1 00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:04,800 Speaker 1: Before we jump in, we must warn you this episode 2 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:08,800 Speaker 1: contains explicit content, such as sexual abuse that may be 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: disturbing to some people. Listener discretion is advised. Also, if 4 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:16,120 Speaker 1: this is the first time you're listening to Sacred Scandal, 5 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: everything will make a lot more sense if you start 6 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 1: with episode one. In two thousand and eight, journalist Doudbenzman 7 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 1: was one of the few guests allowed inside silver Wall Ranch. 8 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:36,199 Speaker 1: He knew the three hundred and forty acre Texas property, 9 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,680 Speaker 1: now valued that over four million dollars, was not your 10 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:43,519 Speaker 1: average homestead. What he wasn't expecting to see beyond its 11 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: gates was a very private vacation wonderland, heavily guarded and 12 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:51,200 Speaker 1: secured with two lakes, an airport, a Wild West team 13 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: playground with a functional saloon, and an exotic game zoo. 14 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 2: They had the baby bear on a leash. All of 15 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 2: the lions and tigers were in cages. They had Clydesdale horses, 16 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 2: gigantic Clydesdale horses. Yeah, they had ostriches. 17 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:12,639 Speaker 1: Exotic tear roamed around the grounds, grazing right in front 18 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 1: of the sprawling mansions and the vintage car museum. 19 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 2: They also had a barn that was filled with classic 20 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:26,040 Speaker 2: cars and on the exterior of the barn were painted 21 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 2: the cars that were inside. They wouldn't let me go inside, 22 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:32,720 Speaker 2: but you know clearly there was, you know, significant wealth 23 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 2: associated with the family. 24 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: The family Todd Benzman alludes to is sam Oil walking 25 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:42,040 Speaker 1: as Sis. Sam Oil had purchased a ranch around nineteen 26 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: ninety seven, and it was not exactly a secret. Its 27 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:49,440 Speaker 1: iron gates used to boast his giant golden initials for 28 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 1: all to see. Samuel's on and air. Nason hardly uses 29 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: it anymore, not only because he is locked up in 30 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: a California jail, but because he always thought it was 31 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: two plain for his style. He preferred Ebenezer. He's one 32 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:06,919 Speaker 1: hundred and fourteen acre California, Redwood's ranch or his vacation 33 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 1: home in Kissing Me, Florida, right next to Disneyland. My 34 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:15,960 Speaker 1: first job, Todd to silver Wolf was plain old human curiosity. 35 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 2: Well, I first heard about them when I worked for 36 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:25,600 Speaker 2: the San Antonio Express News as an investigative reporter on 37 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:29,919 Speaker 2: their investigative projects team, and I would drive back and 38 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:34,639 Speaker 2: forth between Houston and Austin on I ten and there 39 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:40,960 Speaker 2: was always this very strange looking, eye catching dome that 40 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 2: would pop out of the forest in the distance off 41 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 2: the highway. So one day I just pulled off the 42 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 2: highway and went to go look at. 43 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: It, and Todd well, he had questions and knocked on 44 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 1: the gate. The gatekeepers informed Todd that silver Wolf was 45 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: a privately owned zoo and that it was currently open 46 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:01,680 Speaker 1: to the public. 47 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:06,079 Speaker 2: I asked who owns this place, and the person told 48 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 2: me it belonged to this church by Louse del Mundo. 49 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 2: People started talking about, you know, their suspicions and the 50 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 2: strange comings and goings and limousines and airplanes, and so 51 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 2: that kind of caught my attention even more, and I 52 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 2: just kind of kept reporting. 53 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:31,920 Speaker 1: Soon enough to discover that he was not the only 54 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 1: one wondering about what was going on at silver Wolf. 55 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 2: I found law enforcement that had done some preliminary kinds 56 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 2: of investigations, and there were aerial surveillance photos that I 57 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 2: was able to look at. 58 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:50,360 Speaker 1: What attracted both the journalist and the police's attention to 59 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: silver Wolf were the armed guards at its gates, the 60 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 1: private planes they don't mansions that sprung up practically overnight, 61 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 1: and the tinted desuv caravans that are from time to 62 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: time carrying the apostles Royal family. The lifestyle confused the authorities, 63 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 1: who feared that the new owners could be drop traffickers. 64 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 1: The ranch is registered as a non profit wildlife refuge 65 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: un sanctuary, which entitles it to generous tax exemptions. People 66 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:23,599 Speaker 1: occasionally show up at its gates with picnic baskets and 67 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:26,360 Speaker 1: eager kids looking to catch a glimpse of the zoo animals, 68 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: and they're always turned back politely by guards who tell 69 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 1: them their sorry, but Silver Wolf is not open yet. 70 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 1: Fifteen years after Todd broke the story, the ranch has 71 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:44,080 Speaker 1: not received a single visitor from outside the church, and 72 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 1: its giraffes are known to die of broken necks while 73 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: being improperly handled. That never stopped l LDM from fundraising 74 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 1: to pay for its upkeep. This is Sacred Scandal, Season two, 75 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: episode eight, Show Me the Money. Ector Vera, a former 76 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 1: deacon of the church in Bowling Green, Kentucky, remembers having 77 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:19,359 Speaker 1: to ask his flock for money over and over again. 78 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:25,400 Speaker 3: Ippon in the Empero Labuda much of savandando frendez i 79 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:31,159 Speaker 3: Jesus bio labuda lesd coke yado mass Yeah you total 80 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 3: look Pito. 81 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 1: Hector describes one of ld m's favorite Biblical parables, the 82 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 1: one about the widow who surrendered a single coin, yet 83 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:45,599 Speaker 1: Jesus saw she gave more than everyone else because she 84 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:49,080 Speaker 1: parted with everything she had. He goes on to mention 85 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:52,680 Speaker 1: there is a permanent insistence on giving, giving and giving, 86 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 1: where everyone is urged to make special offerings for the 87 00:05:56,120 --> 00:06:00,159 Speaker 1: Joaquins or for a construction project, or of course for 88 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:00,880 Speaker 1: the ranch. 89 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 4: And insistency that that. 90 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:07,960 Speaker 5: Al temple. 91 00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:18,000 Speaker 3: Are you Narca the pasal depositor diezmo las pas. 92 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:22,279 Speaker 1: As it is with all the Joaquins properties. The flock 93 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: is asked to give more than money. That witness several 94 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:30,000 Speaker 1: local church members showing their devotion with hard labor at 95 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 1: the Silver Bowl French. 96 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 2: I met several of them who said, yeah, you know, 97 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:36,719 Speaker 2: we all have to go work on it, and they 98 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:43,200 Speaker 2: are the labor force for maintaining the property and feeding 99 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:48,720 Speaker 2: the animals and whatever the family needed. They were not compensated. 100 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 2: It was kind of a church duty, and they seemed fine. 101 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:54,640 Speaker 2: They didn't seem to have a problem. 102 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: Most of them comply with this unpaid, unsafe labor happily 103 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:01,880 Speaker 1: without even questioning it. Because even if the law might 104 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:06,320 Speaker 1: call this type of work indentured servitude. LDM calls it 105 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:12,160 Speaker 1: a blessing. Sharimu's man, who we met in previous episodes, 106 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:14,920 Speaker 1: received plenty of those blessings when he was a child, 107 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 1: when his father volunteered for l EDM in the nineteen 108 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:21,640 Speaker 1: eighties constructing their grand temple at ther Mosa Provincia and. 109 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:23,720 Speaker 6: Raalide a la mano the ov and a loser mundo 110 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 6: in Los coasters and processor raisesus members no spagada a 111 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 6: question symbolica ke and comosintos in quenta pesos semanaalis. 112 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: He says his father was given a symbolic amount per week, 113 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 1: about one hundred and fifty pesos or seven to eight bucks. 114 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:43,280 Speaker 1: The church also sent a family a food basket with 115 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:45,880 Speaker 1: two pounds of beans, two pounds of rice, and other 116 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:49,640 Speaker 1: basic items, but that didn't keep Sharim's family from living 117 00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:52,800 Speaker 1: in scarcity. Because he worked basically full time for the church, 118 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 1: his dad couldn't get a real job earning real money. 119 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:05,920 Speaker 6: Geno ins cvv moskuna crencia for d real paras of amilliapol. 120 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 1: Shadim says, since his father didn't make enough money doing 121 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 1: free labor for l A d M. He himself had 122 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 1: to go to work. He started when he was just 123 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:16,960 Speaker 1: eight years old. 124 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 6: Nero soficiente joe i pacar and mercalito. 125 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:30,600 Speaker 1: He sold newspapers, clean car windows, mold lawns, and packed groceries. 126 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:34,040 Speaker 1: With the money he earned, his family could eat, and 127 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:36,800 Speaker 1: Shadim still put money towards the yearly family trip to 128 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:43,240 Speaker 1: Walajara for the Santa sn Shadim's story is not unique 129 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 1: in l A d M any, and all able bodied 130 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 1: members are expected to contribute as much as they can 131 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 1: for the well being of the church and its apostles. 132 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:55,160 Speaker 1: The strength of their faith is valued by the measure 133 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:58,800 Speaker 1: of their generosity. Besides spending most of their waking time 134 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:01,960 Speaker 1: fundraising for l d they give at each of the 135 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:05,800 Speaker 1: three daily services collections they are required to pulling up 136 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 1: at least ten percent of all their yearly income. And 137 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:11,560 Speaker 1: on top of that, they saved the whole year to 138 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 1: give hundreds or even one thousand dollars each on the 139 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:18,080 Speaker 1: apostle's birthday and during the church's high holidays such as 140 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:22,840 Speaker 1: the Santa Sina. And there's more. When the apostle's wife 141 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:26,360 Speaker 1: has needs, Let's say to decorate the house, a fancy 142 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:29,360 Speaker 1: dress for the holidays, or maybe a new watch. They give. 143 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:32,720 Speaker 1: Whenever the royal family wants a new car, a vacation, 144 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 1: or a bigger garden, they give. And then there's all 145 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:40,120 Speaker 1: the LDM merge, like the devotional books and the apostles 146 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:43,640 Speaker 1: photographs to be prominently displayed in their homes. All that 147 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:47,080 Speaker 1: profit goes directly back into a LDM, supposedly for its 148 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:51,840 Speaker 1: international missionaries or for the temple up Keep. Elisa Flores, 149 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 1: who grew up in a faithful LDM family in Lulling, Texas, 150 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:58,320 Speaker 1: peddled whatever she could on the street as a teenager. 151 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:04,320 Speaker 4: Everything was selling flowers, selling candies. Everything was always voluntary. 152 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:07,280 Speaker 4: It didn't matter how many hours you were there. But 153 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:09,280 Speaker 4: it was all for the glory of God, and it 154 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:12,080 Speaker 4: was always a blessing. And if you have kids, you 155 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:14,319 Speaker 4: got to take your kids. If their kids are in school, 156 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:16,280 Speaker 4: well you got to make arrangements for somebody else to 157 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:18,640 Speaker 4: pick up your kids while you're selling, because you're not 158 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:21,080 Speaker 4: supposed to leave your spot. And all of the money 159 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:22,120 Speaker 4: goes back to the church. 160 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:25,640 Speaker 1: In LDM, there are consequences if people don't commit to 161 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 1: give all they can every time. Pastors keep itally of 162 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:32,600 Speaker 1: how much each family ponies up, and the laggers are 163 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:35,440 Speaker 1: made aware of their shortcomings more often than not through 164 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:38,280 Speaker 1: public humiliation in front of the whole congregation. 165 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:41,960 Speaker 4: They stand you up and in front of everybody, you 166 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:44,960 Speaker 4: have to give an amount, and then on top of that, 167 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:48,160 Speaker 4: they make you feel guilty that you don't have that 168 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:51,079 Speaker 4: much love for the Apostle of God to give more money. 169 00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:53,120 Speaker 4: And it's like, no, I have kids and this is 170 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:54,120 Speaker 4: all I can afford. 171 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:59,440 Speaker 1: And if shame is not enough, there's always fear. Anything 172 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:00,040 Speaker 1: that you do. 173 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:03,319 Speaker 4: You when you're in this cult, it's never good enough. 174 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:07,720 Speaker 4: That fear chacter that they use and they always use, 175 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:11,120 Speaker 4: is that you're going to hell for anything you do 176 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:15,440 Speaker 4: wrong or sometimes you don't do enough. Like let's say 177 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:18,680 Speaker 4: you didn't go help in this activity, Well, if God's 178 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:22,079 Speaker 4: gonna punish you during that time because you didn't come 179 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:25,280 Speaker 4: and help sell roses and you got in a car 180 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:28,640 Speaker 4: and an accident, well God's punishing you. And you're lucky that 181 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:30,959 Speaker 4: you just had a car accident and you didn't die, 182 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:33,160 Speaker 4: because you would have went to hell because you weren't 183 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:35,560 Speaker 4: doing your activity as well. 184 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:39,000 Speaker 1: Silva points out public shaming is just the beginning. There 185 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:41,920 Speaker 1: are other more practical punishments for those that are not 186 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 1: in good stunding, meaning those who can't give us much 187 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 1: as LDM expects. 188 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:51,000 Speaker 7: If you're not in good standing, you cannot get married 189 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:54,960 Speaker 7: in church, your sons or your children cannot be blessed 190 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:55,760 Speaker 7: in the church. 191 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:59,600 Speaker 1: LEDM believers are taught the servant of God deserves everything 192 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:03,080 Speaker 1: that the apostles glory shines down on them and becomes 193 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:06,040 Speaker 1: their own. So when the Wokings come out deack to 194 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:10,320 Speaker 1: the nines, driving luxury cars and flashing bejeweled watches, most 195 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:13,560 Speaker 1: people will never be able to afford. They get only loving, 196 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:19,440 Speaker 1: mesmerized looks from the flock. But is this enough to 197 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:23,360 Speaker 1: explain how Ledm's converts, Most of them blue collar workers 198 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:25,880 Speaker 1: are so willing and even happy to have their children 199 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:29,480 Speaker 1: hustling in the streets, often going hungry to sustain the 200 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:33,320 Speaker 1: private jets, the designer clothes, the over the top mansions 201 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:39,559 Speaker 1: and playgrounds of the Apostles family. Diane Benscutter, a leading 202 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:43,120 Speaker 1: expert on calls and coersive organizations, explains it better. 203 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:49,680 Speaker 8: It comes back to understanding psychological manipulation and how much 204 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:54,280 Speaker 8: that person felt at the time that it was God's 205 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:57,360 Speaker 8: will that this happened. Because there was such a mystique 206 00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:02,880 Speaker 8: around the leaders. The victims often feel like this is 207 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:07,000 Speaker 8: what God wants, even if it goes against everything is 208 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:09,400 Speaker 8: screaming in your body and your mind and your heart 209 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 8: that this is wrong. 210 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:14,360 Speaker 1: She points to Johnstown, where in November of nineteen seventy eight, 211 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:17,640 Speaker 1: over nine hundred people committed mass suicide at the behest 212 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:19,000 Speaker 1: of a religious leader. 213 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:24,080 Speaker 8: Like Jim Jones convincing people that they should feed poison 214 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:27,280 Speaker 8: to their babies and watch them die. And Guyana. It's 215 00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:30,960 Speaker 8: very scary that that can happen on such a large scale. 216 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:36,840 Speaker 1: And in terms of scale, Jonestown has nothing on La 217 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:40,800 Speaker 1: Usa Mundo. L ALM reports five million converts in over 218 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:44,720 Speaker 1: fifty countries, all generously emptying their wallets for the church 219 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:49,320 Speaker 1: on a daily basis. Most of it is of the books, untraceable, 220 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:53,720 Speaker 1: non taxable, and slowly finding its way in cash into 221 00:13:53,800 --> 00:14:01,840 Speaker 1: Armosa Provincia's vaults. As we speak more on that after 222 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:22,040 Speaker 1: the break all over the world, at each community belonging 223 00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:24,920 Speaker 1: to lal DM, some of the collected money is used 224 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:28,320 Speaker 1: to sustain the church's pious work. It is poured into 225 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:31,800 Speaker 1: companies owned by lal Em, where it ultimately flows into 226 00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:36,480 Speaker 1: Fraternita Levitica AR, an institution founded in twenty sixteen in 227 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:39,720 Speaker 1: Mexico for the sole purpose of gathering and collecting the 228 00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:43,640 Speaker 1: incoming money from there. The Apostle of God and ldm's 229 00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:47,480 Speaker 1: main bishop, Hilberto Alcia can invest in these bursts as 230 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 1: they see fit, as long as they can write it 231 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:52,880 Speaker 1: off as church work, the upkeep of its temples, the 232 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:56,520 Speaker 1: building of schools and clinics, the pastor's salary, or missionary travel, 233 00:14:56,800 --> 00:15:01,120 Speaker 1: which may include, let's say, charter in private planes for 234 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:06,320 Speaker 1: the Joaquins to spread the word. And that's all perfectly legal, 235 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:10,040 Speaker 1: except for the wads of cash set aside, untightly packed 236 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 1: into Manila envelopes, sealed and labeled for the servant of God. 237 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:20,000 Speaker 1: Those are then given to trustworthy members, oftentimes unconditionals, and 238 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:24,080 Speaker 1: quietly transported from their parishes all the way toward Moosa Provincia. 239 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:29,400 Speaker 1: Ector Vera walks us through how he once arranged the 240 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:32,800 Speaker 1: smuggling of thousands of dollars in cash from San Antonio 241 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:34,040 Speaker 1: to Alahare. 242 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:39,080 Speaker 3: Porgemplo guando us avan San Antonio, but freend Aaron Tamil 243 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:40,920 Speaker 3: dolar esparent complain of some whell. 244 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:44,480 Speaker 1: Ector recalls a church in San Antonio that raised seventy 245 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:48,600 Speaker 1: thousand dollars for someone's birthday. Since it's illegal for a 246 00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:51,560 Speaker 1: single person to travel with more than ten thousand dollars 247 00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:55,080 Speaker 1: in cash across the US Mexico border, he dispersed it 248 00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:59,720 Speaker 1: among several trustworthy believers who then carried their share into Mexico. 249 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:02,920 Speaker 3: Can in eleve you know the hand is the yahara 250 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:08,120 Speaker 3: persona maes mill dollars in toonsays your party trevarious personas 251 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:13,280 Speaker 3: Yeahagawa Hico. 252 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:17,320 Speaker 1: Once the money reached this destination, Ector collected it back 253 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:20,000 Speaker 1: and delivered the total amount to l led M's offices 254 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:23,360 Speaker 1: at Casa Crico. This was of course, all done of 255 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:27,160 Speaker 1: the books, and this was just one trip from one temple. 256 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:34,760 Speaker 1: LEDM claims to have almost fifteen thousand temples worldwide. Ector 257 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:38,440 Speaker 1: explains how in each church there are two different commissions, 258 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:41,400 Speaker 1: one for the temple that takes care of the local 259 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:44,720 Speaker 1: building's maintenance and the overall daily expenses of the parish, 260 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:48,800 Speaker 1: and one for finance that collects and manages the tides, 261 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:52,160 Speaker 1: the other donations and other fund raising activities done for 262 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:55,160 Speaker 1: the apostles and the l d M as a global institution. 263 00:16:55,640 --> 00:17:00,160 Speaker 3: In Cava glecia I, those commissioners in the finance es 264 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:01,920 Speaker 3: you trather pro tem blow. 265 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:05,159 Speaker 1: Each commission is composed of three loyal church members in 266 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:08,080 Speaker 1: charge of collecting and allotting the minimum amount of money 267 00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:11,480 Speaker 1: needed to keep their local temple running and growing, and 268 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:14,200 Speaker 1: then getting the rest to the Jakins lair in Waaljare, 269 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:18,680 Speaker 1: Actor tells us that for their troubles they receive what's 270 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:22,679 Speaker 1: nicknamed the church as a gomez, usually about fifteen dollars 271 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:25,720 Speaker 1: per hour, quite a small amount to repay them for 272 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:29,440 Speaker 1: the criminal task of taxibation and money laundering and giving 273 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:32,960 Speaker 1: the generous amounts LADM hustles out of its congregants. It's 274 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:37,440 Speaker 1: also really cheap. While Silva explains how the royal family 275 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:40,280 Speaker 1: relies on its believers not just for the church's work, 276 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:43,360 Speaker 1: but for any and old petty personal expenses. 277 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:48,520 Speaker 7: If they have a birthday party for their sons, they 278 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:52,639 Speaker 7: invite the church to cooperate to prepare the party, to 279 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:56,119 Speaker 7: serve the food, to prepare the food, to clean the place, 280 00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:59,000 Speaker 7: so they don't put a penny for anything. 281 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:02,160 Speaker 1: Elisa was a first hand witness of how the congregation's 282 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:05,399 Speaker 1: practical needs often took a back seat to the apostles whims. 283 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:09,520 Speaker 4: Our money was just for the repairs of the church 284 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:12,760 Speaker 4: and the cleaning supplies, but everybody brought their own cleaning supplies, 285 00:18:12,800 --> 00:18:15,760 Speaker 4: so I don't understand why we needed that. One time 286 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:20,560 Speaker 4: we sold for Samuel's birthday, which was Valentine's Day, we 287 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:25,159 Speaker 4: sold flowers and we made like twenty five thousand dollars 288 00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:27,080 Speaker 4: twenty five thousand something dollars. 289 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:28,440 Speaker 8: It was a lot of money. 290 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:32,639 Speaker 1: Elisa's church was in need of repair, the bathrooms were 291 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:35,840 Speaker 1: not working properly, and a hefty plumbers fee was coming. 292 00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:39,280 Speaker 1: She was happy they had collected so much by selling 293 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:42,240 Speaker 1: those roses, because now they could afford both Samuel's gift 294 00:18:42,840 --> 00:18:46,399 Speaker 1: and the repairs. And then when she found out the 295 00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:50,400 Speaker 1: apostle himself would be visiting her temple, while she was ecstatic, 296 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:53,520 Speaker 1: but her minister had other ideas. 297 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:57,639 Speaker 4: The minister, Louis Bruce comes to me, this money right here, 298 00:18:57,680 --> 00:18:59,720 Speaker 4: we're going to give to Samuel as a birthday gift. 299 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:03,080 Speaker 4: And I was like, this money is assigned for the 300 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:06,159 Speaker 4: repairs of the restrooms. And then he says I'm going 301 00:19:06,240 --> 00:19:09,000 Speaker 4: to talk with the church on Sunday, and they have 302 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:11,560 Speaker 4: to agree, or everybody has to agree for us to 303 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:15,320 Speaker 4: give this money instead of to repair the restrooms. So 304 00:19:16,119 --> 00:19:20,280 Speaker 4: he gets up on Sunday and he does this whole 305 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:24,200 Speaker 4: Sunday school about election, the election of the Apostle of God, 306 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:27,560 Speaker 4: and how without the Apostle of God we don't have life. 307 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:30,680 Speaker 4: And everything that we have is because of the Apostle 308 00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:33,920 Speaker 4: of God. He is the breadth of our noses, and 309 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:37,840 Speaker 4: because of him we have everything. And he's like, everybody 310 00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:41,240 Speaker 4: who agrees, raise your hand. I didn't want to do it, 311 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:43,440 Speaker 4: but I didn't want other people to think that I 312 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:45,760 Speaker 4: didn't have the faith and the love in the Apostle 313 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:49,119 Speaker 4: of God. So I raised my hand to I raised 314 00:19:49,119 --> 00:19:50,560 Speaker 4: my hand to and it's like h. 315 00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:54,280 Speaker 1: So, instead of being used for the well being of 316 00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:59,800 Speaker 1: the congregation imagine three long daily services with no working bathrooms, 317 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:03,720 Speaker 1: the collected money went straight into the apostle's personal pocket. 318 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:11,240 Speaker 1: And that's when things were going smoothly for the church. 319 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:14,720 Speaker 1: When the apostle really needed money, like for a lawsuit 320 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:17,440 Speaker 1: or to make bail, for instance, the squeeze on the 321 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 1: congregation would get turned up way up. That's after the 322 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:47,639 Speaker 1: break when a Sun was arrested, ledm's already aggressive fundraising 323 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:51,680 Speaker 1: became frantic. The Apostle's bail was first set at twenty 324 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:54,399 Speaker 1: five million dollars, but the judge soon opted to a 325 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:57,960 Speaker 1: record breaking ninety million at the request of one of 326 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 1: the prosecutors, who noted that Nasau had been known to 327 00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:04,760 Speaker 1: spend over one hundred thousand dollars in a single visit 328 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:11,359 Speaker 1: to a clothing store in Beverly Hills. Judy Hernandez was 329 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:13,720 Speaker 1: living in Chicago at the time and remembers the church 330 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:17,200 Speaker 1: campaigning aggressively to get him out of jail, collecting money 331 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:19,760 Speaker 1: for the costs on sending letters in his defense to 332 00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:23,680 Speaker 1: the press and to the DA. Like most l DM members, 333 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:28,880 Speaker 1: Judit was convinced of Nason's innocence. She was completely devoted 334 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:31,960 Speaker 1: to the cause of freeing the Apostle. That's when she 335 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:34,240 Speaker 1: got a call from Nason's. 336 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 5: Sister, Jaquino. A practical. 337 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:48,600 Speaker 1: Nason Betsae Juaquin, better known as Betsy, was calling to 338 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:52,040 Speaker 1: do up for a favor. The church needed money for 339 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:55,600 Speaker 1: Nassan's bail, but l DM couldn't use their own money 340 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:58,639 Speaker 1: because so much of it was of the books, so 341 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:02,879 Speaker 1: if Judit could donate more on the books legally, they 342 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:05,120 Speaker 1: would have a traceable way to pay for the bail. 343 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:09,760 Speaker 1: Juditth was listening until she heard how much Betsy was 344 00:22:09,840 --> 00:22:10,280 Speaker 1: asking for. 345 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:14,320 Speaker 5: As a momento seven pillion in cost. 346 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:20,520 Speaker 1: Five million dollars. Now, Betsy and Judith were close. Judith 347 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,680 Speaker 1: had been Betsy's aid and confident for years, and Judy 348 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 1: was a successful business woman. She could have come up 349 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:30,320 Speaker 1: with five million dollars to give, but still it seemed 350 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:31,520 Speaker 1: like a lot. 351 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 5: And Tom says, no, sep care me. Ami Medio Paraken says. 352 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:46,000 Speaker 1: The phone call made Judy suspicious. Why did they need 353 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:49,840 Speaker 1: to pay bail if he was completely innocent? Wasn't he 354 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:53,080 Speaker 1: going to be released? She was a thousand percent sure 355 00:22:53,119 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 1: of it. He wouldn't need the five million. He was 356 00:22:55,960 --> 00:23:00,280 Speaker 1: going to be freed. God would manifest himself, right Joe 357 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:06,080 Speaker 1: Tava Milport. So she declined Betsy's request and told her 358 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:07,240 Speaker 1: she should look elsewhere. 359 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:13,040 Speaker 5: As a Chicago she pressed Aron Dinero. 360 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:16,320 Speaker 1: Judit says some members in Chicago did come up with 361 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:19,800 Speaker 1: the money, but in the end it wasn't enough. L 362 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:23,240 Speaker 1: DM could not meet the staggering bail amount, and despite 363 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:28,560 Speaker 1: Judy's high hopes, Nason was not freed. But nobody knows 364 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:31,480 Speaker 1: what happened to the millions of dollars raised on his behalf. 365 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:34,960 Speaker 1: And we know the church doesn't just traffic money. It 366 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:42,679 Speaker 1: also trades in more subtle forms of currency. We've mentioned 367 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:45,720 Speaker 1: before how LEDM peddles its members votes as a way 368 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:49,520 Speaker 1: to curry political favors, like the time in twenty twenty 369 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:53,359 Speaker 1: one when Bishop Hilberto Garcia, whom you might remember Asi 370 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:57,399 Speaker 1: Lem Garcia's father and elldm's main moneyman and fiel an 371 00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:01,600 Speaker 1: apostle after Nason's arrest, was recorded asking believers to vote 372 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:04,520 Speaker 1: for a particular candidate for Walajadas mayor. 373 00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:06,000 Speaker 7: We were as not as. 374 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:12,720 Speaker 9: Oid puto PartyA sen as you know delpan is nunciator. 375 00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:17,840 Speaker 1: That candidate belonged to Morena, Mexico's current president's political party. 376 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:21,760 Speaker 1: This might sound like just another Sunday in a US church, 377 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:25,639 Speaker 1: but asking followers to vote for a specific candidate or 378 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:29,320 Speaker 1: support a particular political party is very much against Mexican 379 00:24:29,359 --> 00:24:33,280 Speaker 1: electoral law, and as this millenniunique story reports, it resulted 380 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:36,400 Speaker 1: in one of the main opposition parties filing a complaint 381 00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:38,120 Speaker 1: with the office of Electoral. 382 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:41,480 Speaker 9: Crimes, carlosmili I got the most party the local Eco 383 00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:43,960 Speaker 9: innister Mundo. 384 00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:45,159 Speaker 5: In a del. 385 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:05,800 Speaker 1: This sermon was secretly recorded and is hard to hear, 386 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:09,640 Speaker 1: but if you listen carefully, you can clearly hear Garcia 387 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:13,119 Speaker 1: telling his flock that the alluded politician promised to fix 388 00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:16,439 Speaker 1: the church's current problems as long as they helped him 389 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:21,000 Speaker 1: get elected. Bishop Garcia stressed that this politician was closed 390 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:24,400 Speaker 1: to the federal government and could introduce LLEDM to anyone, 391 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:29,520 Speaker 1: even the President of Mexico. After Nason's arrest, the Mexican 392 00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:33,280 Speaker 1: government had frozen the church's assets, the ones collected by 393 00:25:33,359 --> 00:25:38,280 Speaker 1: Fraternita Levitica, a problem Garcia believed this candidate could solve. 394 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:44,679 Speaker 1: The meeting between Garcia and the candidate was facilitated by 395 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:49,159 Speaker 1: an organization known as Association of Mexican Professionals and Entrepreneurs 396 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:55,200 Speaker 1: or a PEM for short. Officially, it's just an organization 397 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:59,120 Speaker 1: for business owners to advocate for themselves, but its true 398 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:01,680 Speaker 1: purpose is to to grease the wills for LEDM to 399 00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:06,520 Speaker 1: meddle in politics. Legally, it was formed shortly after Samuel's 400 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:09,960 Speaker 1: death in twenty fourteen. In the hopes of achieving Asan's 401 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:16,919 Speaker 1: longtime dream to get his very own political party. Sharim 402 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:19,400 Speaker 1: guz Mann worked as a political liaison for the Church 403 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:22,480 Speaker 1: in Senada and was a valuable member of a pem. 404 00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:26,520 Speaker 6: Urita and CEO strategicus. In a stem a u s 405 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:30,320 Speaker 6: dnn on Associan CEM. 406 00:26:29,720 --> 00:26:33,000 Speaker 1: Sharim describes how the church was being very strategic. A 407 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:37,200 Speaker 1: PEM is led by Rombaradas, an led M bishop, ex 408 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:39,320 Speaker 1: congressman and ex senator. 409 00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:44,679 Speaker 6: Oh spoiler, luzel Mundo, exputao local ferra so coma texplicas undiacono. 410 00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:50,320 Speaker 1: The legles, how do you explain a deacon from led 411 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:54,400 Speaker 1: M suddenly becoming a congressman, Sharim asks, and then back 412 00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:56,879 Speaker 1: to being a minister and our bishop and also the 413 00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:01,480 Speaker 1: leader of led M's most important territorial platform. He then 414 00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:05,760 Speaker 1: answers his own question. Because appem's structure influences all level 415 00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:08,159 Speaker 1: of politics, from local to national. 416 00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 6: So just laluze mundo, afravesela aurita utilisa or. 417 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:20,639 Speaker 1: Those politicians in turn help advance the Church's needs an 418 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:24,480 Speaker 1: agenda however they can. But all of that was not 419 00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:28,400 Speaker 1: nearly enough for Nason Juaquin, the new apostle, the third 420 00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:32,080 Speaker 1: in an illustrious line of servants of God. If Samuel 421 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:34,840 Speaker 1: had left his mark on the church by building a great, 422 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:40,040 Speaker 1: magnificent temple, Nason wanted to erect something less tangible but 423 00:27:40,320 --> 00:27:40,960 Speaker 1: way more. 424 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:47,920 Speaker 6: Powerful Italio a Minason on the empresso Marie Cargo and 425 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:49,800 Speaker 6: dot Como for Marion Partio Politico. 426 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:53,520 Speaker 1: The day came when Ason finally tasked Shadim with forming 427 00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:56,800 Speaker 1: lad M's own political party. He explained to Sharim that 428 00:27:56,920 --> 00:27:59,960 Speaker 1: because La DM was chosen by God, they were uncorrupted 429 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:02,439 Speaker 1: and the country would be much better off. Led by 430 00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:04,160 Speaker 1: the Children of God e la. 431 00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:08,440 Speaker 6: PEM structural territorial event and doses kwandoayos as an event 432 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:11,639 Speaker 6: to public on companies los Na tra Vezela p l 433 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:12,320 Speaker 6: uzel Munde. 434 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:15,800 Speaker 1: Shari mentions led M has people, a lot of people. 435 00:28:16,359 --> 00:28:19,080 Speaker 1: Often since high school, young kids belonging to the church 436 00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:22,480 Speaker 1: get signed up with a PEM. The church gathers all 437 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:25,760 Speaker 1: these people from different states, municipalities and neighborhoods. They have 438 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:28,280 Speaker 1: a presence in so when they do a public event 439 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:30,640 Speaker 1: or a campaign event, they do it through a PEM, 440 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:34,520 Speaker 1: but in reality it's all laluzel Mundo through a PEM, 441 00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:37,200 Speaker 1: led M fully love Is and medals into politics with 442 00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:41,640 Speaker 1: plausible deniability. Apem's only objective is to push led m's 443 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:45,360 Speaker 1: agenda and the apostles public profile in the political arena. 444 00:28:47,520 --> 00:28:50,600 Speaker 1: For example, a PEM was responsible for securing the ass 445 00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:54,520 Speaker 1: artis for Naissan's birthday, and its headquarters are located right 446 00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:58,040 Speaker 1: by the Great Temple in Hermosa Provincia, Yet they adamantly 447 00:28:58,120 --> 00:29:04,800 Speaker 1: deny having anything to do with LLDM. The candidate, Bishop 448 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:08,800 Speaker 1: Garcia mentioned in his secretly recorded sermon, lost the election, 449 00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:12,680 Speaker 1: but it didn't matter. Way Before the results were announced, 450 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:16,520 Speaker 1: almost twenty million of ldm's dollars were freed when a 451 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:20,680 Speaker 1: local judge accepted l DM's injunction asking for their goods back. 452 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:30,120 Speaker 1: The whole asset freeze lasted only a couple of weeks 453 00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:34,000 Speaker 1: and the prosecutor responsible for the inquiry was fired by 454 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:39,480 Speaker 1: the Mexican president eight months later. This past May twenty 455 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:43,800 Speaker 1: twenty three, LDM finally formed its very own national Political 456 00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:50,360 Speaker 1: Association or APN called Woman is Momchicano in Mexico. APMs 457 00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:53,440 Speaker 1: are threshold institutions before the formation of a political party. 458 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:58,120 Speaker 1: We spoke with Emmanuel Reyes a sitting congressman and high 459 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:02,520 Speaker 1: profile LDM member, Reyes helped found Woman Is Momhicano and 460 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:06,400 Speaker 1: currently belongs to the president's ruling political party, Morena. 461 00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:16,840 Speaker 10: In at the end ken Revisaenda Publica Mexicano possess Propyo president. 462 00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:22,640 Speaker 1: And Reyes enthusiastically affirms that the person who supervises, defines 463 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:25,840 Speaker 1: and sets the agenda for Roman is Momxicano is none 464 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:28,960 Speaker 1: other than the Mexican president, and there's Manuel Lopez o Rador. 465 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:31,760 Speaker 1: He goes on to say that what they want for 466 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:35,840 Speaker 1: Roman Is Momxicano is to do the organizational groundwork on 467 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:36,880 Speaker 1: behalf of. 468 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:46,440 Speaker 10: Morena plantiendo esque Woman is Mexicanos who instrumental organist a 469 00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:48,720 Speaker 10: TiVo the la parte transformation. You need Morena. 470 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:52,280 Speaker 1: After clearly stating the new APN would very much serve 471 00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:56,440 Speaker 1: the current president's political agenda and only the president, Reyes 472 00:30:56,560 --> 00:31:00,120 Speaker 1: audamantly denies Woman Is Momxicano has anything to do with 473 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:01,640 Speaker 1: you guessed l d. 474 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:11,040 Speaker 10: M musication and Salado In Trente, the Agro politic national 475 00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:17,360 Speaker 10: Somos inte Grantees claims. 476 00:31:17,040 --> 00:31:19,840 Speaker 1: That some media groups have stated that the people leading 477 00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:23,280 Speaker 1: on Ismicano belong to l d M, that a p 478 00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:25,720 Speaker 1: N is just an arm of the church, and that 479 00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:28,719 Speaker 1: they have seek to harm them through the seat by 480 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:33,080 Speaker 1: using religion to discriminate against them. One more time, he 481 00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:36,920 Speaker 1: stresses it loud and clear, this APN has nothing to. 482 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:38,160 Speaker 7: Do with l l d M. 483 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:50,160 Speaker 10: Clara Frontal is the Laguassian politic national La Associates Mundo. 484 00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:55,360 Speaker 1: They may deny it all they want. This unholy alliance 485 00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:57,360 Speaker 1: between l d M and the powers that be has 486 00:31:57,480 --> 00:32:01,480 Speaker 1: always been very palpable in Mexico, but the church's political 487 00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:08,000 Speaker 1: tentacles have since extended worldwide. In twenty nineteen, days before 488 00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:11,480 Speaker 1: his final trip to Los Angeles, Naso Juaquin visited a 489 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:14,960 Speaker 1: new church project in El salvadov Suda de la LUs. 490 00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:18,320 Speaker 11: Nayo de estano a leader de la Lesia LUs del 491 00:32:18,360 --> 00:32:22,200 Speaker 11: Munden Juja quing Garcia colo Cola Premierra Pierra dont se 492 00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:24,520 Speaker 11: construye hel project to Urbanistico. 493 00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:29,160 Speaker 1: A news report from a local El Salvadorian news station 494 00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:31,960 Speaker 1: describes a two hundred and fifty six acre plot of 495 00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:35,080 Speaker 1: land located right along the side of the highway near 496 00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:38,600 Speaker 1: the capital's international airport, slated for led. 497 00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:44,760 Speaker 6: And development dens quaesan Aria, Zadrazion and west Rios. 498 00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:48,200 Speaker 1: In this speech, Nason describes everything that will be built 499 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:51,600 Speaker 1: on the site. The shopping markets and sporting arena, the 500 00:32:51,720 --> 00:32:55,560 Speaker 1: sanctuary and temple capable of holding over one hundred thousand members, 501 00:32:56,080 --> 00:32:59,520 Speaker 1: the more than a thousand housing units, several hotels, a 502 00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:05,080 Speaker 1: universe city, a hospital, markets, offices and parks. The total 503 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:10,880 Speaker 1: investment would top over a two hundred million dollars. Touring 504 00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:13,440 Speaker 1: the side with his boots and a hard hut merely 505 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:17,120 Speaker 1: a week before his arrest, Nason was in very good company. 506 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:21,640 Speaker 1: By his side was President Naib Bukele, who had bestowed 507 00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:24,760 Speaker 1: the Apostle with the title of Distinguished Visitor of San 508 00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:28,400 Speaker 1: Salvador way back when Nasan first visited in two thousand 509 00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:31,680 Speaker 1: and five, when bucell was merely the Mayor of San Salvador. 510 00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:36,840 Speaker 11: In his Tassona del Aro Puerto International imas Projectos de 511 00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:41,000 Speaker 11: grandesimbersionists in la keistany in Terreesado's values Impresadio. 512 00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:43,440 Speaker 1: But it is not only south of the Mexican border 513 00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:47,840 Speaker 1: where the Apostle has Grandio's expansion plans. Here in the US, 514 00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:51,320 Speaker 1: among the verdant forests of Georgia along the shores of 515 00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:54,440 Speaker 1: Lake Lanier, two hundred and seventy acres of wait for 516 00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:56,960 Speaker 1: the City of Light to spring right next to the 517 00:33:57,000 --> 00:34:00,800 Speaker 1: town of Flower Branch. This led Metropo Police would rival 518 00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:03,320 Speaker 1: its sister cities to the south if it ever sees 519 00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:06,560 Speaker 1: the light. The local community has rallied against it since 520 00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:11,120 Speaker 1: before Nason's arrest. But that's not all. Lldm's political influence 521 00:34:11,160 --> 00:34:15,480 Speaker 1: continues north along the I ninety five corridor. In twenty nineteen, 522 00:34:15,719 --> 00:34:19,480 Speaker 1: the Texas Senate honored the apostle by name Anaheim California, 523 00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:22,400 Speaker 1: gave him the keys to the city, and there's official 524 00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:26,520 Speaker 1: Nason juaquin Garcia days in both the Levan Wisconsin and 525 00:34:27,120 --> 00:34:27,840 Speaker 1: Washington d C. 526 00:34:28,160 --> 00:34:33,120 Speaker 12: ATLI Washington d C peesta nachen cele brandos de die 527 00:34:33,200 --> 00:34:38,240 Speaker 12: decoavorde soo d repels lu del Mondo. 528 00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:42,320 Speaker 1: Here's a video from twenty fifteen of Jackie ray Gianis, 529 00:34:42,680 --> 00:34:46,160 Speaker 1: then acting as Washington Dicas Director of the Mayor's Office 530 00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:50,680 Speaker 1: on Latino Affairs, officially recognizing the great labor of lldm's 531 00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:54,359 Speaker 1: spiritual guide and declaring the first Nason juaquin Garcia Day 532 00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:57,640 Speaker 1: right on the seat of all the US political. 533 00:34:57,280 --> 00:34:59,960 Speaker 5: Powers Ludivils to the Columbia. 534 00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:00,560 Speaker 2: You sec. 535 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:05,960 Speaker 5: This is Columbia. 536 00:35:09,600 --> 00:35:12,279 Speaker 1: The amount of economic and political muscle E LADM has 537 00:35:12,320 --> 00:35:15,479 Speaker 1: a mass throughout its history. By shrewdly colluding with early 538 00:35:15,600 --> 00:35:18,879 Speaker 1: powers is staggering, and it buys the royal family much 539 00:35:18,920 --> 00:35:23,239 Speaker 1: more than fancy clothes, jewelry and luxurious houses. It also 540 00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:27,680 Speaker 1: buys them silence and impunity. Nobody knows it better than 541 00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:30,320 Speaker 1: those who have there to confront l d M and 542 00:35:30,520 --> 00:35:32,520 Speaker 1: face the full weight of its power. 543 00:35:37,320 --> 00:35:40,120 Speaker 8: To be part of this chosen group, you give up 544 00:35:40,160 --> 00:35:43,399 Speaker 8: your autonomy. That's the trade off. When you leave, it's 545 00:35:43,480 --> 00:35:46,080 Speaker 8: hard to reclaim that. You realize that, Okay, I can't 546 00:35:46,120 --> 00:35:47,879 Speaker 8: be part of this anymore, but I don't know who 547 00:35:47,960 --> 00:35:48,279 Speaker 8: I am. 548 00:35:49,360 --> 00:36:07,759 Speaker 1: That's next on Sacred Scandal. Sacred Scandala. Luzel Mundo is 549 00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:11,560 Speaker 1: a production of Excel Content Studio in partnership with Iheartz 550 00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:15,440 Speaker 1: Michael Tura podcast Network, and is hosted by me Robert Tagarza, 551 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:19,200 Speaker 1: Produced by Sabin Jansen with the help of Estella Eimet 552 00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:23,640 Speaker 1: Reynolds Kutierrez and an Isabel Obtavio. Written by myself with 553 00:36:23,760 --> 00:36:28,440 Speaker 1: help from marievel Kezada Smith, research by Robert Targarza. Additional 554 00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:32,440 Speaker 1: reporting by Floren se Goon, Sales Geragarcia, engineering by Ugu 555 00:36:32,480 --> 00:36:37,640 Speaker 1: Mendoza and Sabin Jansen. Some designed by Gonzalo Messi. Original 556 00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:41,840 Speaker 1: music by Patrick Hart edited by writer also marievel Kezada 557 00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:46,000 Speaker 1: Smith and Rose Reed. Executive producers are Rose Reed, Carmen 558 00:36:46,040 --> 00:36:50,680 Speaker 1: gratterol Isac Lee, and Nando Villa Daniel Bautista Overseas Audio 559 00:36:50,760 --> 00:36:55,080 Speaker 1: at Excel Conton Studio. Our executive producers are iHeart R, 560 00:36:55,120 --> 00:36:59,320 Speaker 1: Gisel Vancez and Art In Santana. Sacred Scandal was created 561 00:36:59,360 --> 00:37:03,040 Speaker 1: by Melanie bo Hartley and Poula Baros. Special thanks to 562 00:37:03,160 --> 00:37:07,080 Speaker 1: Monk Music Studios. Archival clips from this episode are from 563 00:37:07,160 --> 00:37:11,920 Speaker 1: Millennium and Canaldose not Ticiro echos in Al Salvadov. For 564 00:37:12,120 --> 00:37:14,920 Speaker 1: more podcasts, go to die Hard, read Up, or whatever 565 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:16,839 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite podcasts