Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, 2002, Page 47
Investigating Humana
''It's huge, and nobody can really work out what's at the bottom of it,'' said Michael
Durham, a British freelance journalist who created a Web site aimed at exposing Pedersen
and the dozens of charities and for-profit companies he allegedly controls. ''Is it about
money? Is it about power? Is about this one man? Or is it about left wing politics?''
In 1997, Stuart Crookshank, an investigator with the Charity Commission in the United
Kingdom, traveled to Zambia to find out what had happened to the used clothes that well-
wishers had donated to Humana UK, Planet Aid's sister organization. He found six stores
selling used shoes and shirts at European prices. ''It's very good business,'' Crookshank
said. ''The question is: What happened to the money?'' Humana UK could not prove that
their profits had been donated to charity, so the group was taken into receivership. But
nothing stopped its leaders from changing the organization's name and resurfacing
elsewhere, Crookshank said.
''Because they straddle the world and they exploit people's emotions and national views
about charities, legally ...it's very hard to crack,'' he said. ''There are so many firewalls,
smoke screens. To unravel it is going to take some very special investigators.''
“Non-Religious Cult”
The members of the group's inner circle, known as the Teachers Group, commit to staying
with the movement for life, donating their salaries to a communal fund, and relocating
anywhere they are needed, according to Danish prosecutors and former members. At first,
the group's efforts gained renown in Denmark, attracting thousands of volunteers. But as
the schools and charities spread across Europe, critics accused group leaders of negligence,
cloudy finances, and a near-fanatical demand for loyalty from members. Denmark passed a
law forbidding state funding for the organization. French authorities classified the group as a
nonreligious cult.
Members “Forgo Personal Rights”
Last year, Danish authorities tried to be just that. They swooped down on the Teachers
Group headquarters, cracked the codes on computers, and uncovered letters Pedersen had
allegedly written describing how to hide funds of one humanitarian organization from ''theft,
taxation and prying from unauthorized persons,'' according to Danish prosecutors. They
found evidence that Teachers Group members ''forgo their personal rights, such as their
right to start a family according to their own wish.'' Prosecutors also reported signs that the
group had diverted humanitarian funds to for-profit ventures, including a television station,
commercial farms, and a Brazilian plantation engaged in ''intense forest cutting,'' according
to papers filed by Danish prosecutor Gode.
Pedersen, who had been living in a multimillion-dollar condominium in Florida, has hired
Robert Shapiro, the lawyer who led the O.J. Simpson defense, to defend him from
extradition charges in a Los Angeles court. ''It's been very difficult to go worldwide,'' said
Gode, who added that he plans to investigate only those crimes related to Denmark. ''Our
impression is that Amdi Pedersen controls this whole network of funds and companies due
to his personal authority. He is the undisputed leader.''
Planting Roots in Massachusetts
Humana came to Massachusetts in 1986. Ted Lewis, a University of Massachusetts
graduate, and Eric Newman, a student at Hampshire College, had just returned from
England, where they had volunteered with a Humana organization and joined the Teachers
Group. Back home, they used a rundown 4-H camp in Western Massachusetts to launch,
under Humana's umbrella, the International Institute for Cooperation and Development.
They worked nonstop, donated their salaries to the Teachers Group's communal pool, and
Investigating Humana
''It's huge, and nobody can really work out what's at the bottom of it,'' said Michael
Durham, a British freelance journalist who created a Web site aimed at exposing Pedersen
and the dozens of charities and for-profit companies he allegedly controls. ''Is it about
money? Is it about power? Is about this one man? Or is it about left wing politics?''
In 1997, Stuart Crookshank, an investigator with the Charity Commission in the United
Kingdom, traveled to Zambia to find out what had happened to the used clothes that well-
wishers had donated to Humana UK, Planet Aid's sister organization. He found six stores
selling used shoes and shirts at European prices. ''It's very good business,'' Crookshank
said. ''The question is: What happened to the money?'' Humana UK could not prove that
their profits had been donated to charity, so the group was taken into receivership. But
nothing stopped its leaders from changing the organization's name and resurfacing
elsewhere, Crookshank said.
''Because they straddle the world and they exploit people's emotions and national views
about charities, legally ...it's very hard to crack,'' he said. ''There are so many firewalls,
smoke screens. To unravel it is going to take some very special investigators.''
“Non-Religious Cult”
The members of the group's inner circle, known as the Teachers Group, commit to staying
with the movement for life, donating their salaries to a communal fund, and relocating
anywhere they are needed, according to Danish prosecutors and former members. At first,
the group's efforts gained renown in Denmark, attracting thousands of volunteers. But as
the schools and charities spread across Europe, critics accused group leaders of negligence,
cloudy finances, and a near-fanatical demand for loyalty from members. Denmark passed a
law forbidding state funding for the organization. French authorities classified the group as a
nonreligious cult.
Members “Forgo Personal Rights”
Last year, Danish authorities tried to be just that. They swooped down on the Teachers
Group headquarters, cracked the codes on computers, and uncovered letters Pedersen had
allegedly written describing how to hide funds of one humanitarian organization from ''theft,
taxation and prying from unauthorized persons,'' according to Danish prosecutors. They
found evidence that Teachers Group members ''forgo their personal rights, such as their
right to start a family according to their own wish.'' Prosecutors also reported signs that the
group had diverted humanitarian funds to for-profit ventures, including a television station,
commercial farms, and a Brazilian plantation engaged in ''intense forest cutting,'' according
to papers filed by Danish prosecutor Gode.
Pedersen, who had been living in a multimillion-dollar condominium in Florida, has hired
Robert Shapiro, the lawyer who led the O.J. Simpson defense, to defend him from
extradition charges in a Los Angeles court. ''It's been very difficult to go worldwide,'' said
Gode, who added that he plans to investigate only those crimes related to Denmark. ''Our
impression is that Amdi Pedersen controls this whole network of funds and companies due
to his personal authority. He is the undisputed leader.''
Planting Roots in Massachusetts
Humana came to Massachusetts in 1986. Ted Lewis, a University of Massachusetts
graduate, and Eric Newman, a student at Hampshire College, had just returned from
England, where they had volunteered with a Humana organization and joined the Teachers
Group. Back home, they used a rundown 4-H camp in Western Massachusetts to launch,
under Humana's umbrella, the International Institute for Cooperation and Development.
They worked nonstop, donated their salaries to the Teachers Group's communal pool, and
