was to convince her that CUT was a cult that had gained control of her mind and that she ought to renounce and abandon the group. She said she was released when the "deprogramming" apparently failed. Szimhart, who said he recently began moving away from involvement in "coercive" situations in which individuals are "detained" while undergoing counseling, was himself once a member of CUT but left in the late 1970s after becoming convinced that the church was involved in "deceptions." He said he earns about $35,000 a year conducting "cult counseling" for clients throughout the United States and overseas. A representative of the Montana-based CUT said "Religious deprogramming is a racket that preys upon the fears and prejudices of family members," and that deprogrammers are "con artists adept in deceiving relatives. Victims are illegally seized, confined and subjected to sophisticated techniques of psychological persuasion." (From " 'Cult Specialist' Arrested for Kidnapping," by Karl F. Moffatt, Santa Fe Journal North, 1/31/92, 1, 3) Also charged in the case, like Szimhart and Paolini with second-degree kidnapping-one not done for ransom or to injure-was Mary Alice Chrnaloger [sic], who was arrested in Chattanooga, TN. LaVerne Collins's mother and sister, Laverne Coelho and Patricia Cox, of California, have pleaded not guilty to charges of aiding and abetting second-degree kidnapping. (Livingstone [MT] Enterprise, 2/20/92) Successful Lawyer Retained Kenneth Paolini, also a former CUT member, has retained as his counsel Lawrence Levy, of Sherman Oaks, CA, who some years ago represented former CUT member Gregory Mull in a suit accusing the church of assault, extortion, fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and involuntary servitude. A jury awarded Mull $1.5 million, including punitive damages of $520,000, from church leader Elizabeth Clare Prophet who, says Paolini, totally controls members. (From "Deprogrammer enlists help of CUT-fighting lawyer," by Matt Gibson, Livingstone [MT) Enterprise, 2/14/92) LaVerne Collins, a mother undergoing a divorce and training to be a Montessori teacher, said the alleged kidnapping violated the religious freedom that the Pilgrims brought to the New World. Each of us has a right to freedom of choice and freedom of religion," she said. (From "Collins: I have a right to my religion," by Anne Peterson, The Idaho Statesman [Boise], 11/29/91) Szimhart's Appeal An appeal for funds has been mailed to potential supporters of Joseph Szimhart in order to pay for legal costs likely to be expended in defending him from the kidnapping charges. Describing the case as "an attempt to rescue LaVerne Collins," the appeal says that Szimhart "has become the target of a smear campaign funded by some of the wealthiest cults operating in the U.S. They are circulating literature portraying Joe (a practicing Catholic) as an anti-religious bigot." The appeal, which includes copies of published testimonials to Szimhart's integrity and his success in helping former members leave cults, is signed by Teresita Scully, Ph.D., President of the Center for Christian Information, in Santa Fe. (Cult Observer Report) Scientology Involved Church Universal and Triumphant member Henry Kriegal, founder of the First Amendment Crisis Task Force (FACT), who says he once resisted deprogramming himself, praised the indictments in the Collins case. He said deprogrammers use "Nazi-like" tactics and that FACT was going to support deprogramming victims like Collins. Meanwhile, Tampa Tribune columnist Neil Cote [according to this account] says that the Church of Scientology is interested in the case. Scientology spokesman Richard Haworth, and the Rev. George Robertson, of Greater Grace World Outreach, implicated the Cult Awareness Network in the Collins Abduction. Greater Grace was created out of the former The Bible Speaks, an evangelical Christian group which went bankrupt after the Supreme Court upheld a ruling requiring the church to refund a $5 million donation from an heiress. Robertson has described CAN's members as "radical Jews and psychiatric professionals who are opposed to organized Christianity." CAN Executive Director Cynthia Kisser, denying that CAN helps arrange deprogrammings, said that Haworth and Robertson are "trying to promote this case as some kind of big conspiracy." She added that CAN does not endorse "involuntary" deprogramming because "it only rigidifies the lines [that separate cult members and their families]. (From "Sects interested in Idaho deprogramming case," by Matt Gibson, Livingstone [MT) Enterprise, 2/19/92) 2 Krishna Damages Cut in George Case The 4th District Court of Appeal in San Diego, in a 110-page decision, slashed to $500,000 a $2.5 million dollar award against the Hare Krishna organization [International Society for Krishna Consciousness] gained by Marcia George and her daughter Robin, who said the younger woman was wooed as a 14-year-old into the Krishnas and then hidden by members in a chain of events that began in 1974. The decision, which for the moment removes the Krishnas' prospects of financial ruin, leaves total damages for the Georges at $475,000, or close to $700,000 with interest, according to a Krishna lawyer, who declared the verdict a great victory for the sect and a crushing defeat for the Georges. "We keep chipping away at this verdict," he said, noting that a jury initially awarded the Georges $32.5 million in damages, later reduced by the trial judge to $9.7 million and further, on appeal, to $2.9 million. In the ruling, the court applied a 1991 California Supreme Court ruling retroactively to the case, deciding that the Georges should have given the jury some evidence of the Krishnas' financial worth before it determined punitive damages. The Supreme Court has required this financial information to ensure that awards are "sufficient to deter misconduct without being excessive." The Georges had sued asking damages for false imprisonment, emotional distress, libel, and the wrongful death of Robin's father [who died during attempts to locate her while she was among the Krishnas]. The court of appeal ordered the case back for retrial solely to decide the amount of punitive damages, and the Georges' original lawyer, Milton Silverman, of San Diego, said he would appeal the decison to the California Supreme Court, and retry the case -- even though some of its facts are nearly 20 years old -- if that court refused to review it. Silverman said he originally tried the case using laws on the books at the time. However, "10 years later, the rules are different and my clients are the worse for it." (From "Court cuts damages Krishnas must pay," by Lorie Hearn, San Diego Union, 1/31/92, A13) 3 Suits vs. Cult Awareness Network [Scientology, Sterling Management] A Scientologist and a Scientology-linked company have sued the Cult Awareness Network, the former because the CAN Los Angeles affilate allegedly refused him membership, a restriction on his freedom of religion; the latter, Sterling Management, because CAN has allegedly hurt its business by disseminating information about Sterling to various individuals and organizations. The suit also names CAN Executive Director Cynthia Kisser and Priscilla Coates of the Los Angeles affiliate, as well as a Christian organization, Watchman Fellowship, and its director. (From "CAN hit with lawsuits," Cult Awareness Network News, 2/92/1) 4 Scientology Sues Lilly Exec Scientology has filed a $20 million lawsuit against an Eli Lilly and Co. executive, charging that statements he made about the Church, which has battled Lilly over its best-selling anti-depressant drug Prozac, have damaged the churchÕs reputation and social reform activities. Lilly said the suit as an attempt to intimidate and harass critics of Scientology. "Suing, or threatening to sue, is one of Scientology's most frequently used methods of intimidation," said Edward A. West, Lilly's corporate communications director. "The list of individuals who have experienced this type of harrassment is long and it includes many people who have spoke publicly about this cult." (From "Prozac foe sues Lilly executive," by Pamela Klein, Indianapolis Star, 2/14/92) 5 Beach Boy Settles Over Psychiatrist Issue Brian Wilson, of the pop music group The Beach Boys, has agreed to allow a conservator to manage his affairs, thus ending a lawsuit brought by members of his family, who contended that his psychiatrist brainwashed him and that Wilson was mentally incompetent to name anyone to manage his affairs. Wilson changed his will in 1989 and named his therapist and business partner, Eugene Landy, as chief beneficiary. Wilson, who says he is happy to get on with his career, has a long history of drug and mental health problems for which he turned to Landy for help. (from "Lawsuit over thereapist's control of Beach Boy Wilson ends," Cult Awareness Network News, 1/92, 5) 6 "The Farm" Thrives "The Farm," which turned 20 years old late last year, has matured from a freewheeling commune of 1,400 hippies living in buses and tents to a cooperative of 200 people who run small businesses on communally-owned land with homes that look almost suburban. Each adult pays $100 per month to the cooperative endeavor but is responsible for his or her own livelihood. (From "Still havens for security, spirituality," by Craig Wilson, USA Today, 10/15/91, 1D, 2D) 7 [Lloyd R.] Davis Charged Again Lloyd R. Davis, leader of the Waukegan, IL-based Christian Fellowship, named last year in Illinois on 35 charges ranging from criminal assault to child pornography, has been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage boy in San Diego. (From "Leader of Christian Fellowship faces new charges in California," 2/92, 3) 8 Ecclesia Guilty Pleas [the late Eldridge Broussard] Seven members of the Ecclesia Athletic Association pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to deny civil rights to children whom they were accused of enslaving under the leadership of the late Eldridge Broussard. Their sentences ranged from 2 to 8 years in prison. Two defendants, who like the others regularly beat the children, whom they marketed to obtain corporate sponsorships and money, were previously convicted of manslaughter in the beating death of the leader's own daughter. (From "Ecclesia followers plead guilty to civil rights violations,"Cult Awareness Network News, 2/92, 3) 9 Awards for [Richard Behar's] Scientology Exposes The American Society of Journalists and Authors has selected Time associate editor Richard Behar for its Conscience in Media Award, in recognition of his expose of the Church of Scientology in the May 6, 1991 issue. The award, honoring "Those who have demonstrated singular commitment to the highest principles of journalism at notable personal cost or sacrifice," has been conferred only seven times previously in the 17 years it has existed. (Time, 2/24/92, "From the Publisher") Behar, who was vigorously harassed by Scientology for his work, said that the award was especially meaningful because "it legitimizes and sheds sunlight on all of the cult's victims, many of whom are still terrified to speak up." In an unprecedented move, the ASJA announced a second Conscience-in-Media Award to Paulette Cooper, author of The Scandal of Scientology. Cooper's book, the first in a long line of Scientology exposes, was written before the ASJA created the Conscience-in-Media Award. In 1973 she was indicted for sending bomb threats through the mail, and it was only in 1977 that the government learned she had been framed by Scientology. (Cult Awareness Network News, March 1992, 1, 5) 10 He [the late Tim Cain] Exposed Unification Church Tim Cain, the journalist and author who investigated and exposed Unification Church activities in the Ocean City, NJ, area in the late 1980s, died in early January. Mr. Cain, 42, was so affected by what he saw of the church's attempts to recruit young people through a front group that he not only wrote passionately and compellingly about it, but joined a local affiliate of the national Cult Awareness Network. (Cult Observer Report) 11 CUT Will Show Records to IRS The Church Universal and Triumphant, following the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to consider its appeal, has complied with a federal court order requiring it to hand over financial records to the IRS, says church president Ed Francis. The IRS wants to see documents related to alleged gun purchases and political contributions by CUT. (From "CUT complies with IRS," Livingstone [MT) Enterprise, 2/14/92) 12 Scientology's Children: Variations on A Theme [Neglect] From "The Children of Scientology," Editorial in the St. Petersburg Times, 11/14/91 Some children involved in the Church of Scientology apparently have no one who cares about looking out for their welfare. They tell haunting stories of hardship, loneliness, and estrangement. In a two day-series, Times reporter Curtis Krueger provided glimpses of the lives of parents and children involved in Scientology. [See the Cult Observer, Vol. 9, No. 2, p. 3.] While there were Scientologists who sent Krueger testimonials about ways the organization has improved their family life, there were other people who recalled an austere existence and a legacy of bitterness and pain. "The stories told of Carlo, a 15-year-old boy found weeping on a Clearwater street corner last March. He told police he didn't go to school, but instead did maintenance work for the Church of Scientology fron 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. His mother was a church staff member, but Carlo lived away from her in a church-owned housing complex. "There was Beth Erlich, who at 11 signed a billion-year contract pledging herself to the Church of Scientology. She attended a Scientology-affiliated school, but then worked about 50 hours a week doing filing and other jobs for the church, she said. She lived with others in a room at a former motel. "There was Mark, age 10. Police found him around midnight wandering down-town Clearwater, where Scientology has its international spiritual headquarters. He told police he worked six days a week-sometimes as late as 10:30 p.m.-and was supposed to be paid the grand sum of $12 a week. "There were other recollections by former Scientologists -- of poor food, inadequate schooling, overcrowded living facilities, separations from parents, and painful divisions in families. . . "The Church of Scientology has been the focus of numerous court battles and news stories. Though some appalling practices have been revealed, Scientology has used threats and the cloak of religion to hide many of its activities from public scrutiny. But there should be no place to hide if Scientology and its adult followers are neglecting children, requiring them to work long hours, or denying them adequate schooling, rest, and recreation. State and local officials responsible for the welfare of children must find out." 13 SCIENTOLOGY BRIEFLY NOTED [Jack Anderson, Robert W. Welkos, Joel Sappell, Lawrence Wollersheim, Dierdre Fanning] Columnist Jack Anderson's office said it wouldn't be sending anyone to accept Scientology's first Freedom Magazine Human Rights Leadership Awards at the rented National Press Club in early February. Anderson said he has "an unfavorable impression" of Scientology. Scientology praised the columnist's investigation of waste by the IRS, which questions Scientology's tax exemptions. (Frank Digiacomo and Joanna Molloy, "Page Six," New York Post, 1/31/92) Scientology membership was pegged at 8 million in a church ad in USA Today (8/2/91, 7A), but a 1991 release to members entitled "Goals 1991" praises "some very worthwhile achievements of 25,000 members in the last year" and sets a membership target of 100,000 by 1998. (Cult Observer Report) The Hollywood film industry now has a new player in Future Films, a recent Scientology creation. The studio's stated aim, to give the public the kinds of films it wants-happy and uncontroversial-"may be a thinly disguised attempt by Scientology to gain widespread acceptance and suck thousands more into the movement." A Future Films executive told an investigative reporter that her probing "could have unpleasant ramifications" for her paper. "I'm sure you have skeletons in your closet. Do you want yours to come out?" (From "Putting the Cult Back in Culture," by Russ W. Baker, Village Voice, 11/12/91, 41-44) Harassment by Scientology of reporters and their families is the theme of"Shudder into Silence" (The Quill, Nov./Dec. 1991, 36-39) by the Los Angeles Times's Robert W. Welkos who, with Joel Sappell, wrote an extensive series on Scientology last year. At various times the team was investigated by three separate teams of private investigators hired by Scientology, and Welkos was sued for false imprisonment by a subpoena-serving church paralegal whom Welkos asked to remain in an editor's office until security arrived and determined how he had entered the building. Former Scientologist Lawrence Wollersheim, who has fought Scientology in and out of court for a number of years, is offering resources to "Scientology victims and their families." Documentary resources, advice, networking for evidence and expert witnesses, and the development of successful action strategies are available, says the Aspen, Colorado-based Wollersheim, to individuals, attorneys, and corporations investigating, suing, or being sued by, Scientology. (Cult Observer Report) "Profits of Doom" (by Dierdre Fanning in Spy for Sept. 1991, 53-58) details the avaricious and ethically questionable activities of the Feshbach brothers, master Wall Street short-sellers - unethical ones according to some sources- as well as high ranking members and significant contributors- at least $1 million so far- to the Church of Scientology. The brothers say that investing according to the principles of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard accounts for their success. 14 The "Resurrection" of Rev. Mr. Moon The Unification Church was the subject of a PBS "Frontline" expose, The Resurrection of Reverend Moon, which says that his movement has advanced beyond religion to become a megabucks conglomerate with extensive political influence in the U.S. Financed in part by millions of dollars from Japan, the ultimate aim of Moon-related organizations, which have had an important impact on the Bush campaign, is to move the political center of the nation to the right, according to the reporters who prepared the documentary. (From " 'Frontline' special puts Rev. Moon in a new light," by Jenifer Warren of the LA Times in the Dayton News, 1/21/92) The television critic of the Moon-owned Washington Times (1/20/92, D1, D4), annoyed on the eve of the airing of the "Frontline" program because he was refused a preview tape, characterized the PBS documentary series as tending to "left-wing bias and political paranoia." A day after the broadcast, the Moon-owned paper (1/22/92, A4) cited an AP opinion that the documentary was full of innu-endo and never makes a journalistic point, and the Baltimore Sun critic, who said that much of the program represented "bad report-ing." The Times also cited at length a Washington Post report praising the documentary. Local Church What leaders call the only major Unification Church facility in the Southeastern U.S. is under fire from DeKalb County (Atlanta area) neighbors, who object to "outdoor housekeeping,"and county commissioners who say that the organization cannot run a church and a monastery in the same facility. Representatives of the congregation, which includes married couples and families, feel that prejudice is behind these objections to the group's activities. (From "Unneighborly ways," by Norma Wagner, Atlanta Journal and Constitution, 1/19/92, B1, B6) 15 LaRouche Show on Television in Northern VA LaRouche followers have been producing and airing for ten months a weekly show on Northern Virginia public access cable channels. Program panels have discussed a range of topics from food irradiation to the space program. On one show, the jailed extremist's supporters said that President Bush -- who LaRouche says is insane and Hitler incarnate -- and his family are involved in a eugenics movement. (From "LaRouche Supporters Take Message to Public Access Cable," by Stephen Turnham, Washington Post, 2/27/92, Va. 3 16 Elizabeth Clare Prophet (CUT) says USSR Agressive Church Universal and Triumphant leader Elizabeth Clare Prophet says in a mass mailing that the Soviet Union still wants to attack and take over the West. Russian leaders are making the situation seem worse than it is in order to dupe the West of its money and technology, all the while keeping a strong and belligerent army, she adds. (From "Better than Butter," by Scott McMillion [sic], Bozeman [MT] Chronicle, 12/27/91) 17 TM's Dallas Center Burns Mysteriously Transcendental Meditation's Dallas-Fort Worth meditation center, a 108-room Indian-inspired structure abandoned as a retreat 18 months ago, burned to the ground in January in what the local sheriff called a suspicious fire. TM had been trying to sell the property for $2.8 million but recently dropped the price to $500,000. (Washington Times, 1/12/92, A2) [The Washington Times is owned by the Unification Church] 18 Roberta's Fortune catalogue sells TM? The Holiday 1991 Roberta's Fortune Almanac upscale mail order gift catalog sold Deepak Chopra's Unconditional Life: Mastering the Forces that Shape Personal Reality. [Dr. Chopra is a major promoter of Transcendental Meditation, with which organization he is closely associated. (Cult Observer Report) 19 TM and Other Techniques Same as Resting Quietly TM, and many other popular techniques to measure and improve human performance, are no more effective at reducing stress or hypertension than "resting quietly," according to a study recently concluded by the National Research Council. Most of the programs, including subliminal learning tapes and meditation routines, are either badly flawed or totally ineffective according to the study. (From TM-EX News [Fall 1991, 10] citing Curt Suplee in the Washington Post, 9/25, 91) 20 Jonathan Morro, Niscinece Leader Dies Niscience leader Jonathan Morro, the 64-year-old leader of the Glendale, California-based group -- a New Age sect with several hundred members founded in 1953 -- committed suicide late last year. Ex-members accused him of exercising abusive and dictatorial control over their lives. Morro had suffered severe anxiety attacks, requiring hospitalization, two weeks before he died. (From the Cult Awareness Network NEWS, Feb. 1992, 6) ================================================================= DOS FILENAME OF TEXT FILE: CO0392AB.TXT DOS FILENAME OF IMAGE FILES: none ADMINISTRATIVE CODE: OK SECURITY CODE: SCO DISTRIBUTION CODE: RO DESCRIPTION FOR BBS FILE LISTING: The Cult Observer March 1993 SORT TO: AFF CONTRIBUTOR: American Family Foundation (AFF) LOCATION OF ORIGINAL: American Family Foundation (AFF) NOTES: Back issues and selected reprints of the Cultic Studies Journal are available from the American Family Foundation, P.O. Box 2265, Bonita Springs, FL 33959-2265. U.S.A. STORIES: | 1 Kidnapping Indictments [Joseph | Szimhart, LaVerne Collins, Kenneth | Paolini, Lawrence Levy, Henry | Kriegal, Neil Cote, CUT, Scientology] | 2 Krishna Damages Cut in George Case | 3 Suits vs. Cult Awareness Network | [Scientology, Sterling Management] | 4 Scientology Sues Lilly Exec [Prozac] | 5 Beach Boy Settles Over Psychiatrist | Issue | 6 "The Farm" Thrives | 7 [Lloyd R.] Davis Charged Again | 8 Ecclesia Guilty Pleas [the late | Eldridge Broussard] | 9 Awards for [Richard Behar's] | Scientology Exposes | 10 He [the late Tim Cain] Exposed | Unification Church | 11 CUT Will Show Records to IRS | 12 Scientology's Children: Variations | on A Theme [Neglect] | 13 SCIENTOLOGY BRIEFLY NOTED [Jack | Anderson, Robert W. Welkos, Joel | Sappell, Lawrence Wollersheim, | Dierdre Fanning, Feshback bros.] | 14 The "Resurrection" of Rev. Mr. Moon | 15 LaRouche Show on Television in | Northern VA | 16 Elizabeth Clare Prophet (CUT) says | USSR Agressive | 17 TM's Dallas Center Burns | Mysteriously | 18 Roberta's Fortune catalogue | sells TM? | 19 TM and Other Techniques Same | as Resting Quietly | 20 Jonathan Morro, Niscinece | Leader Dies For additional verification see the contributor of the document. UPDATED ON: 8/25/94 UPDATED BY: FrJMc =================================================================