30 ICSA TODAY 28
A church lured in homeless people—then locked them in
houses and forced them to panhandle, feds say
“Inside a beige bungalow in California’s Imperial Valley with a
well-trimmed lawn and beds of pink flowers, the 17-year-old
girl felt imprisoned. The doors were locked from the inside.
The windows were nailed shut. Like the other homeless and
vulnerable people who came to Imperial Valley Ministries
seeking shelter, food and rehab, the teenager was not allowed
to leave without supervision, was not allowed to contact her
family, to ‘discuss things of the world’ or read any book but
the Bible, according to federal prosecutors. Those who lived in
the church’s group homes had to turn over their money and
welfare benefits, their identification and all of their personal
belongings, so that even if they wanted to leave, they couldn’t,
prosecutors said. Then, once they settled in, they were allegedly
forced to panhandle up to nine hours a day for six days a week
in parking lots and on street corners—turning over every penny
to the church. Finally the 17-year-old had enough: She busted
through the locked window to escape, bleeding from the
shards of glass, and ran to a neighbor to call the police. Now,
after her outcry helped propel an FBI investigation, the girl’s
alleged captors—Imperial Valley Ministry’s religious leaders—
were charged Tuesday with forced labor for allegedly luring in
dozens of victims under false pretenses only to lock them inside
group homes and compel them to panhandle for the church’s
profit. Prosecutors also say a dozen ministry leaders defrauded
taxpayers by taking guests’ welfare benefits. The victims gave
the church permission to take up to 40 percent of their benefits
to go toward their expenses. Instead, prosecutors say, IVM
took everything. U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer, of the Southern
District of California, called it the ‘most significant labor
trafficking prosecution’ in his district in years.” (The Washington
Post, 09/11/19)
Jehovah’s Witnesses: 90 victims of sexual abuse come
forward
“The organisation ‘Reclaimed Voices’ has worked with other
groups in the country to identify cases within the Jehovah’s
Witness organisation in Belgium, reports Le Soir. ‘For most
victims, it has been 10 or 15 years since the abuses took place,’
Patrick Haeck, former Jehovah’s Witness and coordinator of
the association [said]. When they are still Jehovah’s Witnesses,
people who contact Reclaimed Voices express an immense fear
of confiding in them, he added. An official investigation was
launched following initial reports by the media in December
2018 and March 2019. Searches were carried out at the central
headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kraainem at the end of
April, but the prosecutor’s office did provide an update on the
case. Jehovah’s Witnesses Belgium wants to collaborate with
the justice system, said the spokesman for the organisation. In
Belgium, Jehovah’s Witnesses say they have 25,000 members.
Reclaimed Voices expects to eventually count 200 to 250
victims of abuse. Some people come forward for several
victims, explained Haeck, for example, parents who tell us that
their three or four children have been abused.”(The Brussels
Times, 08/09/19)
Leaders of the Jehovah’s Witnesses ordered to destroy
confidential records
“A letter obtained by INQ [Independent Inquiry Journalism,
Australia] has shed light on the secretive methods the
Jehovah’s Witnesses are undertaking to erase the impact
of child sexual abuse within the sect. A body representing
the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Australia has written to all elders
of the group ordering them to destroy confidential records,
including notes taken by elders investigating child sexual
abuse, in an instruction that has enraged survivors of abuse
inside the secretive Christian sect. In a letter obtained by INQ,
dated August 28, a body called the Christian Congregation of
Jehovah’s Witnesses (Australasia) instructs elders to destroy
so-called judicial hearing records and certain congregation
notes. ‘We ask that each elder check his personal computer,
or hard copy files, and even his meeting bag, to ensure
that no confidential correspondence is retained outside
the congregation’s confidential file,’ the letter states. It also
directs elders to destroy information aired against so-called
‘wrongdoers’: ‘If this “wild talk’” is recorded in detail, it may
not be accurately assessed when reviewed out of context,’ it
says. ‘If it is determined that some brief personal notes need
to be taken during a hearing, they should be destroyed once a
summation of the hearing has been prepared.’ A spokesperson
for the Jehovah’s Witnesses declined to answer questions. In a
statement he said records relating to child abuse were ‘retained
in harmony with all legal requirements.’” (Crikey, 09/10/19)
Sex abuse charges against La Luz del Mundo leader are the
“tip of the iceberg,” prosecutors say
“Prosecutors are poring through dozens of digital devices as
they build their case against the leader of La Luz del Mundo
[Light of the World] church, a man known by followers as
‘the apostle’ of Jesus Christ and who has been charged with
various counts of sex abuse, including forcible rape of a minor.
They allege that Naason Joaquin Garcia, 50, has received
numerous child pornography images and videos. But what they
have discovered is just the ‘tip of the iceberg,’ said Deputy Atty.
Gen. Amanda Plisner. ...The 26-felony count complaint filed
against Garcia and his co-defendants in early June describes
how women allegedly helped procure and prepare young
girls for the pleasure of the apostle. Its charges include human
trafficking, production of child pornography and forcible
rape of a minor, all of which are alleged to have occurred in
L.A. County between 2015 and 2018. Plisner said that Garcia
leveraged his status as the head of a church that claims more
than 5 million followers. Girls, she said, are taught that ‘there is
nothing better in life than to do something to please defendant
Garcia. He used that position of power to take advantage of and
exploit young women whose parents were unwilling to protect
them,’ she said, arguing that, if out of custody, he would pose
a risk to hundreds of girls. Garcia’s attorneys lashed back. Lead
counsel Ken Rosenfeld told reporters that thousands of female
church members are ready to testify for Garcia. ‘That was four
against 5 million,’ he said, referring to the number of accusers.
‘This idea of a systemic breeding or systemic pattern of abuse is
going to be contradicted….’“ (LA Times, 06/22/19)
VOLUME 11 |ISSUE 1 |2020
Citing new evidence, judge angrily denies bail for leader of
La Luz del Mundo church
“The leader of La Luz del Mundo [Light of the World] church
remained impassive in a Los Angeles courtroom as a witness for
prosecutors described a video that he alleged showed Naason
Joaquin Garcia participating in a sexual threesome involving
a minor. State law enforcement officer and forensic examiner
Steven Stover testified during a Superior Court hearing on
Monday [7/15] that the video, which he said was found on an
iPad that officials had seized from Garcia, depicts the defendant
having intercourse with a woman while she performs oral sex
on an underage male. Stover also said that he had found child
pornography on an iPhone that had been taken from Garcia—a
man church followers call the ‘apostle’ of Jesus Christ. One
video, he said, depicted four females ‘of a very young age’ lying
nude on a bed performing oral sex on each other. On Tuesday,
that was enough for Superior Court Judge David Fields to grant
prosecutors’ request to deny the possibility of bail to Garcia. The
religious leader had faced a $50-million bail, believed to be the
highest ever imposed in L.A. County. He has pleaded not guilty
to rape of a minor, among other sexual offenses.” (LA Times,
07/16/19)
Thousands flock to church despite leader being held in US
for sex crimes
“Mexican Pentecostal church the Light of the World [La Luz
Del Mundo] is in crisis, its leader facing pedophilia charges,
but that has not stopped thousands of people from around the
world travelling to its headquarters to be immersed in a giant
baptismal pool. The leader of the controversial church, Naason
Joaquin Garcia, was arrested in Los Angeles in June on sex
crimes charges, including child rape. Joaquin, who claims to be
the last apostle of Jesus, and three co-defendants are accused
of coercing minor girls into performing sexual acts by telling
them that going against his wishes would be going against
God. But if the scandal has diminished the fervour of the five
million members the church claims worldwide, there is no sign
of it at the Light of the World’s annual gathering this week at its
headquarters in Mexico’s second city, Guadalajara. Hundreds of
thousands of pilgrims from 58 countries have descended on the
western city to take part in a week-long ‘holy convocation,’ the
church’s main event of the year, which will culminate in a ‘holy
supper’ Wednesday [8/14].” (PM News Nigeria, 08/14/19)
Four members of Hasidic cult indicted for plot to kidnap
two children
“Four more alleged members of Lev Tahor, a fringe ultra-
Orthodox sect, were indicted in New York for conspiring to
kidnap two children from their mother and return them to
their sect. One of the men, Mordechay Malka, was arrested
this week at Newark Liberty International Airport and remains
in custody, the New York Post reported, citing the US Attorney’s
Office in Manhattan. Three others—Shmiel Weingarten, Yoil
Weingarten and Yakov Weingarten—remain at large. The
charges unsealed Friday in White Plains come days after five
leaders of the sect, who were arrested in December, were
indicted on similar charges. They are accused of participating
in kidnapping two children—14-year-old Yante Teller and her
12-year-old brother Chaim Teller.” (Times of Israel, 08/07/19)
Beware the toll of multilevel marketing (MLM) on
friendships
“...Multi-level marketing (MLM) is a method of selling a
product through a network of distributors, who receive
financial incentives for recruiting others. It is common for
someone to make as much money from recruiting people …
as from selling the actual product. Examples of companies that
use this business model include Arbonne, Avon, LuLaRoe,
Nutrimetics, and Mary Kay. Dr Máire O Sullivan, a lecturer
in advertising and marketing with a focus on gendered
consumption at Edge Hill University, has previously referred to
MLMs as ‘legal pyramid schemes. I think that the structure itself
is flawed and as soon as recruiting becomes the focus, you are
entering pyramid scheme territory,’ she says, adding that she
believes the only way to properly regulate them is to prohibit
the incentive to recruit. Many women pay to sign up just to
receive the product discounts offered to distributors, or to
get the enticing start-up kit that contains everything a person
needs to advertise the products to others. Unfortunately, it
often isn’t as easy as buying one kit and getting out with your
dignity intact….” (The Sydney Morning Herald, 09/04/19)
Multilevel marketing brands are taking a beating
“Stock market drops and flat or declining revenues for the
multi-level marketing, MLM, sector, e.g., Herbalife, Nuskin,
Tupperware, Avon, indicate a downward shift in fortune. The
cause is being debated. Wall Street may choose to overlook
MLM ethics, tactics and its negative social and financial
consequences, but cannot ignore the decline in the MLM
‘brand’ on Main Street. In particular a popular new series
on Showtime depicting MLM as a ‘scammy pyramid scheme’
indicates the ‘brand’ of MLM is being discredited, ridiculed and
widely viewed as socially harmful. The MLM industry is publicly
reacting to the Showtime series, urging MLM companies not
to ‘overreact’ for fear of ‘creating a perception that the show
has hit a nerve or hit too close to home—that it’s revealing a
‘hidden truth.’” (Seeking Alpha, 09/10/19)
Multilevel marketing companies look wildly successful on
Facebook, but the reality is much more complicated
“‘...We [multilevel marketers] were told very specifically,
never post anything negative on your Facebook. No prayer
requests, no talking about, I’m having trouble at this. No
drama. Like you were supposed to filter your Facebook as
though once you joined It Works all your problems went
away,’ Courtney, a former distributor for It Works, told Business
Insider of the pressure she received from other distributors.
2931
A church lured in homeless people—then locked them in
houses and forced them to panhandle, feds say
“Inside a beige bungalow in California’s Imperial Valley with a
well-trimmed lawn and beds of pink flowers, the 17-year-old
girl felt imprisoned. The doors were locked from the inside.
The windows were nailed shut. Like the other homeless and
vulnerable people who came to Imperial Valley Ministries
seeking shelter, food and rehab, the teenager was not allowed
to leave without supervision, was not allowed to contact her
family, to ‘discuss things of the world’ or read any book but
the Bible, according to federal prosecutors. Those who lived in
the church’s group homes had to turn over their money and
welfare benefits, their identification and all of their personal
belongings, so that even if they wanted to leave, they couldn’t,
prosecutors said. Then, once they settled in, they were allegedly
forced to panhandle up to nine hours a day for six days a week
in parking lots and on street corners—turning over every penny
to the church. Finally the 17-year-old had enough: She busted
through the locked window to escape, bleeding from the
shards of glass, and ran to a neighbor to call the police. Now,
after her outcry helped propel an FBI investigation, the girl’s
alleged captors—Imperial Valley Ministry’s religious leaders—
were charged Tuesday with forced labor for allegedly luring in
dozens of victims under false pretenses only to lock them inside
group homes and compel them to panhandle for the church’s
profit. Prosecutors also say a dozen ministry leaders defrauded
taxpayers by taking guests’ welfare benefits. The victims gave
the church permission to take up to 40 percent of their benefits
to go toward their expenses. Instead, prosecutors say, IVM
took everything. U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer, of the Southern
District of California, called it the ‘most significant labor
trafficking prosecution’ in his district in years.” (The Washington
Post, 09/11/19)
Jehovah’s Witnesses: 90 victims of sexual abuse come
forward
“The organisation ‘Reclaimed Voices’ has worked with other
groups in the country to identify cases within the Jehovah’s
Witness organisation in Belgium, reports Le Soir. ‘For most
victims, it has been 10 or 15 years since the abuses took place,’
Patrick Haeck, former Jehovah’s Witness and coordinator of
the association [said]. When they are still Jehovah’s Witnesses,
people who contact Reclaimed Voices express an immense fear
of confiding in them, he added. An official investigation was
launched following initial reports by the media in December
2018 and March 2019. Searches were carried out at the central
headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kraainem at the end of
April, but the prosecutor’s office did provide an update on the
case. Jehovah’s Witnesses Belgium wants to collaborate with
the justice system, said the spokesman for the organisation. In
Belgium, Jehovah’s Witnesses say they have 25,000 members.
Reclaimed Voices expects to eventually count 200 to 250
victims of abuse. Some people come forward for several
victims, explained Haeck, for example, parents who tell us that
their three or four children have been abused.”(The Brussels
Times, 08/09/19)
Leaders of the Jehovah’s Witnesses ordered to destroy
confidential records
“A letter obtained by INQ [Independent Inquiry Journalism,
Australia] has shed light on the secretive methods the
Jehovah’s Witnesses are undertaking to erase the impact
of child sexual abuse within the sect. A body representing
the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Australia has written to all elders
of the group ordering them to destroy confidential records,
including notes taken by elders investigating child sexual
abuse, in an instruction that has enraged survivors of abuse
inside the secretive Christian sect. In a letter obtained by INQ,
dated August 28, a body called the Christian Congregation of
Jehovah’s Witnesses (Australasia) instructs elders to destroy
so-called judicial hearing records and certain congregation
notes. ‘We ask that each elder check his personal computer,
or hard copy files, and even his meeting bag, to ensure
that no confidential correspondence is retained outside
the congregation’s confidential file,’ the letter states. It also
directs elders to destroy information aired against so-called
‘wrongdoers’: ‘If this “wild talk’” is recorded in detail, it may
not be accurately assessed when reviewed out of context,’ it
says. ‘If it is determined that some brief personal notes need
to be taken during a hearing, they should be destroyed once a
summation of the hearing has been prepared.’ A spokesperson
for the Jehovah’s Witnesses declined to answer questions. In a
statement he said records relating to child abuse were ‘retained
in harmony with all legal requirements.’” (Crikey, 09/10/19)
Sex abuse charges against La Luz del Mundo leader are the
“tip of the iceberg,” prosecutors say
“Prosecutors are poring through dozens of digital devices as
they build their case against the leader of La Luz del Mundo
[Light of the World] church, a man known by followers as
‘the apostle’ of Jesus Christ and who has been charged with
various counts of sex abuse, including forcible rape of a minor.
They allege that Naason Joaquin Garcia, 50, has received
numerous child pornography images and videos. But what they
have discovered is just the ‘tip of the iceberg,’ said Deputy Atty.
Gen. Amanda Plisner. ...The 26-felony count complaint filed
against Garcia and his co-defendants in early June describes
how women allegedly helped procure and prepare young
girls for the pleasure of the apostle. Its charges include human
trafficking, production of child pornography and forcible
rape of a minor, all of which are alleged to have occurred in
L.A. County between 2015 and 2018. Plisner said that Garcia
leveraged his status as the head of a church that claims more
than 5 million followers. Girls, she said, are taught that ‘there is
nothing better in life than to do something to please defendant
Garcia. He used that position of power to take advantage of and
exploit young women whose parents were unwilling to protect
them,’ she said, arguing that, if out of custody, he would pose
a risk to hundreds of girls. Garcia’s attorneys lashed back. Lead
counsel Ken Rosenfeld told reporters that thousands of female
church members are ready to testify for Garcia. ‘That was four
against 5 million,’ he said, referring to the number of accusers.
‘This idea of a systemic breeding or systemic pattern of abuse is
going to be contradicted….’“ (LA Times, 06/22/19)
VOLUME 11 |ISSUE 1 |2020
Citing new evidence, judge angrily denies bail for leader of
La Luz del Mundo church
“The leader of La Luz del Mundo [Light of the World] church
remained impassive in a Los Angeles courtroom as a witness for
prosecutors described a video that he alleged showed Naason
Joaquin Garcia participating in a sexual threesome involving
a minor. State law enforcement officer and forensic examiner
Steven Stover testified during a Superior Court hearing on
Monday [7/15] that the video, which he said was found on an
iPad that officials had seized from Garcia, depicts the defendant
having intercourse with a woman while she performs oral sex
on an underage male. Stover also said that he had found child
pornography on an iPhone that had been taken from Garcia—a
man church followers call the ‘apostle’ of Jesus Christ. One
video, he said, depicted four females ‘of a very young age’ lying
nude on a bed performing oral sex on each other. On Tuesday,
that was enough for Superior Court Judge David Fields to grant
prosecutors’ request to deny the possibility of bail to Garcia. The
religious leader had faced a $50-million bail, believed to be the
highest ever imposed in L.A. County. He has pleaded not guilty
to rape of a minor, among other sexual offenses.” (LA Times,
07/16/19)
Thousands flock to church despite leader being held in US
for sex crimes
“Mexican Pentecostal church the Light of the World [La Luz
Del Mundo] is in crisis, its leader facing pedophilia charges,
but that has not stopped thousands of people from around the
world travelling to its headquarters to be immersed in a giant
baptismal pool. The leader of the controversial church, Naason
Joaquin Garcia, was arrested in Los Angeles in June on sex
crimes charges, including child rape. Joaquin, who claims to be
the last apostle of Jesus, and three co-defendants are accused
of coercing minor girls into performing sexual acts by telling
them that going against his wishes would be going against
God. But if the scandal has diminished the fervour of the five
million members the church claims worldwide, there is no sign
of it at the Light of the World’s annual gathering this week at its
headquarters in Mexico’s second city, Guadalajara. Hundreds of
thousands of pilgrims from 58 countries have descended on the
western city to take part in a week-long ‘holy convocation,’ the
church’s main event of the year, which will culminate in a ‘holy
supper’ Wednesday [8/14].” (PM News Nigeria, 08/14/19)
Four members of Hasidic cult indicted for plot to kidnap
two children
“Four more alleged members of Lev Tahor, a fringe ultra-
Orthodox sect, were indicted in New York for conspiring to
kidnap two children from their mother and return them to
their sect. One of the men, Mordechay Malka, was arrested
this week at Newark Liberty International Airport and remains
in custody, the New York Post reported, citing the US Attorney’s
Office in Manhattan. Three others—Shmiel Weingarten, Yoil
Weingarten and Yakov Weingarten—remain at large. The
charges unsealed Friday in White Plains come days after five
leaders of the sect, who were arrested in December, were
indicted on similar charges. They are accused of participating
in kidnapping two children—14-year-old Yante Teller and her
12-year-old brother Chaim Teller.” (Times of Israel, 08/07/19)
Beware the toll of multilevel marketing (MLM) on
friendships
“...Multi-level marketing (MLM) is a method of selling a
product through a network of distributors, who receive
financial incentives for recruiting others. It is common for
someone to make as much money from recruiting people …
as from selling the actual product. Examples of companies that
use this business model include Arbonne, Avon, LuLaRoe,
Nutrimetics, and Mary Kay. Dr Máire O Sullivan, a lecturer
in advertising and marketing with a focus on gendered
consumption at Edge Hill University, has previously referred to
MLMs as ‘legal pyramid schemes. I think that the structure itself
is flawed and as soon as recruiting becomes the focus, you are
entering pyramid scheme territory,’ she says, adding that she
believes the only way to properly regulate them is to prohibit
the incentive to recruit. Many women pay to sign up just to
receive the product discounts offered to distributors, or to
get the enticing start-up kit that contains everything a person
needs to advertise the products to others. Unfortunately, it
often isn’t as easy as buying one kit and getting out with your
dignity intact….” (The Sydney Morning Herald, 09/04/19)
Multilevel marketing brands are taking a beating
“Stock market drops and flat or declining revenues for the
multi-level marketing, MLM, sector, e.g., Herbalife, Nuskin,
Tupperware, Avon, indicate a downward shift in fortune. The
cause is being debated. Wall Street may choose to overlook
MLM ethics, tactics and its negative social and financial
consequences, but cannot ignore the decline in the MLM
‘brand’ on Main Street. In particular a popular new series
on Showtime depicting MLM as a ‘scammy pyramid scheme’
indicates the ‘brand’ of MLM is being discredited, ridiculed and
widely viewed as socially harmful. The MLM industry is publicly
reacting to the Showtime series, urging MLM companies not
to ‘overreact’ for fear of ‘creating a perception that the show
has hit a nerve or hit too close to home—that it’s revealing a
‘hidden truth.’” (Seeking Alpha, 09/10/19)
Multilevel marketing companies look wildly successful on
Facebook, but the reality is much more complicated
“‘...We [multilevel marketers] were told very specifically,
never post anything negative on your Facebook. No prayer
requests, no talking about, I’m having trouble at this. No
drama. Like you were supposed to filter your Facebook as
though once you joined It Works all your problems went
away,’ Courtney, a former distributor for It Works, told Business
Insider of the pressure she received from other distributors.
2931
