Did you meet any con artist types there? (page 2)

m. kirov

far too many. there is one congragation in the milwaukee area in paticular that had an ex-marine elder that did what he could to disfellowship whomever he felt like dissfellowshipping. he would call a certain brother "queer" or "fag" for wearing a pink tie. (i have met other ex-marines in "the world" that were much more Christian than he, but he was so very Full Metal Jaket.) another one there would beat the crap out of his kids. there was a pioneer sister who would push people or stick her leg out to trip them. she was super catty with any feamle who was not a grandma (you know the type). she ended up having an affair on her elder husband w/ another brother. there was the one that did the "Michael Jackson" thing and invited boys back to his house. and the rest, save a very few, were just your average dope feind. scamming with their words.

no stortage of agendas

Swan

I remember visiting my aunt one summer when I was about 15 years old.

There was a new single brother, Hans Van Oltna, in their congregation. We were invited by Brother Van Oltna to his house for dinner, where he fixed us and another family some steaks. He made a big deal about how he couldn't finish his meat since he was "mostly" vegetarian. He regaled my aunt and uncle with bullshit stories about him escaping from East Berlin through a tunnel under the Berlin wall. The tunnel collapsed right behind him, and his mother perished in the cave-in. Then he told us how he was bitten by a king cobra in Africa while laying irrigation pipe. He showed us scars on his hand where the snake had supposedly bitten him. The story just didn't sound right to me; didn't ring true. When I questioned it, my aunt and uncle told me to hush up, as I was just a kid, and not as sophisticated or as experienced as Brother Van Oltna about such things (such things that normal people call facts, that is).

A few years later I asked my aunt whatever became of Brother Van Oltna. "Well!" she said in an outraged tone, "He was an impostor. He wasn't even German." I found out he took several people in the congregation for a lot of money, including a single sister with children that he married, fleeced out of her savings, and then absconded with the funds. Then my aunt said she didn't want to talk about it any more, and changed the subject. He was like Ferdinand Demarra Jr. or Frank Abignale, from the movies "The Great Impostor" with Tony Curtis or "Catch Me If You Can" with Leonardo de Caprico.

If you are still out there Mr. Van Oltna, I have to congratulate you on fooling everybody except a 15 year old who nobody listened to anyway. You deserved everything you got from people that ignorant and gullible. I don't feel the least bit sorry for those dumb fools.

Hope you are doing well.

Tammy

love11

Ya, my ex- boyfriend. He would lie about what he ate for breakfast even!

When him and I were publically reproved, he told the elders that I was the instigator. I knew dam* well that he was the one always trying stuff, but I still cared for him at that point and didn't want to rat him out, so I said that we both were at fault. Next thing you know, he's invited to gatherings and I was told that I had to stay home. jerk! But you live and learn. I don't know what he told them at his "hearing", but after that an elder came up to me and said," I wouldn't want you in the same room with my son".

Then to top it all off he tried to propose to me after that, with a cubic and said it was a diamond. I took the ring and said, "NO I won't marry you and I never want to see you again, but I'm keeping the ring as payment for all the things you put me through". He called all week long after that and I wouldn't talk to him. Finally one day, my mom and him were knocking on my bedroom door and my mom said that I had to talk to him. I refused to open the door and he talked for hours to my mom in the kitchen and then gave up after that. I haven't seen or talked to him since. My mom was ferious and said that I was stupid for turning him down. I told her if she liked him so much then she should marry him. LOL I returned the ring back at KMART! and bought myself some clothes. I heard through the grape vine that him and his wife got a divorce because he cheated on her. Suprise, suprise.

luna2

Aaaah, let's see. I worked for an elder who had a cleaning business. The business was legitimate, but his management style was to kind of con people. He'd get them working for him and steadily ramp up their hours and responsibilities until they were working so much that it was hard to make meetings and things. If they complained it was like talking to a recording...you couldn't reason with him because he would simply ignore any arguments that he didn't like. He had circular logic down pat.

I remember one time he'd not put enough money in the payroll account and one poor girl's check bounced. She called because she'd gotten charged a fee by her bank when the check was returned and wanted reimbursement. He refused, saying that he wasn't responsible for fees her bank charged to her account. I couldn't believe it. I attempted to reason with him (we are talking like a whole $10 here), but he'd hem and haw and place the blame on the banking industry and even this employee. It was like talking to a stuffed monkey for all the sense he made. I tried discussing the matter with another brother who worked for him, and while I could tell he was troubled by our boss' questionable ethics, he would not come out and say anything. Unbelievable.

Another elder at another congregation brought a pyramid scheme back with him from Boca Raton where he and his wife wintered every year. He came across like he was only thinking of us lowly ones who didn't make much money...he just wanted to help, don't ya know. There were others with long distance schemes and other things too.

It always amazed me that so many JW's were on the lookout for something for nothing. I even know a few who played the lottery and justified it by saying that they would donate a sizeable portion of any winnings to the WTS.

Quotes

Time: late 80s, early 90s.

Who: My (JW) friend ("D") working for my other (JW) friend's ("JP") father as a salesman at the specialty software company that he owned.

What: After six months on the job, my friend's ("D") salary was coming to an end. He was supposed to be making enough sales commission at that point, and they had agreed from the start that the "Base Salary" would stop after six months. Problem is: there were no sales, despite best efforts.

So, the owner, ("JP's father, who was and elder) tells my salesman friend ("D") that he will "lay him off" so that he can collect unemployment. That way, the government will pay his base salary. Of course, the layoff was fake and "D" was supposed to keep working his sales job.

When "D" objected, thinking it was not proper, he was told by the elder / business owner that he does it all the time, anytime biz slows down he lays himself off and collects from the gov't and then re-hires himself when business picks up.

Does this qualify as a "Con artist" type? or is it simply "Criminal Fraud"?
P.S. this elder's last name is Eerola, in case any fraud investigators are reading this.

purplesofa

Yes, I did.

diamondblue1974

Yeah I remember one when I was younger;

A woman faked her own terminal illness to get some attention; everyone rallied around her (which is a rariety these days) but the push came to shove when she refused to let the Hospital Liaison Committee get involved with her impending operation; it turned out that she later admitted that she didnt have anything wrong with her and that she was just attention seeking.

The sad part was, people had lent her money, ferried her about all over the place and generally rallied round her to ensure that she was supported; even as a 12 year old I thought it was disgusting.

DB74

blondie

Yes, con artists prey on the religious community, JW or not.

But when the con artists are those in trusted positions, shame on them. In the last few years there was a story of a JW in Florida that ripped off many older JWs and 2 brothers in Montana that rippped off an older sister. All of them were charged and found guilty. Elders are more apt to act when they are the ones that were ripped off or a family member. And money is more important than a child's innocence.

Blondie

Dragonlady76

My dad was selling his old station wagon and a "brother" in his cong expressed interest in buying the car, this brother was a mechanic and had fixed my dad's car before, this "brother" asked my dad if he could take the car right away because he was without transportation and needed the car immediately, so my trusting dad let this "brother" take the car with a promise to pay him back in 2 payments. Well this man did not pay my dad back as agreed and took a few months to pay my dad back, but only after my dad went to the elders and they got involved.

DL76

tijkmo

a sis in my old hall was selling her car and put an advert in the local newspaper..which said that she would be unavailable tues or thurs evening...someone phones and comes to look at the car on the wednesday...and then told her he had worked out she was a jw cos of the tues/thurs thing and that he was a pioneer (he was) and that she should give him the car for nothing because he had prayed about it and she would be answering a prayer

she declined

didnt stop her screwing me though a few years later

Did you meet any con artist types there?

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