I am SHOCKED!!
In recent years, it's been heavily concentrated, religious-wise, in a sect that is only 1.7% of the population: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons.
If you only have time to click on one article link below...read this one: JOHN L. SMITH: Thieves in the temple: How 'affinity fraud' hurts LDS church members
Be sure to read the comments of FBI special agent Cameron Saxey (who is Lds)...the article mentions how the Utah jurisdictional Securities Fraud Task Force was working on 100+ cases...meaning that $1.4 billion total doesn't tell it all!
BTW...I went to absolutely no major effort or had to do any "days of pouring over" the internet to strain these to the surface. Just about all of them were delivered right into my e-mail lap...meaning I wonder what more I'd find if I really dug deeper!
* Former LDS bishop cons elderly man out of life savings, police say
Source: Provo Daily Herald, Oct. 19, 2011
* Tag archives @Utahsecuritiesfraud.com: LDS Church
* Feds arrest St. George business man, philanthropist for mail fraud
Source: Mormon-church owned KSL.com, June 11, 2011
* Former LDS leader charged in fraud against Ute football coach, others
Source: Salt Lake Tribune, June 8, 2011
* Suspected Mormon Con Artist Pleading Guilty to $78M Scam
Source: Streetsweeper.org, May 31, 2011
* Mormon Madoff?
Source: Financial Fraud Law.com, May 27, 2011
* A Fraud Played Out on Family and Friends
Source: New York Times, May 26, 2011
* St. George investor ordered to jail [ex-Lds bishop]
Source: MidUtahRadio.com, April 15, 2011
* Using trust to steal (Utah affinity fraud)
Source: Ogden (UT) Standard Examiner, Feb. 3, 2011
* Mormons Now Losing Billions to Affinity Fraud
Source: Religion Dispatches.org, Sept. 13, 2010
* JOHN L. SMITH: Thieves in the temple: How 'affinity fraud' hurts LDS church members
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal, Sept. 12, 2010
* Local political gadfly arrested for exploiting elderly woman
Source: Provo Daily Herald, May 4, 2010
* Preying on the faithful: Though Mormons often victims, LDS church skips fraud-prevention event
Source: Salt Lake Tribune, May 2, 2010
* Kaneohe swindler is sentenced
Source: Honolulu Star-Bulletin, April 6, 2010
* Investors with troubled firm have Mormon ties
Source: Austin American Statesman, Jan. 16, 2010
* Man Who Defrauded Fellow Church Goer Pleads Guilty
Source: www.connect2utah.com (KUTV) Jan. 7, 2010
* Lindon Man Accused of Trying to Kill Witnesses to Alleged Scam
Source: MidUtahRadio.com, Nov. 19, 2009
* KSL 5 News investigates affinity fraud
Source: KSL.com Nov. 9, 2009
* Mormon victims are caught up in $50M scam to sell gold bullion
Salt Lake Tribune, Sept. 18, 2009
* LDS Church returned $200K in Southwick Tithing
Source: AP, Sept. 14, 2009
* Merriman's church donations may be tained [Momon Ponzi schemer's tithe monies ill-gotten?]
Source: Denver Post, April 24, 2009
* Man Who Defrauded Fellow Church Goer Pleads Guilty
Source: Fox News, April 8, 2009
* Calif. Man Charged with $40 million Ponzi scheme
Source: AP, March 20, 2009
I am SHOCKED!!
There are many people who are duped into these get rich schemes, it does seem however that mormons are duped more often than others.
I used to represent a couple of insurance companies in those instances where their independent agents would include their insurance products of part of the agent’s bogus ponzi type investment scheme. (It is not an uncommon occurance). By the times these crooks got caught they were out of money so every entity they sold product for would become the defendants in the inevitable lawsuits. Every one of these scamsters I ever had to deal with in one of these lawsuits used a religious come on to sucker their clients. Every single one.
Utah is con man heaven.
People are taught from infancy to trust the brethren without asking questions.
It’s traceable to Kirtland OH in the 1830’s.
Mormonism IS a fraud. Why would it surprise us that their members, having been easily deluded in the largest fraud of their souls (tragically), are so easily taken in by lesser frauds.
If you think about it, the entire mormon fraud is a Celestial Amway operation.
You worship a God who used to be a man, but “did the right stuff” and became a Mormon God.
You are taught you can become a god with your own worshipers and your own planet.
You must do all the things required to reach Silver, Gold and then Platinum Heaven levels.
You are taught secret signs, rituals, beliefs, sales techniques.
You must recruit others.
Someday, you reach Platinum Level, Become God (head of a new Down-line), start popping out spirit babies to populate your down-line on your new planet.
Each new spirit baby begins the new downline.
It’s some satanic cross of every religion, New Age teaching, and Muti-Level Marketing scam.
In short, it is a massive fraud on so many levels, destroying lives and souls.
It is truly sad.
I know, all Mormons aren’t evil. But I get royally roasted every time I bring up my own business dealings with Mormon movers and shakers who believe they’ve gotten their planet early.
“When someone preys upon the members of a congregation or community in order to get personal gain, it is a reprehensible betrayal of confidence, and its perpetrators are rightfully subject to criminal prosecution.”
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Oh gollies...
Like Joey Smith ???
http://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/affinity.htm