New PublicationsIn a new book, Sarito Carroll describes how she traded sex for adult male affection as a young teen living communally with followers of this infamous Indian guru.
Legislative & LegalHigh-profile legal actions targeting fraudulent psychic operations, mass-mailing scams, and individuals using spiritual claims for extortion or defamation have led to several major rulings and lawsuits in federal and state courts over the past year.
The notable cases from 2025 and 2026 include:
1. United States v. Georg Ingenbleek (April 2026)
The Case: A federal judge in New Jersey sentenced German national Georg Ingenbleek to 70 months in prison and ordered a massive $`13.6 million forfeiture for orchestrating a multi-million dollar psychic mail fraud scheme.
The Fraud: Between 2011 and 2016, Ingenbleek ran a predatory mass-mailing operation targeting vulnerable individuals across the U.S. The letters claimed to be personalized insights from well-known psychics offering "free" services and items to bring good fortune. Once victims engaged, the operation sent aggressive follow-up billing notices demanding money and falsely threatening legal action and prosecution if they didn't pay. Ingenbleek was indicted in 2020, captured as a fugitive in Italy in 2024, and extradited to the U.S. in 2025.
2. Rebecca Scofield v. Ashley Guillard (February 2026)
The Case: A federal jury in Boise, Idaho, ordered a viral TikTok "tarot card reader" to pay `$10 million in damages to a University of Idaho history professor in a massive defamation lawsuit.
The Fraud: Self-proclaimed psychic Ashley Guillard posted over 100 videos to TikTok claiming her "spiritual intuition" and tarot readings proved the history department chair was responsible for ordering the tragic 2022 stabbings of four Idaho college students. Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Raymond Patricco ruled the claims entirely defamatory, stating they relied purely on "spiritual intuition" with zero objective basis. The February 2026 trial ended with a unanimous jury awarding $`7.5 million in punitive damages alone to punish the behavior and deter similar online "psychic" accusations.
3. United States v. Gina Rita Russell (Late 2024 / Ongoing Impact)
The Case: Sentenced to over 10 years (125 months) in federal prison, self-purported psychic Gina Rita Russell was penalized for masterminding an elaborate fraud, extortion, and money laundering ring.
The Fraud: Operating out of New York and Los Angeles, Russell weaponized her position as a spiritual advisor to psychologically coerce a Maryland man. Through extortionate spiritual threats and manipulation, she forced the victim to embezzle more than `$4 million from his Washington, D.C., employer to fund her lifestyle.
4. Pennsylvania Record Civil Filing: Spells & Blackmail Action (August 2025)
The Case: A civil lawsuit was filed against an individual operating as a psychic and spiritual practitioner, alleging severe financial exploitation.
The Fraud: The lawsuit outlines a classic multi-layered psychic fraud mechanism. It charges the defendant with civil RICO violations, extortion, unjust enrichment, "theft by fortune-telling," and practicing medicine without a license. The plaintiff alleges the psychic manipulated her into paying exorbitant fees for personalized spells, using emotional distress and eventual blackmail to extract funds.
Common Red Flags Identified in Recent Litigation
Civil and criminal court filings from these cases highlight a distinct pattern used by fraudulent spiritualists to exploit victims:
The "Personal Vision" Mass Mailer: Automated form letters sent to thousands of elderly or isolated individuals simultaneously, falsely claiming a famous psychic had a specific, individualized vision of their upcoming wealth or tragedy.
Karmic and Legal Extortion: Demanding escalating fees to "cleanse" a curse or prevent a tragedy, often shifting into aggressive legal threats or spiritual blackmail if the victim attempts to stop paying.
Unsubstantiated "Intuition" as Fact: Using spiritual tools (like tarot cards or mediumship) to publicly fabricate criminal allegations against innocent individuals for internet clout or financial gain via social media monetization.
Research & Academic
Researchers Need Your Input: A New Tool to Assess Religious and Spiritual Trauma
A graduate researcher at the University of Illinois Springfield is developing the first standardized assessment tool for religious and spiritual trauma — and is looking for participants to help validate it.
The Multidimensional Religious and Spiritual Trauma Assessment (MRSTA) is designed to measure how religious and spiritual experiences affect mental and emotional well-being, including intergenerational trauma, family and religious culture, and organizational harm. The goal is to give therapists and educators better tools for working with survivors of religious harm.
The study is conducted by Takouhie Jensen under the supervision of Dr. Huijuan Li, Assistant Professor of Counseling at the University of Illinois Springfield, and has been reviewed and approved by the university’s Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Who can participate? Anyone 18 or older with current or past involvement in any religious or spiritual group.
What does it involve? An anonymous one-time online survey of approximately 130–150 items, taking 20–30 minutes. No personal identifiers are collected. You may skip any question.
Survey link: https://uisits.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3EkKLn3QtpOOJWm
Questions can be directed to Takouhie Jensen at tjens@uis.edu or Dr. Huijuan Li at hli254@uis.edu.
WRSP: Clearwater City Council approves giving street to Church of Scientology to build L. Ron Hubbard Hall
"Clearwater City Council gave the green light Thursday night for the Church of Scientology to take over a short city street that’s key to building L. Ron Hubbard Hall, a 3500-person venue named after its controversial founder.
The decision came after more than an hour of public comment that councilmembers cut short. Hundreds of Scientologists and dozens of their critics once again packed the downtown library where council meetings are held.
“My wife and I have personally contributed millions of dollars toward the L. Ron Hubbard Hall since the inception of this project because we believe in what it will mean for future generations of parishioners and for downtown Clearwater,” said Scientologist Stu Sjouwerman, the billionaire tech founder of KnowBe4, the world's largest integrated security awareness training and simulated phishing platform. “It's the completion of a vision that has been discussed for decades and the final piece to complete [Scientology’s] downtown campus.”
This is not the church's first attempt. In 2025, Scientology withdrew a similar application shortly before a final city vote, saying it intended to revise and resubmit the proposal. It did exactly that in 2026.
Critics argue that South Garden Avenue is public land and should remain open to everyone. They believe transferring the roadway would further consolidate Scientology's already extensive influence over downtown Clearwater. The church and affiliated entities own a large share of downtown property. Many former Scientologists who showed up at the meeting say the church commits human rights abuses and uses child labor."
"... In late 2025, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued an opinion siding with Scientology's position that the church could pursue its planned development and that the city lacked certain grounds to block it. That opinion strengthened the church's case but did not automatically settle the matter politically.
Thursday night, three councilmembers, David Allbritton, Mike Mannino, and Ryan Cotton, said they were supporting the vacation request because they are routine and have never been rejected."
International Society of Divine Love (ISDL)
The International Society of Divine Love (ISDL), incorporated in 1975 by the Hindu guru Swami Prakashanand Saraswati (a disciple of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj), underwent a severe institutional collapse and complete rebranding following a major criminal scandal involving its founder.
The trajectory of the organization and its ultimate fate unfolded through several key developments:
Expansion and the Creation of Radha Madhav Dham
Originally founded in India, the ISDL expanded internationally to New Zealand and eventually to the United States. In 1990, the organization established its international headquarters on a massive 200-acre property in Austin, Texas, known as Barsana Dham (later renamed Radha Madhav Dham). The site became one of the largest Hindu temple complexes in the Western Hemisphere, attracting thousands of followers and visitors for religious festivals.
Criminal Charges and Conviction of the Founder
The organization's trajectory shifted abruptly between 2007 and 2011 due to severe criminal allegations against its founder, Prakashanand Saraswati:
2007–2008 Arrest: Three former residents of the Texas ashram came forward to law enforcement, reporting that they had been subjected to chronic sexual abuse by Saraswati when they were minors (ranging from ages 12 to 14) during the 1990s. Saraswati was subsequently arrested.
2011 Trial and Conviction: In March 2011, a Texas jury found Saraswati guilty on 20 counts of indecency with a child.
Flight and Fugitive Status: Following his conviction but before the sentencing phase, Saraswati fled the United States while out on a $10 million bond. He was sentenced in absentia to 280 years in prison and a $200,000 fine. Federal authorities later determined he had used a fraudulent passport to escape to India, where he remains a fugitive.
Reorganization and Rebranding
Following the founder's conviction and flight, the International Society of Divine Love faced immense legal, financial, and public relations crises. To survive the fallout, the organization systematically distanced itself from Prakashanand Saraswati and restructured its governance:
Institutional Scrubbing: The organization stripped Saraswati’s name, images, and writings from its official materials, websites, and temple gift shops.
The Rebrand: The U.S. nonprofit entity underwent a total rebranding. The Texas ashram officially changed its name from Barsana Dham to Radha Madhav Dham to signal a fresh start.
New Leadership Alignment: Globally, the broader movement shifted its primary alignment away from the disgraced founder and placed itself directly under the umbrella of its parent organization in India, Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), which is managed by Kripalu Maharaj's daughters.
Today, the physical infrastructure built by the International Society of Divine Love still operates in Texas as Radha Madhav Dham, a community temple and cultural center. However, it is now under a completely restructured local management designed to sever ties with its history of coercive control and abuse.
References
The Criminal Case and Conviction: The details surrounding the arrest and subsequent trial of the founder, Swami Prakashanand Saraswati (often referred to as "Shree Swamiji"), are extensively documented in Texas legal archives and in media outlets such as The Austin American-Statesman and KXAN-TV. In 2011, a Hays County jury convicted him on 20 counts of indecency with a child stemming from a pattern of abuse against minors at the Texas ashram during the 1990s.
Fugitive Status: Following his conviction, Saraswati skipped his $10 million bond and fled the country, an escape that led to appearances on law-enforcement broadcasts, including CNN’s The Hunt with John Walsh and Fox's America's Most Wanted.
Documentation regarding the transition from Barsana Dham to Radha Madhav Dham comes from the organization's corporate restructuring filings in Texas and official public relations statements. This shift placed the remaining physical complex directly under the administrative wing of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP) in India, an entity listed in repositories such as the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA).
International Society of Divine Love (ISDL)
Following the 2011 conviction and subsequent flight of its founder, Prakashanand Saraswati, the organization overseeing the 200-acre Texas ashram faced severe legal, financial, and existential crises. To survive the fallout and address lawsuits from victims, the management implemented a series of dramatic structural, legal, and leadership changes designed to stabilize the community and insulate it from its founder's criminal legacy.
The specific changes implemented include:
Reconstitution of the Board and Local Leadership
The organization dissolved the insular governance structure that had previously been controlled by or directly answered to Prakashanand Saraswati.
Appointment of New Leadership: The ashram appointed new, public-facing spiritual and administrative leaders who were distinct from the inner circle active during the 1990s abuse period. Sushree Diwakari Devi was appointed President of Radha Madhav Dham, overseeing administrative, organizational, and spiritual outreach alongside other Western-based preachers such as Swami Nikhilanand.
Separation of Management: Day-to-day operations and public relations were handed over to a restructured board of directors and a dedicated management team. Spokespersons (such as Vrinda Devi) were designated to explicitly communicate to the public and the media that the ashram was actively "moving forward" and severing historical ties.
Legal Restructuring and Incorporation Changes
To manage the immense financial liabilities stemming from civil litigation—including major vicarious liability and negligence lawsuits brought by survivors of the abuse—the entity underwent formal corporate restructuring.
Asset Insulation: The nonprofit entity stepped away from the "International Society of Divine Love" (ISDL) corporate identity in the United States.
The "Radha Madhav Dham" Rebrand: In addition to renaming the physical site from Barsana Dham to Radha Madhav Dham, the corporate entities were restructured to operate under this new moniker, aiming to separate the physical temple assets and community operations from the legal entity directly tied to Saraswati’s 1975 incorporation.
Direct Subordination to Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP)
Previously, the international branches of the ISDL operated with a high degree of autonomy under Saraswati's personal dictate. Following his flight, the Texas ashram shifted its organizational alignment to become a direct, subordinate international wing of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), the parent charitable trust headquartered in Mangarh, India.
Oversight by the "Pracharikas": JKP India was established by Kripalu Maharaj (Saraswati's own guru) and is explicitly administered by his daughters (Sushri Dr. Shyama Tripathi and Sushri Dr. Krishna Tripathi). By integrating tightly into JKP’s international governance, Radha Madhav Dham effectively placed its theological and structural oversight in the hands of the Indian parent trust's leadership, bypassing the authority of its fugitive founder.
Total Institutional Erasure of the Founder
From a structural policy standpoint, the new management enacted a strict "scrubbing" protocol across the entire organization to dismantle the cult of personality surrounding Saraswati:
Removal of Material: The board ordered the immediate removal of all photographs, portraits, and statues of Prakashanand Saraswati from the Shree Raseshwari Radha Rani Temple and the surrounding grounds.
Literature and Media Sanctions: All books, audio recordings, and philosophical commentaries authored by Saraswati were permanently pulled from the ashram’s gift shops, libraries, and online distribution channels. The organization shifted entirely to using orthodox texts and materials produced directly by Kripalu Maharaj or the JKP trust.
AI Research Disclosure: To bring you the most relevant stories, parts of this newsletter utilize artificial intelligence (AI) tools to search the web, source articles, and assist with content curation. This content is for informational purposes only; we recommend verifying critical facts independently.
News, Education, Intervention, Recovery
Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.
CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.
CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.
The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan, Joseph Kelly or Ashlen Hilliard endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.
No comments:
Post a Comment