Cano was not an ordinary elder, he was a bethel elder. I found out what a bethel elder does from this site:
http://www.xjw.com/cabeen.html
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The following year I was appointed a "Bethel Elder." As such, I spoke as a Watchtower Society representative at Society-sponsored conventions, (I was the featured speaker at a District Assembly in Roanoke, VA, in my mid-twenties). On a few occasions, I was the featured speaker at special meetings attended by thousands, for example, in San Antonio, Texas, and Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada.
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So a bethel elder is very highly trusted by the WTS. It seems the hoky spirit allowed Cano to lead a double life. Cano's favourite talk was on master.bation
BTW the story about Tom Cabeen is a good read