OC, thanks for sharing that link.
I was surprised to read the names of several JWs I used to know back in the day:
- Bill Parodi, David Goldfarb, Andrew Varble & Scott Lockwood
All four of these men had been high-profile elders in the Los Angeles area and nearby Ventura county.
When I was still attending meetings, I heard that Parodi had been "removed" as an elder. The word in the JW-rumor mill was that he'd been involved in some "suspicious" or "dubious" business dealings, but I had no idea the extent.
I did NOT know the others were involved. What a bunch of hypocrites.
I did a quick Google search and found this document from the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding the disposition of the matter with the Parodi brothers:
This digest reported that the SEC issued an order concerning Bill Parodi and his brother that both be “permanently barred from association with any broker, dealer, investment company, investment adviser, or municipal securities dealer” as a result of their fraudulent business practices.
Evidently, over a considerable period of time they defrauded individuals and municipalities out of tens of millions of dollars. Wow!
Although I did not know the details of this particular situation, it was the vast amount of hypocrisy that I did come to know about being practiced by many others in the JW religion that led me to leave in 2009.
- I do not associate* with deceitful men, And I avoid those who hide what they are. - Psalm 26:4
Very interesting!