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Undid revision 245486019 by Cirt (talk) uses several sources, including court documentation as backup. Let's take it to RfC, if needed
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This is a WP:BLP article and as such the sources should NOT have an obvious bias and financial conflict of interest. The info should stay out, until after consensus is determined, not reverse.
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===Rick A. Ross Institute===<!-- This section is linked from [[Darcy LaPier]] -->
===Rick A. Ross Institute===<!-- This section is linked from [[Darcy LaPier]] -->
Ross moved to [[New Jersey]] in 2001 and two years later founded the Rick A. Ross Institute for the Study of Destructive Cults and Controversial Groups and Movements, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) public charity located in New Jersey, USA. Its stated mission is "public education and research," largely accomplished through its website, which also advertises Ross's own professional services as an exit counselor and expert witness, complete with his fees. In [[Internal Revenue Service|IRS]] EZ-990 form of 2002, the Institute's income is given as below $25,000, which means it is not required to file an annual return with the IRS.<ref>Rick A. Ross Institute, [http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2002/450/484/2002-450484329-1-Z.pdf IRS: 990-EZ, Guidestar basic report], 13 August 2005, (Only accessible with free sign-in at guidestar.org)</ref>
Ross moved to [[New Jersey]] in 2001 and two years later founded the Rick A. Ross Institute for the Study of Destructive Cults and Controversial Groups and Movements, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) public charity located in New Jersey, USA. Its stated mission is "public education and research," largely accomplished through its website. In [[Internal Revenue Service|IRS]] EZ-990 form of 2002, its income is given as below $25,000, which means it is not required to file an annual return with the IRS.<ref>Rick A. Ross Institute, [http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2002/450/484/2002-450484329-1-Z.pdf IRS: 990-EZ, Guidestar basic report], 13 August 2005, (Only accessible with free sign-in at guidestar.org)</ref>


The Advisory Board of the RRI include [[Ford Greene]], a California attorney specialized in cult related litigation, [[Flo Conway]] and [[Jim Siegelman]], co-authors of the books ''[[Snapping|Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change]]'' and ''Holy Terror: The Fundamentalist War on America's Freedoms in Religion, Politics and Our Private Lives.''; Psychologist [[Margaret Singer]] was also a board member of the Institute until her death.
The Advisory Board of the RRI include [[Ford Greene]], a California attorney specialized in cult related litigation, [[Flo Conway]] and [[Jim Siegelman]], co-authors of the books ''[[Snapping|Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change]]'' and ''Holy Terror: The Fundamentalist War on America's Freedoms in Religion, Politics and Our Private Lives.''; Psychologist [[Margaret Singer]] was also a board member of the Institute until her death.
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==Cases==
==Cases==
===The Jason Scott case===
===The Jason Scott case===
In 1990, Ross and associates attempted an involuntary deprogramming of Jason Scott, then an 18-year-old member of the Life Tabernacle Church, affiliated with the [[United Pentecostal Church|United Pentecostal Church International]]. Scott's mother, Katherine Tonkin, had been a member of the church, but had withdrawn from it after falling out with a business partner, also a church member.<ref name=Shupe180-184>{{cite book
In 1990, Ross and associates attempted an involuntary deprogramming of Jason Scott, then an 18-year-old member of the Life Tabernacle Church, affiliated with the [[United Pentecostal Church|United Pentecostal Church International]]. Scott's mother, Katherine Tonkin, had been a member of the church, but had left due to concerns about the means the church used to keep members in line, their focus on material donations to the church, and a relationship between an adult church member and one of her two minor sons, Jason's younger brothers. After leaving the church, Tonkin asked Ross to assist her in the [[deprogramming]] of her two minor sons. He persuaded the two minors to leave the church.
| last = Shupe
| first = Anson
| authorlink = Anson Shupe
| coauthors = Darnell, Susan E.
| title = Agents of Discord
| publisher = Transaction Publishers
| date = 2006
| location = New Brunswick (U.S.A.), London (U.K.)
| pages = pp. 180–184
| url =
| doi =
| id = ISBN 0-7658-0323-2 }}</ref> Three sons of hers disagreed with her decision and insisted they would remain in the church.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Cockburn>{{cite journal
| last = Cockburn
| first = Alexander
| authorlink = Alexander Cockburn
| coauthors =
| title = Vindication II: That Fool Adolph.
| journal = [[The Nation]]
| volume = 263
| issue = 6
| pages = p. 8
| publisher = The Nation Company L.P.
| location =
| date = 1996-08-26
| url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-18591120.html
| doi =
| id =
| accessdate = }}</ref><ref name=Appeal>{{cite web
| last =
| first =
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT: JASON SCOTT, Plaintiff-Appellee v. RICK ROSS, A/K/A/ RICKEY ALLEN ROSS, MARK WORKMAN, CHARLES SIMPSON, Defendants, CULT AWARENESS NETWORK, Defendant-Appellant
| work =
| publisher =
| date =
| url = http://www.cesnur.org/press/Scott.htm
| format =
| doi =
| accessdate = 2008-10-13}}</ref>


In 1991, Tonkin asked Ross to provide similar intervention for her son Jason, which was unsuccessful. Criminal charges of [[kidnapping]] were brought against Ross and two others for unlawful imprisonment during the deprogramming. The charges filed were dropped, but re-filed again two years later. The trial ended in [[acquittal]] for Ross in 1994.
Tonkin then ejected the two younger sons from her househould, the youngest, aged thirteen, going to live with his grandmother, and the second-youngest, sixteen, moving in with another family from the church.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> Jason remained at home at first, but subsequently also moved in with his grandmother.<ref name=Shupe180-184 />


⚫
In 1995, a civil suit was filed by [[Moxon & Kobrin|Kendrick Moxon]], a long-time member and counsel for the [[Church of Scientology]] on behalf of Jason Scott. The jury held Ross liable for [[Conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] to deprive Scott of his [[civil rights]] regarding [[freedom of religion]]. The suit ended with Jason Scott being awarded $875,000 in [[compensatory damages]] and [[punitive damages]] in the amount of $1,000,000 against CAN, $2,500,000 against Ross, and $250,000 against each of Ross' two accomplices.<ref>Scott v. Ross ([http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=9th&navby=case&no=9635050&exact=1 Ninth Circuit Panel Opinion] [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=9th&navby=case&no=9635050o&exact=1 En Banc Opinions])</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network: Verdict form| url=http://www.cesnur.org/2001/CAN/02/01.htm | accessdate=13 August | accessyear=2005 }}</ref>
Tonkin then called the local [[Cult Awareness Network]] (CAN) hotline.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Appeal /> The CAN contact person referred her to Rick Ross; based on her endorsement of Ross, Tonkin retained him to deprogram her sons.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Cockburn /><ref name=Appeal /> According to a detailed account of the case by [[Anson Shupe]], a professor of sociology at the joint [[Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne|Indiana University-Purdue University campus]] in [[Fort Wayne]], and Susan J. Darnell, in their 2006 book ''Agents of Discord'', "based closely on court documents and testimonies, including Scott's own under-oath account of his deprogramming experience", Ross put together a two-man "security team"; the three traveled to the grandmother's residence, locked the two youngest children in the basement, and following several days of argument and lecturing, the boys gave up their Pentecostal beliefs.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> For deprogramming Jason, Ross demanded a larger fee, in view of the fact that he was legally an adult, as well as powerfully built, and because of the concomitant risk of prosecution.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> Ross hired a [[Karate]] [[Black belt (martial arts)|black belt]] to help with the operation.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> One evening, as Jason returned to his grandmother's house, he was surprised by Ross's team, wrestled to the ground, and dragged into a waiting van.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Cockburn />


⚫
The judgment drove CAN, which had already been weakened by the cost of defending over 50 previous lawsuits, (most of them similar and filed by Moxon) into bankruptcy.<ref>{{cite news | last=Knapp | first=Dan | title=Group that once criticized Scientologists now owned by one | date=[[1996-12-19]] | publisher=[[CNN]] | url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9612/19/scientology/ }}</ref><ref>'The Cult Awareness Network'', CBS News ''60 Minutes'' report 28 December 1997 [http://www.xenutv.com/us/60min-can.htm]</ref> Ross went into bankruptcy as well.
Jason struggled, but was held down and handcuffed by the three men, gagged with [[duct tape]], and had his ankles tied with rope.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Cockburn /> As he lay face down and with his cuffed hands beneath his body, one of the men, weighing 300 pounds, sat on top of his back.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> Jason's legs, upper body and back had sustained multiple bruises and abrasions from being dragged to the van across stairs, floors and a patio.<ref name=Shupe180-184 />

Jason was driven to a seaside cottage, where the rope around his ankles was loosened sufficiently to enable him to make steps.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Cockburn /> Ross and his partners walked him into the house, one of the men leading him on a nylon leash, another holding his handcuffs.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> Ross and his partners had made the house a virtual prison; the windows were covered with thick nylon straps forming a mesh, to prevent escape.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> The two doors to the room where he was held were guarded.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> His captors also took his shoes and fitted the room with [[motion detector]]s.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> Jason demanded that he be allowed to leave, and asked Ross whether he would try to make him change his religious beliefs.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> Ross replied, "Yeah, that's what I'm paid to do."<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> Jason then threatened him with criminal prosecution, to which Ross responded with laughter: "You're not going anywhere and if you give me any problems I'm going to handcuff you to the bed frame and it's going to be more uncomfortable than the ride over here."<ref name=Shupe180-184 />

Jason then endured five days of derogatory comments about himself, his beliefs, his girlfriend and his pastor, and diatribes by Ross about the ways in which [[Christianity]] and conservative [[Protestantism]] were wrong.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Cockburn /> On every visit to the bathroom, Jason was accompanied by at least two men.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> Being fed poor, fatty food, he began to suffer from diarrhea and nausea, in addition to his scratches and bruises.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> Every day, Ross argued with Jason about matters of religion, without giving him a chance to say anything in return, often tapping him or hitting him on the head to underscore his points while Jason was being restrained or closely watched.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> Jason was told that he would only regain his liberty once the deprogramming had been concluded successfully and he had given up his beliefs.<ref name=Shupe180-184 />

After several days, Jason began to pretend that he had changed his mind, feigning tears and remorse, in the hope that this would in due course give him a chance to escape.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Cockburn /> The final day of his imprisonment he spent watching films on [[New Age]] religions and [[Channeling (mediumistic)|channeling]], even though neither are related to Pentecostalism.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> Jason's plan ultimately worked; Ross, pleased with the apparent success of the deprogramming session, proposed that they all went out for a celebratory dinner.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> In the restaurant, Jason was allowed to go the men's room by himself; he ran out, crossed the street and used a public telephone to call the police, who arrested Ross and his companions.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Cockburn />

Criminal charges of [[kidnapping]] were brought against Ross and two others for unlawful imprisonment during the deprogramming; the trial ended in a [[hung jury]].<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> In 1995, a civil suit for damages was filed by [[Moxon & Kobrin|Kendrick Moxon]], a long-time member and counsel for the [[Church of Scientology]], on behalf of Jason Scott.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> The nine-member jury unanimously held Ross liable for [[Conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] to deprive Scott of his [[civil rights]] and [[freedom of religion|religious liberties]].<ref name=Shupe180-184 /> In addition, the jury held that the defendants (excluding CAN) "intentionally or recklessly acted in a way so outrageous in character and so extreme in degree as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency and to be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized community."<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=JSvRR>JASON SCOTT, PLAINTIFF v. RICK ROSS, A/K/A/ RICKEY ALLEN ROSS, MARK WORKMAN, CHARLES SIMPSON, CULT AWARENESS NETWORK, A CALIFORNIA NONPROFIT CORPORATION AND JOHN DOE 1–JOHN DOE 20, DEFENDANTS. Case No. C94-00796. November 29, 1995</ref><ref name=cesnur />

⚫
The suit ended with Jason Scott being awarded $875,000 in [[compensatory damages]] and [[punitive damages]] in the amount of $1,000,000 against CAN, $2,500,000 against Ross, and $250,000 against each of Ross' two accomplices.<ref>Scott v. Ross ([http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=9th&navby=case&no=9635050&exact=1 Ninth Circuit Panel Opinion] [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=9th&navby=case&no=9635050o&exact=1 En Banc Opinions])</ref><ref name=cesnur>{{cite web | title=Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network: Verdict form| url=http://www.cesnur.org/2001/CAN/02/01.htm | accessdate=12 October | accessyear=2008 }}</ref>

Addressing the defendants, [[United States District Judge]] John C. Coughenour concluded:{{quotation|Finally, the court notes each of the defendants' seeming incapability of appreciating the maliciousness of their conduct towards Mr. Scott. Rather, throughout the entire course of this litigation, they have attempted to portray themselves as victims of Mr. Scott's counsel's alleged agenda. Thus, the large award given by the jury against both the CAN and Mr. Ross seems reasonably necessary to enforce the jury's determination on the oppressiveness of the defendants' actions and deter similar conduct in the future.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=JSvRR />}}

⚫
CAN tried to appeal the verdict, but without success.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Appeal /> The judgment drove CAN, which had already been weakened by the cost of defending over 50 previous lawsuits (most of them similar and filed by Moxon), into bankruptcy.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref>{{cite news | last=Knapp | first=Dan | title=Group that once criticized Scientologists now owned by one | date=[[1996-12-19]] | publisher=[[CNN]] | url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9612/19/scientology/ }}</ref><ref>'The Cult Awareness Network'', CBS News ''60 Minutes'' report 28 December 1997 [http://www.xenutv.com/us/60min-can.htm]</ref> Ross went into bankruptcy as well.


In December 1996, when Scott reconciled with his mother, he settled with Ross for $5,000, and for 200 hours of Ross's services.<ref>[http://www.rickross.com/reference/scientology/scien416.html Plaintiff Shifts Stance on Anti-Cult Group], Washington Post, 23 December 1996</ref> Moxon was replaced by Church of Scientology opponent Graham Berry as his lawyer.<ref>{{cite news
In December 1996, when Scott reconciled with his mother, he settled with Ross for $5,000, and for 200 hours of Ross's services.<ref>[http://www.rickross.com/reference/scientology/scien416.html Plaintiff Shifts Stance on Anti-Cult Group], Washington Post, 23 December 1996</ref> Moxon was replaced by Church of Scientology opponent Graham Berry as his lawyer.<ref>{{cite news
Line 126: Line 72:
| date = 23 December 1996
| date = 23 December 1996
| url = http://www.rickross.com/reference/scientology/scien416.html
| url = http://www.rickross.com/reference/scientology/scien416.html
| accessdate = }}</ref> Moxon, who had argued in the case that Ross and associates had hindered a competent adult's freedom to make his own religious decisions, unsuccessfully filed to rescind the settlement and appoint a guardian for Scott, who he argued was "incapacitated." <ref name=ortega /><ref name=ortega2>{{cite news | last=Ortega| first=Tony | title=What's $2.995 Million Between Former Enemies? Stunning settlement frees cult deprogrammer Rick Ross from almost all of $3 million judgment | date=[[1996-12-19]]| accessdate=2006-04-27 | publisher=[[Phoenix New Times]] | url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/1996-12-19/news3.html}}</ref>
| accessdate = }}</ref> Moxon, who had argued in the case that Ross and associates had hindered a competent adult's freedom to make his own religious decisions, unsuccessfully filed to rescind the settlement and appoint a guardian for Scott, whom he argued was "incapacitated." <ref name=ortega /><ref name=ortega2>{{cite news | last=Ortega| first=Tony | title=What's $2.995 Million Between Former Enemies? Stunning settlement frees cult deprogrammer Rick Ross from almost all of $3 million judgment | date=[[1996-12-19]]| accessdate=2006-04-27 | publisher=[[Phoenix New Times]] | url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/1996-12-19/news3.html}}</ref>


===Branch Davidians===
===Branch Davidians===
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Ross deprogrammed [[Branch Davidian]] David Block in 1992, prior to the raid. That Davidian was later interviewed by the [[BATF]], which also interviewed Ross. Ross says he deprogrammed another Davidian during the standoff, but this was not reported. He was also one source quoted in the [[Waco Tribune-Herald]]'s series titled "Sinful Messiah" for which they interviewed over 100 people.
Ross deprogrammed [[Branch Davidian]] David Block in 1992, prior to the raid. That Davidian was later interviewed by the [[BATF]], which also interviewed Ross. Ross says he deprogrammed another Davidian during the standoff, but this was not reported. He was also one source quoted in the [[Waco Tribune-Herald]]'s series titled "Sinful Messiah" for which they interviewed over 100 people.


According to the FBI Ross approached them during the standoff and requested that he be interviewed, which he was. The ''Report to the Deputy Attorney General on the Events at Waco, Texas (28 February to 19 April 1993)'' states that:
According to the FBI Ross approached them during the standoff and requested that he be interviewed, which he was. <br>The ''Report to the Deputy Attorney General on the Events at Waco, Texas (28 February to 19 April 1993)'' states that:


<blockquote>The FBI interviewed Ross only at Ross' request, and politely declined his unsolicited offers of assistance throughout the standoff. The FBI treated the information Ross supplied as it would any other unsolicited information received from the public: it evaluated the credibility of the information and treated it accordingly.<ref>US Department of Justice, ''Report to the Deputy Attorney General on the Events at Waco, Texas: Part IV, The Role of Experts During the Standoff'', 28 February to 19 April 1993. [http://www.usdoj.gov/05publications/waco/wacofour.html Available online]</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>The FBI interviewed Ross only at Ross' request, and politely declined his unsolicited offers of assistance throughout the standoff. The FBI treated the information Ross supplied as it would any other unsolicited information received from the public: it evaluated the credibility of the information and treated it accordingly.<ref>US Department of Justice, ''Report to the Deputy Attorney General on the Events at Waco, Texas: Part IV, The Role of Experts During the Standoff'', 28 February to 19 April 1993. [http://www.usdoj.gov/05publications/waco/wacofour.html Available online]</ref></blockquote>


Ross denies that this information is correct and states that he was contacted by FBI agent [[Bobby L. Siller]] on 4 March 1993 and later by several others whom he also names.{{fact}}
Ross denies that this information is correct and states that he was contacted by FBI agent [[Bobby L. Siller]] on 4 March 1993 and later by several others which he also names.


[[Nancy Ammerman]] insisted the FBI relied too much on Ross, a view which is not shared by the other three experts reporting to the Justice department. In her official report to the Justice Department Ammerman wrote:
[[Nancy Ammerman]] insisted the FBI relied too much on Ross, a view which is not shared by the other three experts reporting to the Justice department. In her official report to the Justice Department Ammerman wrote:
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<blockquote>Long-time "cult apologist" Anson Shupe [...] broods about "deprogramming" and seems somewhat miffed that despite his professional effort subsidized by Scientology, my cult intervention work continues. He refers to the Jason Scott case, but of course ignores its final outcome. Shupe then supports his opinions largely with footnotes citing other "cult apologists," such as his old professional associate [[Gordon Melton]]. Both of these men have picked up substantial checks working for purported "cult" groups.<ref name="flame"/></blockquote>
<blockquote>Long-time "cult apologist" Anson Shupe [...] broods about "deprogramming" and seems somewhat miffed that despite his professional effort subsidized by Scientology, my cult intervention work continues. He refers to the Jason Scott case, but of course ignores its final outcome. Shupe then supports his opinions largely with footnotes citing other "cult apologists," such as his old professional associate [[Gordon Melton]]. Both of these men have picked up substantial checks working for purported "cult" groups.<ref name="flame"/></blockquote>


Shupe and Darnell also assert that Ross engages in anti-Christian writings, claiming that in a letter to [[Priscilla Coates]], a CAN activist, dated 30 July 1987, Ross complained about not getting deprogramming referrals from CAN, adding that "some parents are so cheap they prefer to let their kids 'bang the bible' than pay."<ref>[http://www.cesnur.org/2001/CAN.htm CAN, We Hardly Knew Ye: Sex, Drugs, Deprogrammers’ Kickbacks, and Corporate Crime in the (old) Cult Awareness Network], [[Anson Shupe]], [[Susan E. Darnell]], [[Society for the Scientific Study of Religion]], [[Houston, Texas]], 21 October 2000</ref>
Shupe and Darnell also assert that Ross engages in anti-Christian writings, claiming that in a letter to [[Priscilla Coates]], a CAN activist, dated 30 July 1987, in which Ross allegedly complained about not getting deprogramming referrals from CAN and that "some parents are so cheap they prefer to let their kids 'bang the bible' than pay."<ref>[http://www.cesnur.org/2001/CAN.htm CAN, We Hardly Knew Ye: Sex, Drugs, Deprogrammers’ Kickbacks, and Corporate Crime in the (old) Cult Awareness Network], [[Anson Shupe]], [[Susan E. Darnell]], [[Society for the Scientific Study of Religion]], [[Houston, Texas]], 21 October 2000</ref>

Shupe and Darnell have described Ross's website as an "entrepreneurial 'lone ranger' attempt to solicit customers", necessitated by the demise of CAN as a primary, centralized source of referrals for deprogrammers.<ref name=Shupe101>{{cite book
| last = Shupe
| first = Anson
| authorlink = Anson Shupe
| coauthors = Darnell, Susan E.
| title = Agents of Discord
| publisher = Transaction Publishers
| date = 2006
| location = New Brunswick (U.S.A.), London (U.K.)
| pages = p. 101
| url =
| doi =
| id = ISBN 0-7658-0323-2 }}</ref>


==Articles and Publications==
==Articles and Publications==

Revision as of 18:09, 15 October 2008

Rick Alan Ross
Born (1952-11-24) November 24, 1952 (age 71)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation(s)Founder & Executive Director,
Rick A. Ross Institute
WebsiteCult News
The Rick A. Ross Institute

Rick Alan Ross (born 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States named Ricky Alan Ross) is a consultant, lecturer and "intervention specialist,"[1] with an interest in exit counseling or de-programming people from cults.

He runs the CultNews.com blog[2] and founded The Ross Institute of New Jersey in 2003, which maintains a database of information about controversial groups (some of which are listed as harmful "cults" by government agencies[3][4]) including press articles, court documents, and essays.[5]

He has been accepted in various courts as an expert witness, interviewed and quoted by the media in the United States and other countries in relation to his expert knowledge in cults/cultic methodologies.[citation needed]

Ross has been criticized by some of the groups he lists on his website, by some of the scholars who study new religious movements (NRMs),[6][7][8] and by other individuals in relation to the roles he played in the controversial "deprogramming" case of Jason Scott and the ill-fated FBI standoff with the Branch Davidians. Ross' common response is to label such critics as "cult apologists."[9]

Biography

Early life

Rick Ross, named Ricky Alan Ross, was adopted by Paul and Ethel Ross in 1953 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Ross family moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1956, where Rick Ross grew up and attended school. Ross' formal education extended through high school, which he completed in 1971.

Rick Ross was convicted of a felony at age 22.[10] He was involved in a jewelry embezzlement scheme at a retail store in Arizona, pleaded guilty and was put on probation, which resulted in the deprivation of some civil rights. Ross admitted his mistake: "I had been in trouble as a young man, and I turned my life around...I never again in my life made another mistake like that."[10] In 1983 the Maricopa County Superior Court vacated both judgments of guilt in the absence of any opposition, dismissed the charges and restored Ross' civil rights.[11]

Early career

Ross states that he became concerned about controversial religious groups in 1982, when a group that specifically evangelizes Jews "infiltrated" the paid staff of a Jewish nursing home in Arizona where his grandmother was a resident. Working with the director of the facility and the local Jewish community, he managed to stop their activities. According to The Arizona Republic, Ross joined a local committee that charged Jews for Jesus and other evangelical groups with being "anti-Semitic in that they seek the extinction of the Jewish people by conversion." Ross subsequently went on to work with the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix,[12][13] and was appointed to two national committees by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC), one which focused on cults and another concerned with interreligious affairs.[14]

During the 1980s Ross also represented the Jewish community on the Religious Advisory Committee of the Arizona Department of Corrections and was later elected its chairman.[15] He also served as the chairman of the International Coalition of Jewish Prisoners Programs sponsored by B'nai Brith in Washington D.C. Ross' work within the prison system included inmate religious rights and educational efforts regarding hate groups.[16] Ross was also a member of the professional staff of Jewish Family and Children's Service (JFCS) and the Bureau of Jewish Education (BJE) in Phoenix, Arizona.[17]

Full-time private consultant and lecturer

Ross has lectured at University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago and University of Arizona[18] and has testified as an expert witness in thirteen states.[19] According to his publicly posted CV, he has been a paid consultant for the television networks CBS, CBC and Nippon of Japan and retained as a technical consultant by Miramax/Disney for the Jane Campion film Holy Smoke![20]

In 1986 Ross left JFCS and the BJE to become a full-time private consultant and lecturer. In the following years he was involved in involuntary deprogramming cases, at the request of the families of cult members.

Ross no longer advocates coercive deprogramming or involuntary interventions for adults (he claims to have conducted dozens of such interventions), preferring instead voluntary "exit counseling" without the use of force or restraint. He states that the reasons for abandoning such practices are related to the exorbitant legal fees needed in defending this practice against legal challenges paid for by controversial groups, such as the Unification Church and Scientology. Ross claims these challenges exist because groups called "cults" recognize the effectiveness of deprogramming. He states that although the process has been refined over the years, exit counseling and deprogramming are based on the same principles.[21]

Ross wrote an 11-page paper in 1995 titled The Missionary Threat addressing Jewish concerns about fundamentalist Christian groups that evangelize to Jews specifically in missionary efforts:

Jews around the world are now faced by the greatest missionary threat in history. "Born-again" crusades for converts are now stronger, with more money and power, than ever before. The targets are you, your children, and your parents. Colleges, high schools, nursing homes, centers for the disabled, hospitals, and even prisons are being infiltrated. Missionaries are exploiting the vulnerabilities of the young in transition, the old and lonely, the sick who are helpless, and people in crisis.[22]

In 1996, Ross started a website which serves as a public database about cults in general, including controversial groups and movements.

Rick A. Ross Institute

Ross moved to New Jersey in 2001 and two years later founded the Rick A. Ross Institute for the Study of Destructive Cults and Controversial Groups and Movements, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) public charity located in New Jersey, USA. Its stated mission is "public education and research," largely accomplished through its website. In IRS EZ-990 form of 2002, its income is given as below $25,000, which means it is not required to file an annual return with the IRS.[23]

The Advisory Board of the RRI include Ford Greene, a California attorney specialized in cult related litigation, Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman, co-authors of the books Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change and Holy Terror: The Fundamentalist War on America's Freedoms in Religion, Politics and Our Private Lives.; Psychologist Margaret Singer was also a board member of the Institute until her death.

Cases

The Jason Scott case

In 1990, Ross and associates attempted an involuntary deprogramming of Jason Scott, then an 18-year-old member of the Life Tabernacle Church, affiliated with the United Pentecostal Church International. Scott's mother, Katherine Tonkin, had been a member of the church, but had left due to concerns about the means the church used to keep members in line, their focus on material donations to the church, and a relationship between an adult church member and one of her two minor sons, Jason's younger brothers. After leaving the church, Tonkin asked Ross to assist her in the deprogramming of her two minor sons. He persuaded the two minors to leave the church.

In 1991, Tonkin asked Ross to provide similar intervention for her son Jason, which was unsuccessful. Criminal charges of kidnapping were brought against Ross and two others for unlawful imprisonment during the deprogramming. The charges filed were dropped, but re-filed again two years later. The trial ended in acquittal for Ross in 1994.

In 1995, a civil suit was filed by Kendrick Moxon, a long-time member and counsel for the Church of Scientology on behalf of Jason Scott. The jury held Ross liable for conspiracy to deprive Scott of his civil rights regarding freedom of religion. The suit ended with Jason Scott being awarded $875,000 in compensatory damages and punitive damages in the amount of $1,000,000 against CAN, $2,500,000 against Ross, and $250,000 against each of Ross' two accomplices.[24][25]

The judgment drove CAN, which had already been weakened by the cost of defending over 50 previous lawsuits, (most of them similar and filed by Moxon) into bankruptcy.[26][27] Ross went into bankruptcy as well.

In December 1996, when Scott reconciled with his mother, he settled with Ross for $5,000, and for 200 hours of Ross's services.[28] Moxon was replaced by Church of Scientology opponent Graham Berry as his lawyer.[29] Moxon, who had argued in the case that Ross and associates had hindered a competent adult's freedom to make his own religious decisions, unsuccessfully filed to rescind the settlement and appoint a guardian for Scott, whom he argued was "incapacitated." [30][31]

Branch Davidians

The involvement of Ross before and during the standoff between Branch Davidians and Federal Law Enforcement agencies, at Waco, Texas has caused some controversy.

Ross deprogrammed Branch Davidian David Block in 1992, prior to the raid. That Davidian was later interviewed by the BATF, which also interviewed Ross. Ross says he deprogrammed another Davidian during the standoff, but this was not reported. He was also one source quoted in the Waco Tribune-Herald's series titled "Sinful Messiah" for which they interviewed over 100 people.

According to the FBI Ross approached them during the standoff and requested that he be interviewed, which he was.
The Report to the Deputy Attorney General on the Events at Waco, Texas (28 February to 19 April 1993) states that:

The FBI interviewed Ross only at Ross' request, and politely declined his unsolicited offers of assistance throughout the standoff. The FBI treated the information Ross supplied as it would any other unsolicited information received from the public: it evaluated the credibility of the information and treated it accordingly.[32]

Ross denies that this information is correct and states that he was contacted by FBI agent Bobby L. Siller on 4 March 1993 and later by several others which he also names.

Nancy Ammerman insisted the FBI relied too much on Ross, a view which is not shared by the other three experts reporting to the Justice department. In her official report to the Justice Department Ammerman wrote:

In late March, Ross recommended that agents attempt to humiliate Koresh, hoping to drive a wedge between him and his followers. While Ross's suggestions may not have been followed to the letter, FBI agents apparently believed that their attempts to embarrass Koresh (talking about his inconsistencies, lack of education, failures as a prophet, and the like) would produce the kind of internal dissension that Ross predicted. Because Ross had been successful in using such tactics on isolated and beleaguered members during deprogramming sessions, he must have assumed that they would work en masse. Any student of group psychology could have dispelled that misapprehension. But the FBI was evidently listening more closely to these deprogramming-related strategies than to the counsel of scholars who might have explained the dynamics of a group under siege.[33]

In his account to the Department of Justice, Ross gives very different examples of advice which he gave to the FBI agents.

Ammerman claims that the FBI interview transcripts on the Waco tragedy include the note that "[Ross] has a personal hatred for all religious cults" and would aid law enforcement in an attempt to "destroy a cult". Ross emphatically denies this.

Ross recounted his role regarding the Waco Davidian standoff in a letter to Attorney General Janet Reno[34] and responded to critics such as Ammerman in a statement published by the Washington Post.[35]

Catherine Wessinger, Professor of the history of religions and women's studies at the Loyola University in New Orleans, characterizes Ross as a "spurious self-styled expert[s]" in her paper The Branch Davidians and the Waco Media, 1993-2003,[36] in which she criticized the fact that Ross was often cited by the local media. Rick Ross describes her paper on his site as follows:

This rather long-winded "scholarly" review regarding media coverage of the Waco Davidian Standoff was written by cult apologist Catherine Wessinger. [...]. Ms. Wessinger snipes about "spurious self-styled experts" [...] getting too much media attention. The professor then stuffs her footnotes with what looks like a Scientologist's historical guide concerning my past. Could it be that she is angry that the press doesn't quote her more?[37]

Landmark Education

For details see Landmark Education - Legal disputes - Rick Ross Institute

In June 2004, Landmark Education filed a US$1 million lawsuit against the Rick A. Ross Institute, claiming that the Institute's online archives damaged Landmark's product. In December 2005, Landmark filed to dismiss its own lawsuit with prejudice, supposedly on the grounds that a material change in caselaw regarding statements made on the Internet occurred in January 2005.

NXIVM vs. Rick Ross Institute

NXIVM (pronounced NEX-ee-um), which offers human potential seminars, alleged that Rick Ross of New Jersey published critical commentary authored by a psychologist and psychiatrist regarding its program after obtaining information through alleged copyright infringement. Dr. John Hochman was one of the individuals who evaluated the research.[38]

In September 2004, a federal district judge in Albany, New York denied NXIVM's request for an injunction to remove the information from the Ross Institute Web site. Subsequently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York City [39] rejected NXIVM's appeal of that decision, saying critical analysis of a confidential 265-page NXIVM manual by two mental health professionals on Ross' site represented criticism, and therefore "fair use" under copyright law.[40] In December of 2004 The United States Supreme Court denied without elaboration an appeal to review the NXIVM case.[41]

The newspaper article that came to play a role in Ross' fuller understanding of NXIVM's alleged espionage attempts against him was reported by Chet Hardin and published in Albany's altweekly, Metroland. Stress in the Family

Criticism

Ross is often criticized for his lack of formal training and for his early criminal record by those associated with new religious movements, controversial groups or organizations which he studies, such as the Church of Scientology[42] and the Kabbalah Centre,[10] and has been the target of lawsuits from some of the groups he has criticized. Ross responds by stating that he does not challenge the beliefs of the groups discussed, only their behaviour patterns.[43] Ross was quoted in the Jersey City Reporter as stating: "When these groups hurt people ... that's when I'm concerned about the group."[43] Ross receives legal services pro bono from the law firm Lowenstein Sandler.[43]

Hecklers interrupt Ross' speeches and lectures, reminding him that he is a convicted felon;[30] critics also send copies of his 33-year-old arrest reports to news organizations.[30] However, Ross states that though this is annoying, it helps him remember just how far he has come. He states that during the month he spent in jail awaiting sentencing, "A rabbi convinced him to get himself in shape, reaffirm his Jewish faith and, most of all, give his grandmother something to be proud of."[30]

Referring to criticism by the Kabbalah Centre's Moshe Omer, Ross stated: "It's the same old, same old. It's just the same recasting of a Scientology attack that I've heard many times."[44] Although the Church of Scientology denies colluding with the Kabbalah Centre to spread negative information about Ross to the press, it did state that it was "glad that the information is getting around."[44]

Scientology

The Church of Scientology maintains a 17-page critique about him supplemented by a 196-page document at "Religious Freedom Watch" consisting of court transcripts, jury verdict forms, news articles, psychiatric records, the bankruptcy filing petition and other documents.[42]

This has been described by Ross as an ad hominem attack typically used to avoid any meaningful rebuttal of the arguments, press reports, official documents or other information contained on his website. Ross adds that the Scientology bulletin often "misrepresents, distorts and/or ignores the facts and actual context of my personal history and work."[45]

Jeffrey K. Hadden

Professor Jeffrey K. Hadden at the University of Virginia wrote that:

Rick Ross is a highly visible entrepreneur who has carved out quite a niche for himself as a self-proclaimed expert and counselor to families desperate to retrieve family members from new religions. His past has been called into question by the Church of Scientology which has uncovered evidence of alleged mental instability and an attempted robbery conviction.[46]

Ross points out that Hadden himself sought funding from some NRMs including the Unification Church, as revealed by a confidential memo he sent to fellow academics sympathetic to NRMs dated 20 December 1989.[47]

Shupe and Darnell

Anson D. Shupe was an expert witness for the plaintiff in the Jason Scott case. He testified against Ross and the Cult Awareness Network. He co-authored a paper with Scientology lawyer Kendrick Moxon and Susan Darnell,[48] who "manages a credit union in Gary, Indiana and is a civil rights advocate journalist."[49]

In another paper written with Darnell, he is critical about deprogrammers, defining them "[...] as vigilantes and mercenaries rather than as bonafide counselors or therapists". Specifically about Ross, he asserts that "even coercive deprogrammer Rick Ross was terming himself only an Expert Consultant and Intervention Specialist (a unique euphemism for exit counselor) on his late 1990s Internet Website." and that:

Thus, several years after their earnest meetings mavericks like private investigator Galen Kelly and self-proclaimed “Bible-based cult” expert Rick Ross were still physically abducting unwilling adults belonging to unconventional religions and criminally restraining the latter according to the old deprogramming/mind control mythos. Thus, as a would-be profession exit counseling was handicapped internally by a lack of consensus on what constituted legitimate therapeutic means and ends (i.e., force versus persuasion, rational reevaluation and voluntary exit versus forcibly liberating minds); and externally limited by negative publicity thanks to a barrage of attacks by NRMs and increasingly by civil libertarian journalists who claimed the wolves were merely dressing up as sheep to escape public censure and the legal repercussions of their actions.[50]

The comment of Ross on the article is:

Long-time "cult apologist" Anson Shupe [...] broods about "deprogramming" and seems somewhat miffed that despite his professional effort subsidized by Scientology, my cult intervention work continues. He refers to the Jason Scott case, but of course ignores its final outcome. Shupe then supports his opinions largely with footnotes citing other "cult apologists," such as his old professional associate Gordon Melton. Both of these men have picked up substantial checks working for purported "cult" groups.[37]

Shupe and Darnell also assert that Ross engages in anti-Christian writings, claiming that in a letter to Priscilla Coates, a CAN activist, dated 30 July 1987, in which Ross allegedly complained about not getting deprogramming referrals from CAN and that "some parents are so cheap they prefer to let their kids 'bang the bible' than pay."[51]

Articles and Publications

Television Appearances

Rick Ross appeared in a Season 3 episode of Penn & Teller's Bullshit! that dealt with Life Coaches[52]. Ross characterized Life Coaches as a New Age concept and questioned the motives and training of people purporting to be Life Coaches. He compared and contrasted their qualifications and methods with those of licensed mental health professionals. His stated concern was for the wellbeing of those entrusting the direction of their lives to these coaches.

See also

References

  1. ^ Curriculum Vitae of Rick Ross." Accessed 26 February 2008 at http://www.cultinformation.org.uk/articles.html
  2. ^ Cult News website
  3. ^ http://www.cftf.com/french/Les_Sectes_en_France/cults.html french government listing
  4. ^ http://www.ciaosn.be/publications.htm Belgium government listing
  5. ^ "Information Database". www.rickross.com.
  6. ^ "Brainwashing Allegations and the Elizabeth Smart Abduction," by Dick Anthony.
  7. ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses and the Anti-cult Movement: A Human Rights Perspective" by John B. Brown II.
  8. ^ "Melton's Critique of Brainwashing" by J. Gordon Melton
  9. ^ "Cult Apologists?" by Rick Ross
  10. ^ a b c Willis, Stacy J. Arrival of cult specialist in Las Vegas stirs debate, Las Vegas Sun, 24 August 2001
  11. ^ Maricopa County, Superior Court ruling
  12. ^ Taking Aim: Efforts to convert Jews draw fire from interdenominational group, The Arizona Republic, 1982, By Richard Lessner
  13. ^ Cleveland Jewish News, 29 July 2004. KABBALAH CENTRE hawks 'snake oil for the soul
  14. ^ Challenging Cults, Cultivating Family, The Greater Phoenix Jewish News, February, 1989, By Elaine DeRosa
  15. ^ Ross to head religious committee for state corrections department, Greater Phoenix Jewish News, 12 March 1986
  16. ^ Three Nation Umbrella Org. to Aid Jewish Prison Inmates, Families, National "Jewish Press", April 1986
  17. ^ Curriculum Vitae, Rick Ross web site
  18. ^ Minister Sues Cult Expert, Palm Beach Post, Jul 14, 2001
  19. ^ Cult Experts List, FACT.net, 2006
  20. ^ Rick Ross' Biography
  21. ^ Rick Ross. "Deprogramming". Intervention. Retrieved 10 August. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ Rick Ross, paper, The Missionary Threat, 1995, 11 pgs
  23. ^ Rick A. Ross Institute, IRS: 990-EZ, Guidestar basic report, 13 August 2005, (Only accessible with free sign-in at guidestar.org)
  24. ^ Scott v. Ross (Ninth Circuit Panel Opinion En Banc Opinions)
  25. ^ "Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network: Verdict form". Retrieved 13 August. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ Knapp, Dan (1996-12-19). "Group that once criticized Scientologists now owned by one". CNN. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ 'The Cult Awareness Network, CBS News 60 Minutes report 28 December 1997 [1]
  28. ^ Plaintiff Shifts Stance on Anti-Cult Group, Washington Post, 23 December 1996
  29. ^ Goodstein, Laurie (23 December 1996). "Plaintiff Shifts Stance on Anti-Cult Group: Scientology-Linked Lawyer Is Dismissed in Move That May Keep Network Running". Washington Post. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  30. ^ a b c d Ortega, Tony (1995-11-30). "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlatans. Clients of deprogrammer Rick Ross call him a savior. Perhaps that's why people he's branded cult leaders want to crucify him". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2006-04-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ Ortega, Tony (1996-12-19). "What's $2.995 Million Between Former Enemies? Stunning settlement frees cult deprogrammer Rick Ross from almost all of $3 million judgment". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2006-04-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ US Department of Justice, Report to the Deputy Attorney General on the Events at Waco, Texas: Part IV, The Role of Experts During the Standoff, 28 February to 19 April 1993. Available online
  33. ^ Waco, Federal Law Enforcement, and Scholars of Religion, Nancy Ammerman, 1993
  34. ^ Davidian Tragedy - Letters Re: Attorney General, Rick Ross, 25 October 1993
  35. ^ Letters to the Editor - What Happened at Waco, Rick Ross, The Washington Post, 23 July 1995
  36. ^ The Branch Davidians and the Waco Media, Catherine Wessinger, 2003, Loyola University
  37. ^ a b "Flaming Web Sites", Rick Ross, 2000
  38. ^ "A Forensic Psychiatrist Evaluates ESP", February 2003, John Hochman, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles
  39. ^ Appeals Court decision, NXIVM vs. Ross Institute etc
  40. ^ Court upholds Nxivm ruling, Times Union, 23 April 2004
  41. ^ High court rejects Nxivm appeal, Times Union, 3 December 2004
  42. ^ a b Rick Ross document, Church of Scientology, "Religious Freedom Watch"
  43. ^ a b c Zinsli, Christopher (14 April 2007). "He ain't afraid of no cults: Jersey City 'cult buster' exposes controversial groups - including local ones". Jersey City Reporter. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  44. ^ a b Grove, Lloyd (2004-01-13). "Daily Dish & Gossip: Busting on the Cult Buster". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2006-04-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  45. ^ "Rick Ross Responds to his critics" by Rick A. Ross
  46. ^ Statement, Jeffrey K. Hadden, University of Virginia
  47. ^ Memo, Jeffrey K. Hadden, 20 December 1989, Unification Church memo
  48. ^ Bad Pastors: Clergy Misconduct in Modern America, Anson D. Shupe, Kendrick Moxon, Susan Darnell, 1 August 2000, ISBN 0814781470
  49. ^ Academic Compromise in the Social Scientific Study of Alternative Religions, Stephen A. Kent, Theresa Krebs, 1998
  50. ^ The Attempted Transformation of a Deviant Occupation into a Therapy: Deprogramming Seeks a New Identity, Anson Shupe and Susan E. Darnell, SSSR/RRA, Norfolk, VA, October 2003
  51. ^ CAN, We Hardly Knew Ye: Sex, Drugs, Deprogrammers’ Kickbacks, and Corporate Crime in the (old) Cult Awareness Network, Anson Shupe, Susan E. Darnell, Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Houston, Texas, 21 October 2000
  52. ^ Penn & Teller Bullshit! Season 3: Life Coaching

External links

Rick A. Ross Institute
Media/news
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