JW FINANCIAL LAWSUITS

For decades, the WatchTower Society has time and again portrayed Jehovah's Witnesses as "the most honest people on earth". Why? Because, Jehovah's Witnesses are taught that they are "the only true religion on earth". The following state and federal employment related criminal and civil court cases are not intended as evidence that Jehovah's Witness Employees are more dishonest than other employees, but rather are intended to demonstrate that Jehovah's Witnesses are just as dishonest or honest as are other members of the human population -- whether religious or non-religious.

Mounting evidence, however, seems to indicate that a higher than normal percentage of Jehovah's Witness Investment Salespersons are turning to crime. See all the cases below which have become public over the past decade just since the flood of information provided by the internet.

One can't help but wonder how many Jehovah's Witnesses and others were ripped off by fellow JWs over the decades because JWs would not report the crime to authorities in order not to harm the reputation of their own religion. I actually have personal experience of such occurring. Back in the early 1960s, a Jehovah's Witness whom I recall as being described as a WatchTower Society "Special Pioneer" moved through our area selling worthless stock investments to Jehovah's Witnesses and to whomever the JWs would vouch to for his honesty. My "very poor" father, grandfather, and one uncle all lost every single penny they gave to that JW Conman to invest for them. However, the only ones to whom the crime was reported were other WatchTower representatives, who would promise to "do something about it", but never did. I personally recall the very last "sit-down" in the latter 1960s with a newly moved-in Congregation Servant, named Ralph Moore, who on hearing about such promised that he would get to the bottom of the matter. Like all of the others before him, after he left to investigate such, not only was nothing done, but you could not even get him to further discuss the matter.

ARIZONA v. PETERSON (2000), ARIZONA v. PETERSON (1991-2), MINNESOTA v. PETERSON (1987-8), and possibly other federal and state criminal court cases, involve a convicted con-artist named Steven Charles Peterson, Jr. Over the years, Steven Charles Peterson, Jr. has reportedly used different spellings of his first name -- Steve, Steven, and Stephen -- in addition to multiple aliases, including but not limited to, Stephen Charles Colapietro, Charles Colapietro, Steve DePietro, Steve Martino, Stephen Charles Marino, Charles Pederson, Steve Chase, Charles Capilano, Steve Romano, etc.

Steven C. Peterson, Jr. was born on July 4, 1941, in Toledo, Ohio, to parents Steven C. Peterson, Sr., and Velma Peterson. Peterson reportedly moved away from Toledo after he graduated from high school in May 1959. Interestingly, exactly four years later, in May 1963, Peterson was married to 20 year-old Mary Alice Mast, daughter of Lyle E. Mast and Lena Wentz Mast, at her Lima, Ohio Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. Notably, Steven Peterson delivered a "public talk" at that same Kingdom Hall in July 1963.

One can't help but wonder whether Steven Peterson had spent that missing four years working the then typical four year term as a volunteer at WatchTower Society world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. Helping such a conclusion is the report that sometime after being married, Steven and Mary Peterson spent "several years" "preaching in the Southeast" for the Jehovah's Witnesses. A more interesting question is whether the couple did so as "Special Pioneers", or possibly even as a "Circuit Servant" couple? Something certainly contributed to the Petersons becoming accustomed to short-term living in areas all over the United States.

In March 1996, the Phoenix New Times reported:

"Peterson is a chilling, colorful example of how career confidence men operate. Though the man remains shrouded in mystery, New Times pieced together much of his story through use of public records in several states and by numerous interviews.

"Able to cite Biblical and stock quotations at will, the physically imposing Peterson -- six foot seven, 265 pounds -- oozes charm and credibility. His promises of easy money are seductive, his invented track record impressive. He has a loyal, Scripture-quoting wife whose mere presence after three decades with him helped to convince potential investors of his stability and trustworthiness. ... ...

"The couple presented quite a contrast: Steve is a talkative bear of a man who can dominate a room; Mary is a tiny, somewhat passive woman with a passion for Scripture. The Petersons have no children."

According to this same newspaper article, in which the reporter did the best job that he could putting together bits and pieces from all over the United States, it is reported that Steven Peterson supposedly left the JW religion in the early 1970s. However, this same article then goes on to report that, in 1990-1, Peterson employed a number of Jehovah's Witnesses, in Phoenix, Arizona. This same article also reports that Steven Peterson spent 9 months in prison, in Minnesota, in the late 1980s, after being involved in multiple business scams and thefts in Texas and Minnesota. Interestingly, I have located a December 1974 Minnesota newspaper article, in which a "Steven Peterson" was then promoting a WatchTower Circuit Assembly. "Steven Peterson" was identified in 1974 as the then Presiding Overseer of the Winona, Minnesota Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Peterson's business trail in the United States includes the states of Ohio, Minnesota, Delaware, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington, and California. Peterson's international business trail includes Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia.

The names of Peterson's businesses are numerous, and reportedly include but are not limited to, Bass 'n Man, Inc, Bass 'n Man Lure Company, Vericorp, Camero Worldwide Limited, Paracrete International, Eagle Pacific Investments, Big Eagle Entertainment, Airporter Inn, American Security Corporation, Keebee Corporation, Balco Investment Inc., Preservation Corporation, and Austin Stevens Incorporated. These do not include several other corporations in which Peterson had no ownership, but falsely claimed to have ownership and/or employment.

No info has yet been found on Peterson for the years 1975 through 1985, but what turns up in 1985 is major, and probably indicates that Peterson's business activities were already long ongoing by 1985. In February 1985, David R. Artz, 33, a businessman from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was found executed-murdered in his newly-purchased Coral Springs, Florida home. Two other Pennsylvania-to-Florida business associates of Artz were eventually prosecuted for Artz's murder. Interestingly, Steven Peterson also was a business partner with the two accused businessmen. In fact, Peterson fled Fort Lauderdale, Florida after the murder, but later testified that he had done so only because he was afraid that the two killers were also after him. Apparently, Florida authorities concentrated their efforts on Artz's two business partners, and never seriously considered Peterson as a possible "perp". In later years, as Peterson's track record became more developed, some observers began to believe otherwise.

Not long after the Artz murder, in November 1985, Peterson was indicted in Texas by a federal grand jury on three felony charges relating to bank fraud, while using the alias "Stephen Charles Colapietro". After spending a month in jail and then being released on bail, Peterson jumped bail.

In April 1987, Peterson was arrested in Minnesota, while using the alias "Stephen Charles Marino", on charges relating to two separate business thefts/frauds. Peterson plea bargained to a mere two year prison term in exchange for his promise to help Florida authorities solve the "unsolved" murder of Davis Artz. Peterson was paroled in early 1989 after serving only nine months in a Minnesota "white-collar" prison camp.

The Petersons moved their business operations to the states of Arizona, California, and Washington state. In May 1991, an Arizona grand jury indicted Peterson on nine counts of racketeering, fraud and securities-law violations. In early 1992, Peterson plea bargained guilty to charges of fraud and theft in exchange for a five year prison term. Peterson was paroled around January 1994.

In June 1994, the Petersons moved their business operations to Wapakoneta, Ohio, which was the home of Mary Peterson's Jehovah's Witness brother, named Robert Mast. There, within a matter of weeks, Peterson scammed many local businesses, and even the local and state governments.

On July 12, 1995, the Arizona attorney general filed a complaint against Peterson in which Peterson was accused of defrauding a California resident in even another 1994-5 business scam. Thereafter, Peterson, using even another alias, showed up in Texas, where in 1998, he was eventually turned in to Arizona authorities after scamming even more victims in/from Texas.

Sometime in the latter 1990s, while using the alias "Steve DePietro", Peterson ripped off $60,000.00 from Life Spring Baptist Church, in Florence South Carolina, in a construction loan scam.

After doing jail/prison time in 1998/9, Peterson was indicted again in Arizona on multiple fraud charges in 2000. Outcome is unknown, but since Peterson has not been heard from since, he finally may be serving a long prison term.

Although Mary Alice Peterson has been arrested one or more times in connection with some of the above business scams, there is no indication that she has ever been prosecuted, much less convicted.

Many more details, including many of the names and locations of just some of Peterson's scams, victims, and business associates, can be found in the following articles:

ADDITIONAL READING --- ADDITIONAL READING --- ADDITIONAL READING --- ADDITIONAL READING

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UNITED STATES v. METCALF was a 1997-8 California federal criminal court case which involved a Jehovah's Witness named Kevin Metcalf. Metcalf and a co-conspirator (unidentifed by source, but probably a fellow Jehovah's Witness) manufactured and attempted to sell counterfeit checks, which were copied from genuine checks issued to Metcalf by mortgage companies and other firms who had employed Metcalf to perform real estate appraisals. This JW Duo also manufactured and attempted to pass counterfeit $20.00 bills.

Metcalf was found guilty on one conspiracy count and four counts of counterfeiting, and was sentenced to three years in federal prison. Metcalf was also ordered to pay a $15,000.00 criminal fine and $2,068 in restitution to California Federal Bank. In sentencing Metcalf, Judge Kram found that Metcalf obstructed justice by giving false testimony during his trial, and that he was the organizer of the conspiracy. Judge Kram rejected Metcalf's request for a reduced sentence based on his claims that the counterfeiting operation was "aberrant behavior" because he was a Jehovah's Witness who was active in charitable causes. Metcalf's co-conspirator pled guilty to unidentified charges - possibly an indicator that they assisted in Metcalf's prosecution.

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FLORIDA v. BRANHAM was a 1995-7 Florida criminal court decision. In January 1997, a Jehovah's Witness, named Dale C. Branham, then 52, presently of Boca Raton, Florida, pleaded "no contest" to criminal charges relating to the 1992 collapse of Charter American Casualty Insurance Company, 100 East Linton Blvd, Ste 400A, Delray Beach, 33483, which was an automobile insurance company that was owned by Dale Branham (see D&O list below). Dale Branham was sentenced to 4 years in prison, and 5 years probation thereafter. Branham was also ordered to pay restitution of 15% of his annual income for a number of years thereafter.

Although specifics are not known, it appears that Charter American Casualty Insurance was an upstart "high-risk" automobile insurance company, which attracted $6,700,000.00 in evidently underpriced premiums in 1991-2, but had nearly $12 million in claims and expenses. CACIC was incorporated in Januray 1989 by the following individuals: Walter H. Samples, President and Director; Richard M. Decario, Vice President and Director; John E. Branham, Vice President; Thomas W. Clash, Secretary, Treasurer, and Director; Carolyn V. Webster, Director; and Dale C. Branham, Chairman and Director.

John E. Branham and Veronica C. Branham, and Dale C. Branham and Linda C. Branham, owned Charter American Holding Company, which used Charter American Casualty Insurance Company to issue the insurance policies, and a subsidiary named American Underwriting Group, Inc. to sell the policies and collect the premiums.

It is unclear to what exact charges Dale Branham pled, but he was initially charged with racketeering, grand theft, and conspiracy, all arising out his efforts to inflate the company's finances in reports to the Florida Department of Insurance. Investigators also alleged that Branham had disguised $1,287,930.20 of customer's premiums as "loans" from Charter American Holding Company, so that that money could be transferred out of the CACIC's trust account to the Holding Company before CACIC collapsed.

Josefa M. Kolodziecayk, 41, who was also involved with Dale Branham in at least 4 other Florida corporations, was also criminally charged with regard to the collapse of Charter American Casualty Insurance. The disposition of his case is unknown.

Some of Charter American Casualty Insurance Company's other employees and corporate officers were also the subject of various court orders relating to the liquidation process. The multiple other businesses operated at the same location by the Branham family were not involved in this case. Neither were any individuals prosecuted other than Josefa Kolodziecayk and Dale Branham. Thus, no illegal activities should be attributed to any other persons or entities.

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MARIANNE MADSEN v. AMERICAN GROUP MGMT INC. was a 1987 Florida civil court case, which had Dale Branham, John Braham, and their business, American Group Management, Inc., named as defendants. Specifics and disposition are unknown.

BARNETT RECOVERY CORP v. PROGRAM MANAGEMENT INC was a 1993 Florida civil court case, which had Program Management Inc, and its President, Dale Branham, named as defendants. Appears that Barnett received a $3316.95 judgement.

DESMOND v. DALE C. BRANHAM and LINDA C. BRANHAM was a 1985 Florida civil court case. Specifics and disposition are unknown.

INVEST CORP v. DALE C. BRANHAM ET AL was a 1986 Florida real estate foreclosure court case. Specifics and disposition are unknown.

ALEX SYSTEMS v. DALE BRANHAM was a 1992 Florida civil court case. Appears that Alex received a $2926.62 judgement.

Click HERE to access several additional cases in which John E. Branham or Linda C. Branham were parties.

Click HERE and HERE to access a lawsuit that involved some of the Branhams and other corporate officers of CACIC. This FORTUNE magazine article will provide some additional details.

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VIRGINIA v. WEAVER was a 1995-6 Virginia employee theft court decision. In late 1995, 24 year-old Lloyd Mitchell Weaver, Jr., of Richmond, Virginia, pleaded bargained "guilty" to seven felony charges relating to the theft of $560,000.00 from his employer, Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Lloyd M. Weaver, Jr. was sentenced to 50 years in prison, with all but 6 years being suspended.

Lloyd Weaver had been reared in a Jehovah's Witness family, along with several siblings, and he had graduated with honors in 1988 from Varina High School. Weaver thereafter was employed as a Claims Clerk with the local health insurance company. Weaver's oldest sister told a reporter that he had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer "several years" prior to 1995. She also stated that Weaver had been "under psychiatric care" since the diagnosis. Interestingly, Weaver's application for "disabled" status and "long-term disability" benefits had been denied by his own health insurance company employer. Later, after Weaver was arrested, he also claimed to be dying from AIDS.

Supposedly believing that he was terminally ill, and probably angry at his employer for apparently not also believing such, in early 1995, Lloyd Weaver started issuing claims checks through a policyholder's account, which he somehow managed to cash himself. Weaver managed to steal $560,000.00 before he was caught in August 1995. During his six-months long crime spree, Weaver used the money to purchase nearly $100,000.00 in clothing, two homes, a Land Rover, and a turbo Volvo 850. Weaver also had taken several lavish trips all around the United States, and given expensive gifts to friends.

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ILLINOIS v. THOMPSON was a 1994-5 Illinois criminal court case. In September 1994, a Jehovah's Witness Elder, named Robert C. Thompson, who was President of the ten year-old Chicago area insurance and investment firm, Corporation of Financial Planners Inc., was indicted by a Cook County grand jury on one count of theft and one count of securities fraud. In October 1995, Thompson pleaded "guilty" to the theft charge only, in exchange for a 9 year prison sentence. The Illinois Secretary of State already had shut down Corporation of Financial Planners Inc. in February 1994.

According to the Attorney General's office, Robert Thompson approached a fellow Jehovah's Witness congregation member, named Patricia Bridgmon-Balentine, in July 1992, after she survived a car accident that killed her husband and oldest son. Thompson urged Patricia Bridgmon-Balentine several times to secure a solid financial future for her surviving son by signing over three death benefit checks, which totaled $224,590.00. Thompson claimed that he would invest the money in blue-chip stocks that would earn 10 percent annually. According to the attorney general's office, Thompson used his position as a Congregation Elder to instill a sense of trust, and used Bible quotations in his sales pitch. Once Thompson had his hands on the money, in typical "Ponzi" fashion, Thompson used Patricia Bridgmon-Balentine's money to payoff investors in an even earlier investment scheme. Several of those previous investors reportedly were Thompson's own Jehovah's Witness family members, who apparently did not return Patricia Bridgmon-Balentine's money to her, given that Patricia Bridgmon-Balentine reportedly had only recovered about $2000.00., as of Thompson's sentencing. Patricia Bridgmon-Balentine reportedly was also considering a civil lawsuit against Thompson in an attempt to recover more of her money, but he claimed to have no assets.

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UNITED STATES v. GIST was a 1994-6 Illinois federal criminal court case which involved a Jehovah's Witness named Thelma Gist. Gist was a travel agent who was originally charged with 22 counts of bilking $350,000.00 from 800 customers, many of them senior citizens and fellow Chicago area Jehovah's Witnesses. The FBI even investigated allegations of threats to victims during the investigation. Gist eventually plea bargained to one count, and was given 9 months jail time, and three years' supervised release. There appears to have been state involvment prior to 1994 given references to court orders in 1992.

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FLORIDA v. MIMS and UNITED STATES v. MIMS were related 1994 Florida and 1993 federal court cases, which involved a Jehovah's Witness Ministerial Servant, from Largo, Florida, named Gerald D. Mims. Gerald Mims, a commodities futures trader, pled guilty in state court to defrauding seven Pinellas area investors in 1991 and 1992. Mims was ordered to pay $266,000.00 in restitution, and was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison, followed by 25 years probation. The state prosecutor told the court that Mims has been under a federal court order to pay back 20 victims, for more than a year, but that only two victims had received any money -- $200.00 that very week. When sentencing Mims, the judge stated, "You are exactly the type of thief and liar and crook who belongs in prison." The ST. PETERSBURG TIMES wrote, in part:

"Three years ago, though, Mims seemed like the anything but a thief, say his victims. His luxurious house convinced them he knew how to make money, and his ability to quote the Bible convinced them of his honesty.

"'He's a Jehovah's Witness and he told us he was trying to become an elder,' said Janice Perry, one of the victims. 'He really used his religion as a front.' ...

"'Actually, less than half their money was ever invested in anything. Most went to support Mims' lavish lifestyle,' Kurash wrote in an affidavit.

"'Meanwhile he either handed his 'clients' fraudulent statements about their profits or else gave them no statements at all,' Kurash wrote. ...

"'When they began to figure out what had happened, Mims employed his religious knowledge to fend off discovery,' [John]Moore said.

"'He used the Bible Scriptures on me to keep me from going to the elders in his congregation,' [John] Moore told the judge. And when the elders did question him about it, [John] Moore said, 'he cried and everything.'

Unbelievably, the TIMES also reported that after the sentencing that victim John Moore went to make nice with his fellow Jehovah's Witnesses, Gerald Mim's wife, Virginia Mims, and her JW Father, Charles Wolfersberger , who had served as an area spokesperson for the WatchTower Society from as early as 1980, and even afterwards, as late as 2007:

"[Charles] Wolfersberger told [John] Moore he would answer for what he had done to [Gerald] Mims, and Mrs. Mims waved a hand and told him, 'Get out of here!'"

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COMMONWEALTH v. McMILLAN was a 1992-3 Massachusetts criminal court case which involved a Jehovah's Witness named David A. McMillan, then 48, of Lunenburg, Massachusetts. David McMillan was originally indicted on 36 counts of larceny, fraud, and securities law violations. McMillan used the typical fraudulent investment scheme of promising unrealistic investment returns to bilk five people out of $230,000.00 over a three year period. One or more of the victims were McMillan's fellow Jehovah's Witnesses, whom McMillan claimed had "loaned" him the money, rather than gave such to him to invest.

McMillan was convicted of six counts of larceny by false pretenses, one count of larceny by a common scheme, and seven counts each of fraudulent sale of a security and selling securities without being registered as a broker or agent. David A. McMillan, who for some unknown reason had given up career as a schoolteacher before this "career",was sentenced to 5-7 years in state prison, plus five years probation. At the sentencing, the judge called McMillan "a common and notorious thief". McMillan reportedly collapsed and began hyper-ventilating after his sentence was read.

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CALIFORNIA v. PATERNOSTRO was a 1988-90 California criminal case which involved a Jehovah's Witness Elder named William Paternostro. Bill Paternostro, an accountant employed by the Los Angeles County Fire Department for twelve years, was convicted of embezzling $526,000.00 from the Fire Department. Paternostro was actually believed to have stolen nearly $1,000,000.00 over a six year period. He funneled most of the money to himself using two bank accounts belonging to the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses where he served as an Elder. A fellow Jehovah's Witness Elder named Jaap Valkman testified that Paternostro had partially admitted much of the crime to the Elder Body of his Jehovah's Witnesses congregation. Paternostro was sentenced to seven years in state prison on the criminal charges, and offered to repay $767,000.00 to avoid a civil lawsuit.

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UNITED STATES v. WILSON was a 1986-9 Illinois federal criminal court decision. In April-May 1986, a 29 year-old "Jehovah's Witness", named Otis Wilson, conspired with five others to commit what is labeled, "The Largest Embezzlement In Chicago's History". (Wilson's then membership status is unclear, but one media report stated that "most of his family are Jehovah's Witnesses".)

The scam was hatched by a Detroit con-man, named Armand Moore, and his Chicago cousin, Herschel Bailey, who somehow "knew" Otis Wilson. Wilson had been employed at The First National Bank of Chicago for six years. In Spring 1986, Otis Wilson worked in the bank's department which was responsible for "wire transfers" of money. Bailey apparently convinced Wilson to join the conspiracy, and apparently because Wilson could not do everything that needed to be done in the scam, Wilson enlisted another department employee, named Gabriel Taylor. Bailey initially wanted to steal $232 million, and Wilson and Taylor's cut was to be $28 million of the $232 million.

Together, Otis Wilson and Gabriel Taylor provided the others with confidential information regarding the bank's wire transfers procedures, including the verbiage and codes that would be needed during the request and confirmation stages. The Duo also studied bank records to determine which bank customers had the highest amount of protection against overdrafts, and which had the highest volume of transactions in their account, so that missing funds would be difficult to reconcile.

On Friday, May 13, 1986, the outside conspirators telephone the bank and requested $69,125,000.00 be transferred from the accounts of Merrill Lynch, United Airlines, and Brown-Forman to bank accounts in Vienna, Austria. Taylor manuevered the inside situation such that he was the bank employee to "confirm" the requests, and the funds were transferred as requested. However, the scam was discovered the following Monday by practically every party involved, because Wilson and Taylor were ignorant of nearly everything that such large wire transfers would trigger outside their own department's function.

The $69,125,000.00 was quickly recovered, and Wilson's and Taylor's roles in the scheme were unraveled just as quickly. Both Wilson and Taylor cooperated with the authorities. Taylor even helped the F.B.I. "sting" some of the outsiders. Otis Wilson provided a detailed confession to a federal grand jury, which incriminated himself and his co-conspirators. In 1989, Otis Wilson was sentenced to only 36 months in prison.

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S.E.C. v. HERBERT M. KIRSCHNER was a 1986 Connecticut federal court case which involved a Jehovah's Witness named Herbert M. Kirschner. In 1982, Herbert Kirschner formed HMK Management Corporation. As HMK's sole stockholder, Director, and President, Kirschner managed, directed, and controlled its stock trading and other investment activities. Neither Kirschner nor HMK was licensed or registered as a stockbroker or investment advisor. In violation of state and federal law, Herbert Kirschner issued unregistered securities to Jehovah's Witnesses and other clients in exchange for cash. Kirschner then used the proceeds to "play the stock market" in hopes that he would make a profit over and above the interest payable on the worthless securities he had issued. Kirschner not only failed to make sufficient profits to pay the interest, but HMK went bankrupt, which resulted in the loss of the investors' principal. The exact ruling in this specific case is not known. It is also not known how many other civil and/or criminal cases may have been filed against Kirschner. The federal bankruptcy court case was litigated into the 1990s.

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In 1991, the Miami Springs, Florida Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses changed its name to the Virginia Gardens Spanish Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses. Interestingly, in March 1993, two checks on the Congregation's old checking account were cashed in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is unclear whether the Congregation had completely closed the old checking account, or had merely changed the name and retained the account number. In any event, who other than one of the Elders would have had access to those defunct checks?

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STATE v. STEPHEN VAN DER SLUYS was a 1986 New York criminal court case which involved Stephen Van Der Sluys, 34, who was an active minister in the Syracuse, New York; Farmington, New York; Mechanicsville, New York; and Canandaigua, New York Congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses. Van Der Sluys apparently first came to the attention of law enforcement in Spring 1985, when he was convicted and jailed for one year for sodomizing and raping a teenaged foster child ($$$) who had been placed in the family's home through the state foster care program.

At some point, New York authorities also began to investigate the deaths of Stephen Van Der Sluys' three children, which had occurred in the late 1970s. Heath, age 16 months, died in 1976, supposedly from choking on a quarter. Heather, age 3 months, died in 1977, supposedly from SIDS. Vicki, age 14 months, died in 1979, supposedly from SIDS.

The first two children each had a $10,000.00 life insurance policy. Vicki, the third child, had a $30,000.00 life insurance policy. After Vicki died, Van Der Sluys and his wife, Jane, then had three more children. Although there was no indication that Jane knew about the prior murders, a Prosecutor told a reporter that the only reason those three children were not killed was because Jane would not allow Stephen to buy a life insurance policy on them

In the 1986 murder trial, Stephen Van Der Sluys was convicted of second-degree murder for the suffocation death of Heather. Van Der Sluys pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in Vicki's death, which was also believed to have been by suffocation. Van Der Sluys was sentenced to 25 years to life for the 1977 murder, and 8 1/2 to 25 years for the 1979 slaying. The Prosecutor decided not to pursue the 1976 death. The primary motive in the deaths was the insurance money given the family's history of financial problems.

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COMMONWEALTH v. COUTURE was a 1970 Massachusetts bank robbery court case. In May 1970, William Couture, 56, of Sharon, Massachusetts, but originally from Central Falls, Rhode Island, was shot four times during his apprehension by police after he and two accomplices held-up and robbed a Tewksbury bank. Taken to St. Johns Hospital, in Lowell, Bill Couture refused to consent to needed blood transfusions before, during, and after surgery to remove the four bullets -- due to his beliefs as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Couture was listed in critical condition. Outcome unknown.

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DAVIS v. UNITED STATES was a 1968 Mississippi federal appellate court decision. A Jehovah's Witness, named Robert Wesley Davis, was convicted on draft evasion charges after failing to report for his second assignment of "civilian work contributing to the maintenance of the national health, safety and interest as ordered by the local board", at Rush Foundation Hospital.

But, this webpage is about "JW honesty" not "JW draft dodgers". The reason that Robert Davis was assigned to a second hospital is because at his first assignment, at Mississippi State Hospital, Davis had allowed a "patient" to "escape" in exchange for a $50.00 bribe.

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KEYERLEBER v. EUCLID CONGREGATION OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES was a 1957 Ohio appellate court decision. Limited details. Paul and Anna Keyerleber were joint owners of a house constructed on a small 60 ft lot in the Village of Richmond Heights, Ohio. The Keyerlebers also owned a 140 ft vacant lot which adjoined the small lot where their house was situated.

The Euclid, Ohio Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses wanted to purchase a vacant lot on which they planned to construct a new Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. Foreseeing that the Keyerlebers would not want to sell their lot to them for their intended purpose, the Euclid Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses employed Powers Realty Company to approach the Keyerlebers to propose the purchase of the lot. The Euclid Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses also authorized the realty broker to approach the Keyerlebers in the name of "Robert J. Wendt", who actually was the "Congregation Servant", or Minister of the Euclid Congregation. The Euclid Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses also authorized the realty broker to not inform the Keyerlebers who was the real purchaser, nor the purpose of the purchase, until the consummation of the sale.

Mr. Adams from The Powers Realty Company made the solicitation. When the Keyerlebers asked who was the broker's client, and what would be done with the lot, they were told: "A young man who wanted to buy property for his personal use." Based on that the supplied info, the Keyerlebers decided that they would sell their lot, and signed a contract which listed Wendt as the purchaser. Details are missing, but at some point the Keyerlebers discovered who were the real purchasers and their purpose for purchasing the lot. The Keyerlebers eventually attempted to either rescind or reverse the transaction based on "fraud". However, it appears that the Keyerlebers waited too long to bring their claim, and both the trial court and the appellate court ruled against them based on the legal doctrine of "laches" -- not because the JWs were civilly "not guilty". (I suspect that the JWs had hurried up and had the Kingdom Hall either mostly or completely constructed by the time the matter came before the trial court. Under those circumstances, a court of equity would find a reason to rule in the JWs favor.)

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OREGON v. BOYD (2003), BOYD v. PALMATEER (2007), and BOYD v. HOEFEL (2007) are rebuttably believed to all involve a female Jehovah's Witness (or ex), who spent nearly 20 years as the wife of a now deceased Oregon Jehovah's Witness Elder. The listed 2003 court case was her criminal conviction on the charges of second degree manslaughter, for which she was sentenced to Oregon State Penitentiary for a term of 75 months, and the unlawful use of a firearm, for which she was sentenced to six months. The man that Bimla Wati Boyd was convicted of killing was not her JW Elder husband, Charles Boyd, although one or more of her three children believe that she possibly may have also killed him. The two listed 2007 court cases have as defendants two administrators within the Oregon State Penitentiary system. Although the subject of the lawsuits are not known, just the existence of such lawsuits reveals something about who Bimla Boyd is in the year 2007.

I have no evidence that Bimla Wati Boyd has ever been civilly or criminally charged, much less convicted, of any financial crime, or any other crime, other than that for which she is currently incarcerated. However, there have been multiple news media reports that raise questions about a series of coincidental deaths and many financial transactions connected to Bimla Boyd which occurred or took place over the decades

Before I summarize the information from those multiple media reports, web visitors should first read my summary of the "custody" court case CHECKLEY v. KEIZER CONGREGATION OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES, which is posted on this website's sister website. Bimla Wati Boyd is the party identified as "JW Elderette" in that summary. Only after reading the details provided in that summary will the following summary of various events and dates pertaining to Bimla Boyd make sense:

1956: Bimla Wati Lal was born in 1956, on the South Pacific island(s) of Fiji.

1974: Bimla's first child, James Maharaj-Lal, was born in Fiji. Bimla Boyd has stated in official U.S. documents that she was divorced in Fiji the next month after "James Boyd" was born. It is only an assumption that the husband was James' father -- assuming the marriage and divorce actually occurred. James' father was allegedly Bimla's high school teacher, named Sudesh Maharaj, who supposedly moved to New Zealand rather than accompany Bimla and James to North America.

1980: Bimla and James immigrate to Canada -- Vancouver.

1981: Bimla and James immigrate to Springfield, Oregon, where Bimla marries someone named "Schultz". After Bimla gains U.S. citizenship, they divorce. Bimla moves to Portland, Oregon, where she moves in with "relatives", and enrolls at Portland Community College, where she studies "nursing".

1982: Bimla meets a Molalla, Oregon, USPS mail carrier named Charles Boyd. Converts to his religion -- Jehovah's Witnesses. Then, they marry.

Latter 1980s: Bimla's second son born in January 1986. Girl born in March 1988. The Boyd family moves to Keizer, Oregon

Early 1990s: In Keizer, Charles Boyd is an Elder in the local JW Congregation. The Boyds gradually develop a relationship with severely disabled fellow JW -- Shad Wagner.

February 1994: Charles and Bimla Boyd take Shad Wagner to lodge a complaint with Oregon Disability Services regarding Ronald Checkley's activities as Wagner's guardian and conservator.

1995-6: Wagner files petition with local Court to remove Checkley as his guardian and conservator. Months pass before case is actually heard. Court declines to replace Checkley.

1996: Checkley files lawsuit against the Boyds and the Keizer Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses.

1996: The Boyds file for a "legal separation", yet reportedly continue to live in the same home. It has been alleged that such was nothing but a ploy to allow Bimla to qualify for state/federal assistance.

November 1996: The Boyds open an adult-foster-care business in their Keizer home.

January 1998: The Boyds purchase 31 acres of rural property about 10 miles west of Salem, Oregon, and obtain a loan to build a 2700 sf home. They close the Keizer adult-foster-care business, sell their home, and move into a $1500 Mobile Home setup on the rural property while their new home is being constructed. The Boyd's new property is located at the end of a 1-mile long sparsely populated country road.

Sept/Oct 1998: The Boyds advertise the now vacant dilapidated Mobile Home "free in exchange for housework". Out of an alleged 300 responders, the Boyds pick an unmarried couple (26 and 24) who have been alleged to have manufactured and sold methamphetamine from the trailer.

November 23, 1998: At 3:57 p.m., 9-1-1 receives a call from Bimla Boyd reporting that she has discovered the dead body of the male "employee" in the kitchen of the Mobile Home. Bimla claims that she was motivated to go check on the "caretakers" after seeing smoke coming from the trailer (a reportedly stormy day). Police discover the bodies of the female caretaker and a second female underneath the trailer. All three had been "executed" by a small .22 caliber shot to the head. Police arrest Philip Scott Cannon later that night after Bimla Boyd, and possibly others, report seeing Cannon at the Mobile Home earlier that afternoon. Cannon, a convicted felon, who earns a living as a local handyman, admits being there that day, but he claims that he was asked to come to the trailer to give a bid on some plumbing work.

December 1998: Checkley's Lawsuit goes to trial. Boyd's win. Checkley appeals.

Mid 1999: Bimla Boyd gets into a dispute with relatives of the three murder victims. She denies them permission to retrieve their loved one's belongings from the mobile home until they pay $500.00 for damages inside the trailer. Boyd also demanded that the families sign a waiver releasing her of any liability if they contracted a disease from the dried blood.

Fall-Winter 1999: Several people report that Bimla was extremely nervous/anxious about having to take the witness stand at the upcoming murder trial. An attorney allegedly reported that Bimla consulted with him about the ramifications of her going to Mexico until the trial was over.

Jan-Feb 2000: Cannon murder trial. Autopsies showed that the male and female "caretakers" had used meth within only a few hours of being killed. There were no witnesses to the killings. Just Bimla, and possibly others, who seen Cannon at the trailer, which he admits. The district attorney produced no motive during Cannon's trial. The DA theorized that the slayings resulted from a drug deal gone awry. No murder weapon was found. Bullets and/or shell casings of the same caliber, same manufacturer, and same chemical composition were discovered at the crime scene and at Cannon's home. (I wonder how many boxes of 50 cartridges the local WalMart sold from the same case?) Cannon was convicted and sentenced to life without parol. Cannon still denies that he killed the 3 druggies

Fall 2000: Robert Daniel Spencer, 54, who receives SS Disability, moves into the rent-free Mobile Home located about 100 ft from the Boyd home in exchange for performing various caretaking duties on the property.

November 2000: Appellate court reinstates most of lawsuit against Boyds.

Latter 2000: The local housing authority discovers that the Boyds have fraudulently received $5-7,000.00 in state housing assistance after claiming that they are legally separated, that the realty belongs solely to Charles, that he rents the house to Bimla, and that he lives at their former residence in Keizer. The Police fiddle around with the complaint until they also forget to refer the it to the DA. This scam appears to be a repeat of the one alleged in 1996, and possibly other years.

2001-2002: An unidentified elderly man and woman also died sometime around 2001-2 while staying at Bimla Boyd's home. They had lived with the Boyds when they operated the adult-foster-care business from their Keizer home. The elderly couple moved with the Boyds to their new home in Polk County. The two deaths were assumed to have stemmed from natural causes, and raised noone's suspicions.

October 15, 2001: Boyds divorce final. Terms of divorce settlement required Charles Boyd to continue making the mortgage payments, and provide child support of $200 a month.The divorce decree also required Charles Boyd to keep Bimla as the primary beneficiary of his $400,000.00 life insurance policy. It is alleged that the Boyd's divorce was as genuine as their previous legal separations that were used for one scam or another.

December 2001: The Monmouth Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses disfellowship both Charles and Bimla Boyd. Reason(s) not announced, but it could have been for any number of possible reasons. It was rumored to relate to the Boyds continuing to live together after their divorce. It would be typical that the JWs would hone in on the decoy rather than what the decoy was used for.

2001-2002: The deed to the Boyd property is put into first one of their names, and then the other, allegedly depending on who they were trying to scam at the time -- including worrying about losing the ongoing Checkley lawsuit.

January 2002: Allegedly, the Boyd's realty was deeded to Spencer (caretaker) for a few weeks.

Jan-Feb 2002: Charles Boyd becomes severely depressed after being disfellowshiped from the JWs, and decides to do whatever the JW Elders required him to do in order for him to be reinstated.

February 2, 2002, Charles moves out (possibly the only time he actually did so in all the years of claiming such in order to scam various government programs).

Feb. 13, 2002: Charles, Bimla, and their two children attend the evening meeting at the Monmouth Kingdom Hall together in an attempt to do what was needed for he and Bimla to be reinstated. After the meeting, Charles spends the night at Bimla's (their) house. According to Bimla, Charles sleeps in a downstairs bedroom, while she sleeps upstairs.

February 14, 2002: When Charles fails to get up for work at USPS the next morning, rather than checking on him herself, Bimla summons Spencer to come and check on Charles. Spencer told detectives that when he opened the bedroom door that he instantly recognized that Charles was dead. Spencer said he tried but failed to revive Charles with chest compressions. Bimla told investigators that Charles had committed suicide by overdosing on prescription pills. The Medical Examiner determined that he had taken a non-lethal amount of Oxycodone, a painkiller, and sertraline, an anti-depressant. The Coroner's report listed the cause of his death as undetermined. However, it concluded that three combined factors - his large, 6-foot-1, 220-pound body; the medication; and a dilated heart - probably caused his death. (Keep in mind that Charles, only 44, daily walked a mail delivery route for USPS. Also keep in mind that Bimla trained as a nurse. Friends reportedly alleged that she was also a notorious hypochondriac, who monitored the pill-taking of everyone around her.)

Sometime 2002: Boyds again win at trial. Checkley again appeals.

September 29, 2002: Around 6:00 p.m., 9-1-1 receives a call from Bimla Boyd's 16 year-old son reporting a shooting at the Boyd residence. Around 6:30 p.m., Police find Spencer's body in Bimla's bedroom. Spencer died from a single rifle shot to the face. Some of Spencer's relatives later claimed that Spencer had wanted for some time to quit his "rent for work" deal (and maybe tit for tat) with Boyd, but that Spencer could not afford to do so given that SS Disability was his sole income. They suspect that Spencer had finally had enough and told Bimla that he was leaving.

October 2002: Bimla Boyd pleads not guilty to the murder charge.

January 2003: Bimla Boyd's attorney negotiates a second degree manslaughter plea deal after the DA "investigates" and learns from Bimla, Bimla's 14 year-old daughter, and Bimla's 16 year-old son that Bimla shot Spencer after discovering Spencer and the daughter having sex in Spencer's trailer. Spencer, 54, recipient of SS disability, who had likely carried on a sexual relationship with Bimla, allegedly had been carrying on a sexual relationship with Bimla's 14 year-old daughter for about six months. Supposedly, around 5:00 PM on 11/29/02, Bimla had decided to go for a walk on her property. She stopped at Spencer's trailer, about 100 ft from her house, and interrupted Spencer having sex with her daughter. Bimla then escorted her daughter back to the house, where Spencer was stupid enough to follow around 6:00 PM. Bimla and Spencer argue, and in the heat of the argument, somehow wind up in Bimla's bedroom, where she retrieves one of two loaded rifles from beneath her bed, and proceeds to shoot Spencer one time in the face, killing him. Bimla claims that she did not intend to shoot Spencer, but that her finger must have slipped in the anger, confusion, frusttration, etc of the moment. Neither of Bimla's two children saw what occurred in her bedroom.

January 2008: Boyd's 75 month sentence is still running. She is required to serve all 75 months, and it is unclear whether the six months for the lesser charge is additional, and unclear if and how much credit she received for jailtime.

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ADDITIONAL UNDOCUMENTED INCIDENTS

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