1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:05,239 Speaker 1: Hello, fellow conspiracy realist. Quick disclaimer before we begin today's episode, 2 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:09,400 Speaker 1: we had some slight technical difficulties, so the microphones are 3 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: going to sound just a bit different for the first 4 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: part of the show. Still, we hope you enjoy it. 5 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:16,760 Speaker 1: Thanks for tuning in. 6 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:21,720 Speaker 2: From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies. History is 7 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:26,119 Speaker 2: riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 8 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:29,159 Speaker 2: learn the stuff they don't want you to know. A 9 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 2: production of iHeartRadio. 10 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 3: Hello, welcome back to the show. My name is Matt, 11 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 3: my name is Nol. 12 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 1: They called me Ben. We're joined as always with our 13 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: super producer, all mission control decant. Most importantly, you are here, 14 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 1: and that makes this the stuff they don't want you 15 00:00:56,400 --> 00:01:00,880 Speaker 1: to know. A former Darlena of New York Politics just 16 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:04,399 Speaker 1: got caught selling pardons for two million a pop. Probably 17 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:10,680 Speaker 1: heard about that people are intentionally crashing planes and they're 18 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 1: not doing it as an act of terrorism. There is 19 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: a very gruesome story we're going to get to on 20 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:20,200 Speaker 1: the African continent. We will give you a heads up 21 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: before we get into it and may not be appropriate 22 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 1: for all audience members. But before we do any of that, 23 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:31,480 Speaker 1: I think we're traveling to Utah, which is a there's 24 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 1: some beautiful parts of Utah in one a few years back. 25 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:37,400 Speaker 3: Absolutely, we're actually, I mean, it's really all over the 26 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 3: world is where we're traveling, but Utah is probably the 27 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 3: center of today's story that we're going to start with. Guys, 28 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:49,840 Speaker 3: we've talked about religion and money on this show before. 29 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 3: Most often, I think we reference it when we talk 30 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 3: about either the Vatican in the Catholic Church or the 31 00:01:57,480 --> 00:02:00,160 Speaker 3: Church of Scientology. I know we've discussed that before too, 32 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 3: just trying to estimate how much money those organizations have 33 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 3: and how they get that money, what they do with 34 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 3: that money after it comes to them. And I guess 35 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 3: let's start here by giving some estimates, some guestimates on 36 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:21,760 Speaker 3: the wealth of different religions. So if we just look 37 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 3: at the Church of Scientology, if you google around to 38 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 3: try and find, like, what might the Church of Scientology 39 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 3: be worth right now, at least on paper, not necessarily 40 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 3: in some holding account somewhere, right just on paper, it 41 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:39,800 Speaker 3: appears that the Church of Scientology is worth several billion 42 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 3: dollars that includes, I mean, you know, in the estimates 43 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:47,360 Speaker 3: range anywhere from one point seven to like five billion 44 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:50,920 Speaker 3: dollars there's some there's a big range there, but several 45 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:53,640 Speaker 3: billion dollars. And if you think about that in the 46 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,079 Speaker 3: context of the Rudy Giuliani story you just mentioned, there're 47 00:02:56,120 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 3: been given away two million dollar pardons, which you know too. Well, 48 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:09,840 Speaker 3: you're right, let's say negotiating two million dollar pardons, which 49 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:12,280 Speaker 3: two million dollars is a lot of money, feels like 50 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 3: a lot of money to me. But then when you 51 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 3: multiply that thing and you get in the billions, you 52 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 3: just realize, wow, that's a lot of money. So let's 53 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:22,959 Speaker 3: jump to another one, the Vatican, the Catholic Church. It's 54 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 3: estimated to be somewhere in the order of eighty billion dollars, 55 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:32,400 Speaker 3: maybe seventy to eighty billion dollars, which is again a 56 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 3: ton of money. Think about the companies, the massive corporations 57 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 3: that have that kind of wealth. Are there many? Not? Really? 58 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:43,760 Speaker 3: There are a couple individuals that have skyrocketed up to 59 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 3: those levels, but those are like the biggest wealthiest players 60 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 3: on the planet. Well, let's jump to today's story. Uh, 61 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 3: the one that I the version that caught my attention 62 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 3: at least comes to us from The Guardian, written by 63 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 3: Gloria Ola Depot I believe is how you would say that. 64 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 3: It was written on May fifteenth of this year, and 65 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 3: the title is this the Mormon Church has one hundred 66 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 3: billion dollars clandestine hedge fund, says whistle blower, one hundred 67 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 3: billion dollars hedge fund. And again keyword in that title, 68 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:24,280 Speaker 3: whistle blower. Okay, so this story actually goes way back 69 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:26,200 Speaker 3: to twenty nineteen, and we're going to get to that, 70 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:28,599 Speaker 3: and some of you are probably already going, hey, this 71 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:31,920 Speaker 3: is an older story. It is, but it's really come 72 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 3: to light because there was a a CBS sixty minutes 73 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 3: a segment, let's say, about this specific story where this 74 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:43,039 Speaker 3: whistle blower came on and spilled the beans basically about 75 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 3: what's going on. And ultimately the takeaway is whether or 76 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:50,240 Speaker 3: not you believe this individual whistle blower who was deep 77 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:53,479 Speaker 3: in the organization that he's referencing, or you believe the 78 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:57,039 Speaker 3: official story coming from the Church of Latter day Saints, right, 79 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 3: the Mormon Church. So here we go. This person, his 80 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:05,480 Speaker 3: name is David Nielsen, and he worked out a place 81 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 3: called Ensign Peak Advisors. That's e nsign if you want 82 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 3: to look it up. They were basically an investment firm 83 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:19,360 Speaker 3: that was functioning not as affront necessarily right for the 84 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 3: Mormon Church, but they were working with the Mormon Church 85 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:26,599 Speaker 3: to manage all of their wealth and to move money 86 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:29,039 Speaker 3: around where it needed to go for all the charity 87 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:31,560 Speaker 3: work that the church does, for all of the building 88 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 3: projects that they have, basically any expense that the church, 89 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:38,479 Speaker 3: they deal with that they also deal with the money 90 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:41,760 Speaker 3: coming in from people who are tithing. Let's say, you know, 91 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:45,040 Speaker 3: the traditional tithe is ten percent of your income goes 92 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:47,520 Speaker 3: to the church that you attend, and that is the 93 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:51,360 Speaker 3: standard for the Mormon Church. And his statement there that's 94 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 3: in the title of this article is basically that the 95 00:05:56,880 --> 00:06:00,280 Speaker 3: church was bringing in money from that tithing because they've 96 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:03,359 Speaker 3: got millions of members, and they were putting it in 97 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:06,559 Speaker 3: this hedge fund which was allegedly supposed to be used 98 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 3: for those very things I just mentioned, right, the charitable works, 99 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:14,840 Speaker 3: the things that are meant to grow the church's footprint 100 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:19,360 Speaker 3: amongst humanity, and instead of doing that, they just kept 101 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 3: it in there and kept growing the account and growing 102 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:26,040 Speaker 3: the account and growing the account of humanity. Well, this 103 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:28,559 Speaker 3: is a really interesting thing to me because there's quite 104 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 3: a lot in many religions about the end times, right, 105 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 3: about what's going to happen in the future. What is 106 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 3: the world going to look like when insert your messiah 107 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:41,839 Speaker 3: comes back or when the world begins to end because 108 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:45,280 Speaker 3: of whatever apocalypse is within the scripture that you adhere to. 109 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 3: In my mind, this is just my personal take on 110 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:51,599 Speaker 3: the whole thing. It feels like building up the bank 111 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:56,280 Speaker 3: for the future when bad stuff happens, will be able 112 00:06:56,320 --> 00:07:00,840 Speaker 3: to exert serious influence. Maybe, although money may not have 113 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:05,520 Speaker 3: much meaning by that time. I don't know. 114 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:08,479 Speaker 4: I just could be it could be just some other 115 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,880 Speaker 4: commodity that becomes the currency of the age. 116 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:17,280 Speaker 1: You know, I think that's completely reasonable. I do believe 117 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 1: the separation of church and state is incredibly important. But 118 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 1: I'm I'm also aware of the hypocrisy inherent in what 119 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:31,480 Speaker 1: I'm about to say. I do think religious organization should 120 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 1: pay taxes at this point, you know what I mean, 121 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:39,520 Speaker 1: because the other thing they benefit from, like any other organization, 122 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 1: they benefit a great deal from infrastructure, right from organization. 123 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 1: You know, Uh, churches need believers and those believers are 124 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:53,640 Speaker 1: active members of an economy. So I to me it 125 00:07:53,720 --> 00:08:01,560 Speaker 1: makes sense. But also I feel like we all knew 126 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:06,720 Speaker 1: about the Church of the Latter Day Saints, enormous genealogical database, 127 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: their enormous proselytization around the world, their enormous hoard, right, 128 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:15,960 Speaker 1: because that's ten percent from everybody. That's a ton of money. 129 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 1: But they also aren't necessarily doing any through anything wrong 130 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:26,920 Speaker 1: just by having their members tithe, unless they start obscuring 131 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:31,040 Speaker 1: the amount of tithing, unless they start playing you know, 132 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:34,320 Speaker 1: the shell game and stuff, and that I think that's correct. 133 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:34,360 Speaker 3: Me. 134 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 1: If I'm wrong, you're Matt. But that's what the whistleblower 135 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:38,839 Speaker 1: made news with, right, was the. 136 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:42,840 Speaker 3: Yes, that's the old story, the old stories taxories. 137 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:46,520 Speaker 1: The old stories taxes. But this one is this one 138 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:49,400 Speaker 1: gets into shell companies, gets into stuff that we would 139 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:54,079 Speaker 1: associate with Panama, paper level actors. 140 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:54,120 Speaker 4: Money laundering. 141 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:58,400 Speaker 3: Absolutely, let's get into those numbers. So according to the Guardian, 142 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:01,960 Speaker 3: and according to that's known from several of the sources 143 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:05,200 Speaker 3: I've been looking at today, there's an estimated seven billion 144 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:09,680 Speaker 3: dollars in tithing that comes to the Church of Jesus 145 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 3: Christ of Latter day Saints every year through their seventeen 146 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:18,920 Speaker 3: million estimated members. So seven billion a year is an 147 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:22,240 Speaker 3: incredible amount of money and when you're bringing that money 148 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:24,520 Speaker 3: in and you're putting it away, depending on what you're 149 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:27,600 Speaker 3: going to do with it, you may or may not 150 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:30,319 Speaker 3: have to pay taxes even if you're a religious organization, 151 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:34,520 Speaker 3: because you may be using that money for other things 152 00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:37,439 Speaker 3: that would require that taxes be paid for it, right, 153 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:40,480 Speaker 3: or you may be getting in money from different places 154 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 3: that you may have to pay taxes on. There are 155 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:47,680 Speaker 3: all kinds of rules that deal with like how any 156 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:50,440 Speaker 3: organization pays taxes even if you have an exemption of 157 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 3: some sort the way a religion would. And what David 158 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:57,640 Speaker 3: is saying here is that they are basically dodging taxes 159 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:02,720 Speaker 3: to the tune of billions of dollars in taxes, which 160 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 3: which stinks right and is not cool. But you you know, 161 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:10,120 Speaker 3: if you look at big picture, think about the corporations 162 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:12,440 Speaker 3: that do the exact same thing every year to the 163 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:15,840 Speaker 3: tune of billions of dollars, and it feels like it's 164 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 3: just another corporate maneuver basically being utilized by a church. 165 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:23,080 Speaker 2: Yeah. 166 00:10:23,160 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 1: I think since the gush in the age of the 167 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:31,440 Speaker 1: post Great Depression, I think the average resident of the 168 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:35,080 Speaker 1: United States has simply assumed that the truly wealthy do 169 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 1: not pay taxes because you will have a team of 170 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:44,840 Speaker 1: people with access, become an international entity past a certain 171 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:49,160 Speaker 1: financial threshold, and it is just considered right and proper 172 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:52,400 Speaker 1: business to move these things around. And you know, we 173 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 1: also see that the current finds or punishments for avoiding 174 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:03,880 Speaker 1: taxation you usually can be rationalized as a cost of 175 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:04,720 Speaker 1: doing business. 176 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:08,840 Speaker 4: Not to mention, we've had some pretty high profile figures, 177 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:11,559 Speaker 4: let's just say, without naming names, kind of just bragging 178 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:13,920 Speaker 4: about all those things that you're talking about, Ben So 179 00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:17,920 Speaker 4: where that might have been an open secret before, it's 180 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:21,480 Speaker 4: just out there, you know, by some very visible folks 181 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:23,319 Speaker 4: that are kind of just yapping about it on TV. 182 00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:27,600 Speaker 1: Do we know what the what the consequences might be 183 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:30,319 Speaker 1: for this religious organization? 184 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:31,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, no consequences. 185 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 5: I just you know what I can I ask you 186 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:41,880 Speaker 5: one thing, Matt, being that you know this church is 187 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:46,480 Speaker 5: perhaps prepping for an apocalypse, you know, as you mentioned, 188 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:50,640 Speaker 5: or some religious oriented event that may or may not 189 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:52,000 Speaker 5: be quote unquote real. 190 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:55,840 Speaker 4: Are there limits to what they can do with this 191 00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:59,880 Speaker 4: money and to what kinds of disclosures they need to make? Like, 192 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:04,679 Speaker 4: are there expectations reasonable expectations from the Tithers as to 193 00:12:04,679 --> 00:12:06,559 Speaker 4: what their money is going to be used for. No. 194 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:09,920 Speaker 3: I mean no, you're giving money to an organization that 195 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:13,079 Speaker 3: is quite secretive at the top, like most of these 196 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:17,000 Speaker 3: religious organizations when you get the upper upper echelons. It's 197 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 3: not that they're being secret because there's you know, it's 198 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:23,360 Speaker 3: some secret society kind of thing. It's just more like, well, hey, 199 00:12:23,559 --> 00:12:26,800 Speaker 3: that's actually where the money is, and that's where they 200 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:29,880 Speaker 3: decide what they do with their money and make decisions 201 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:33,760 Speaker 3: on things like dogma, right, like what is actually what 202 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:36,240 Speaker 3: are we actually going with as the story of this 203 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:40,720 Speaker 3: group receiving prophecies? Right, Yeah, that's all kinds of stuff. 204 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:44,760 Speaker 1: Yeah. I do think we should point out though, because 205 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:49,320 Speaker 1: I don't want anybody to mistake this for us dunking 206 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:54,520 Speaker 1: on religion, even the obvious problems of organized religion or 207 00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:58,160 Speaker 1: cross platform and so we're not dunking on the Latter 208 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:01,160 Speaker 1: day Saints whatsoever. We've got friends who are in the church, 209 00:13:01,559 --> 00:13:04,280 Speaker 1: and I think, you know, like you said, Matt, the 210 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:08,400 Speaker 1: vast majority of people there are just living their lives 211 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:13,120 Speaker 1: like anyone else, and they are paying a tithe. That's 212 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:15,760 Speaker 1: one of the big criticisms is they're saying, you know, 213 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:18,839 Speaker 1: why are you taking this from people who are not 214 00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 1: in the best financial situation to donate ten percent of 215 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:24,640 Speaker 1: their income, Why aren't you helping them? And think church 216 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:28,400 Speaker 1: leadership said that was a narrow perspective. But I also 217 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 1: want to point out if you live in the US 218 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:36,240 Speaker 1: and you're not a billionaire, then you also tithe. You 219 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:40,120 Speaker 1: just pay taxes to the state, and you also don't 220 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:43,040 Speaker 1: get to decide what the state does or does not 221 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 1: do with that cash. 222 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:45,680 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, and you pay. 223 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:46,680 Speaker 1: Way more than ten percent. 224 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:49,439 Speaker 4: Probably well, and you could argue it's part of the 225 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:53,440 Speaker 4: belief system of that organization to give that. So on 226 00:13:53,559 --> 00:13:56,480 Speaker 4: one hand, you're doing it willingly, but you could also 227 00:13:56,559 --> 00:13:58,680 Speaker 4: argue that, depending on your level of belief, that it 228 00:13:58,720 --> 00:13:59,960 Speaker 4: does not considered optional. 229 00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:02,440 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, dude, my parents have given ten percent to 230 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:05,720 Speaker 3: whatever church they were going to all throughout the years 231 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:08,560 Speaker 3: that I've known them, and I've known them a long time, 232 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:11,320 Speaker 3: the whole time. 233 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:12,160 Speaker 4: Little time. 234 00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:17,240 Speaker 3: So let's let's get back to that original twenty nineteen story. 235 00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:21,120 Speaker 3: So sure, this same whistleblower came forward in twenty nineteen, 236 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:25,160 Speaker 3: he went directly to the irs and said, Hey, something 237 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 3: is going on here at this place that I've worked 238 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:29,840 Speaker 3: for a long time. I don't think it's right. You 239 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:33,280 Speaker 3: should know about it. It was in nineteen ninety seven. 240 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:35,960 Speaker 3: David Nielsen has worked here for quite a while that 241 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:40,080 Speaker 3: in Sign in sign Peak place worked here for a 242 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:44,000 Speaker 3: long time. In nineteen ninety seven, one billion dollars of 243 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:47,000 Speaker 3: that money that comes into the Mormon Church every year 244 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 3: was placed into an account at insign Peak. It was 245 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:55,400 Speaker 3: a quote reserve fund. Now, the problem here is that 246 00:14:55,920 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 3: in Sign Peak is registered as a nonprofit. That money 247 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:05,200 Speaker 3: that was in that fund was invested, okay, so it 248 00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:08,160 Speaker 3: was not used as like a place where you put 249 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:10,440 Speaker 3: your nonprofit money then you use that money as a 250 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:14,680 Speaker 3: pool to fund your nonprofit activities. It was literally invested 251 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:18,720 Speaker 3: in nineteen ninety seven, which over time since then it's 252 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:23,320 Speaker 3: grown to one hundred billion dollars. So that's one of 253 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:25,560 Speaker 3: the big deals because if you were originally going to, 254 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:28,320 Speaker 3: you know, put that one billion dollars in and invest it, 255 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:31,160 Speaker 3: you would have to pay taxes on it. You couldn't 256 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:34,240 Speaker 3: just take it and throw it in the casino that 257 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:37,360 Speaker 3: is Wall Street, which they did really well. 258 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:38,520 Speaker 4: My goodness. 259 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:42,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean there's a positive feedback loop. The more 260 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:45,680 Speaker 1: money you have easier it is to generate an increasing 261 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:50,520 Speaker 1: amount of wealth. That's that's either a flaw or a 262 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:53,800 Speaker 1: feature of the system. No, you should also point out 263 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 1: it's right to be concerned about this guy, this whistleblower. 264 00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:02,240 Speaker 1: Whistle Blowers are historically treated very badly because they are 265 00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:08,440 Speaker 1: exposing the wrongdoing incredibly powerful forces. Uh, he's probably gonna 266 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:12,120 Speaker 1: get shunned by certain factions of the church, and he 267 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:16,280 Speaker 1: is probably gonna get criticized because I think putting that 268 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:19,200 Speaker 1: Washington Post article you had mentioned earlier, I think there's 269 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:23,160 Speaker 1: a potential reward for him. So his motives might be 270 00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:25,520 Speaker 1: in question two by church leadership. 271 00:16:25,560 --> 00:16:29,320 Speaker 3: Oh, there's definitely. Yeah, you get a whistleblow reward right 272 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:31,080 Speaker 3: when you go to the I, R, S or the 273 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:35,240 Speaker 3: DA or whatever any of the alphabet SOUP, FTC, all 274 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:39,560 Speaker 3: that stuff at s CBS. 275 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:41,600 Speaker 1: CNT, atf KK, whatever. 276 00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:46,160 Speaker 3: Okay, yes, shall. 277 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:49,080 Speaker 4: Your award is in heaven. Your reward is in heaven. 278 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:51,160 Speaker 4: Good sir, That's what I say. 279 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:53,400 Speaker 3: Sorry, guys, just say to continue here. The other thing 280 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:56,960 Speaker 3: that they were doing is using that money to do 281 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:01,240 Speaker 3: things like build them all on church property, like build 282 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:04,000 Speaker 3: a for profit mall on church property with. 283 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:10,040 Speaker 4: Nonprofit funds only selling religious pamphlets and accoutrement, right. 284 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:14,479 Speaker 3: No, probably not. But also like there's a lot here 285 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:17,280 Speaker 3: You're right, Ben about just that whistleblower. You may want 286 00:17:17,359 --> 00:17:21,480 Speaker 3: to take his motivations into a question there, which you 287 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:24,200 Speaker 3: probably should. You always should, as you said, But there 288 00:17:24,359 --> 00:17:26,800 Speaker 3: is lots of just kind of messed up stuff going 289 00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:30,159 Speaker 3: on there when it comes to are these church funds 290 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:33,280 Speaker 3: are they being used for what they are legally allowed 291 00:17:33,320 --> 00:17:36,000 Speaker 3: to be used for or not? Does it matter to 292 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:40,120 Speaker 3: you listening? Does that matter at all to you? Does 293 00:17:40,119 --> 00:17:43,040 Speaker 3: it matter to you that corporations do the same kinds 294 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:46,040 Speaker 3: of things sometimes maybe not exactly the same thing, but 295 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:49,240 Speaker 3: something similar and get away not having to pay taxes 296 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:50,240 Speaker 3: because of loopholes. 297 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:53,520 Speaker 4: I don't know. Well, at the end of the day, 298 00:17:53,560 --> 00:17:56,719 Speaker 4: I don't see how a religion, you know, writ large, 299 00:17:56,880 --> 00:17:59,800 Speaker 4: is much different than a corporation. You know, when they've 300 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:03,600 Speaker 4: got like branches of their churches, they've got like divisions, 301 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:08,800 Speaker 4: they have leadership that are highly paid and incentivized. You know, 302 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:12,199 Speaker 4: I really do think it's a great comparison, And I 303 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:15,800 Speaker 4: think whether you care or not is another issue. But 304 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:18,560 Speaker 4: I mean the question is do the Tithers care? 305 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:20,639 Speaker 3: There you go, I don't know. 306 00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:23,920 Speaker 4: That's that's what interests me. Do they feel that they've 307 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:26,840 Speaker 4: been betrayed or are they like no, whatever you think, 308 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:27,760 Speaker 4: use it for that. 309 00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:30,960 Speaker 1: The dynamics of social pressure are a hell of the drug. 310 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:32,480 Speaker 4: Yeah. 311 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:36,000 Speaker 3: And just to end here, guys, it's no surprise that 312 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:39,000 Speaker 3: the Mormon Church and the officials who speak for the 313 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:42,200 Speaker 3: Mormon Church have denied the claims that Nielsen is making. 314 00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:45,400 Speaker 3: They say, no, none of this is true. And according 315 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:48,160 Speaker 3: to the Guardian and many of the experts that they 316 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:53,200 Speaker 3: consulted quote, the likelihood of the IRS investigating Nielsen's claims 317 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:57,600 Speaker 3: is low, so nothing will probably come up this. But hey, 318 00:18:58,119 --> 00:19:02,040 Speaker 3: it's good to know church has one hundred billion dollars. 319 00:19:02,359 --> 00:19:07,440 Speaker 1: Why not a yeah? And also they do have great marketing. 320 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:11,120 Speaker 1: They sponsored Book of Mormon, which surprised me. But they're 321 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:12,399 Speaker 1: good at what they do. 322 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:13,440 Speaker 4: That's right. 323 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:15,040 Speaker 3: Well, you can't wait to hear what you think about 324 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:18,119 Speaker 3: this story. We'll be right back with more strange. 325 00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:29,199 Speaker 1: News and we have returned. This is the disclaimer I 326 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:36,120 Speaker 1: mentioned at the top. The following story contains graphic descriptions 327 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:42,480 Speaker 1: of violence, cult activity, and some disturbing crimes. As such, 328 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:45,520 Speaker 1: it may not be suitable for all audience members, long 329 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:48,800 Speaker 1: time conspiracy realists. You know, we try to We try 330 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:51,159 Speaker 1: to keep each story in a strange news or listener 331 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:54,600 Speaker 1: mail segment to about fifteen minutes, So go ahead and 332 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:59,440 Speaker 1: scroll there. If this is not for you, otherwise join 333 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:03,960 Speaker 1: us diving into a grizzly rabbit hole. Here we're continuing 334 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:10,480 Speaker 1: exploring the dirty deeds of organized religions or belief systems. 335 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:16,040 Speaker 1: This story takes place in Khlifi, Kenya. You may not 336 00:20:16,119 --> 00:20:21,320 Speaker 1: have heard of Good News International Ministries. You may not 337 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:27,200 Speaker 1: have heard of its other name, the Servant PM Mackenzie Ministries. 338 00:20:28,119 --> 00:20:31,359 Speaker 1: And if this ends up becoming, you know, one of 339 00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:36,920 Speaker 1: those exploitation true crime documentaries on a streaming service, you'll 340 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:41,200 Speaker 1: probably see it called the Shaka Hula cult Shaka Houla cults. 341 00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:45,720 Speaker 1: This has been brewing for quite some time. Like as 342 00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:50,080 Speaker 1: we know, you know, the African continent is absolutely huge, 343 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:54,199 Speaker 1: and like any huge land mass with lots of people, 344 00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:58,040 Speaker 1: there are going to be bad actors. They're going to 345 00:20:58,119 --> 00:21:03,040 Speaker 1: be opportunities for cults organizations. That's no different from anywhere 346 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:05,879 Speaker 1: else in the world. I swear if you give the 347 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:11,320 Speaker 1: people in Antarctica enough time trapped in in those research 348 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:14,919 Speaker 1: labs together, they will inevitably generate a belief system of 349 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:18,240 Speaker 1: their own. It's just how people people, and usually it 350 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:21,160 Speaker 1: doesn't go wrong, but in this case it went terribly wrong. 351 00:21:22,119 --> 00:21:27,200 Speaker 1: This was a relatively new organization. It was founded about 352 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:29,560 Speaker 1: twenty years ago, two thousand and three by a guy 353 00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:34,399 Speaker 1: named Paul McKenzie, and for most of the time it 354 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:39,040 Speaker 1: was just a small church. Before he had become a 355 00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:43,560 Speaker 1: religious figure and a spiritual leader. Paul was a taxi 356 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:49,119 Speaker 1: driver in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, and he was 357 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:55,280 Speaker 1: repeatedly This is weird. He was repeatedly charged by the authorities, 358 00:21:55,520 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 1: apparently due to sermons he was conducting. Four times this happened. 359 00:22:00,359 --> 00:22:03,679 Speaker 1: He was acquitted due to lack of evidence. So he 360 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:07,399 Speaker 1: went and started his own church, which happens all the 361 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:12,639 Speaker 1: time throughout human history, and he gathered a very large following. 362 00:22:13,359 --> 00:22:17,960 Speaker 1: He had convinced his followers that he was an intercessor, 363 00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:21,960 Speaker 1: by which we mean that like a Catholic priest, he 364 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:25,520 Speaker 1: could personally communicate with God. And so if you wanted 365 00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 1: a real line to the divine you joined up with Paul. 366 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:33,840 Speaker 1: Then you got Paul to talk to Heaven on your behalf. 367 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:36,639 Speaker 4: I've always found that to be a suspicious sort of 368 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,119 Speaker 4: claim in any religion, you know. But I guess that 369 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:42,800 Speaker 4: was the whole beef with Catholicism that led to the Reformation. 370 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:46,800 Speaker 4: Was that very thing, like requiring some sort of conduit 371 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:48,399 Speaker 4: between the individual and God. 372 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:52,240 Speaker 1: And I would argue it goes past religion typically, I 373 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:57,560 Speaker 1: mean siloing information from people or pretending to do so. 374 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:03,720 Speaker 1: It's pretty unethnic outside of some very specific circumstances where 375 00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:04,800 Speaker 1: you need to do that. 376 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:05,320 Speaker 4: Right. 377 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:09,240 Speaker 1: So this guy, We're not going to judge whether or 378 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:11,520 Speaker 1: not he could actually talk to God, but let's walk 379 00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:13,399 Speaker 1: through a little bit of the story, because it was 380 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 1: brewing while people kind of outside of Kenya weren't paying attention. 381 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:25,840 Speaker 1: In twenty sixteen, they like the group Good News International, 382 00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:32,760 Speaker 1: sold their property on the island of Lamoux to McKenzie 383 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:37,639 Speaker 1: and they gave him the money from the sale. He 384 00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:41,600 Speaker 1: used the money to buy more property in nearby cities. 385 00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:45,359 Speaker 1: He funded a TV station to broadcast his message. This 386 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:48,200 Speaker 1: might sound like a grift, but do check out our 387 00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:52,200 Speaker 1: Prosperity Theology and televangelism episodes. 388 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:55,160 Speaker 4: This move that. 389 00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:58,080 Speaker 1: Some followers did created kind of a sea change in 390 00:23:58,119 --> 00:24:02,600 Speaker 1: the organization and others. Dominoes fell, other people started selling 391 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:07,000 Speaker 1: their property, giving their money to the church. McKenzie got 392 00:24:07,119 --> 00:24:12,880 Speaker 1: charged with promoting radicalization in twenty seventeen, as well as 393 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:16,600 Speaker 1: concerns that he was denying that his mistreating children, not 394 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:21,320 Speaker 1: giving them access to a proper education, healthcare, etc. Running 395 00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:24,840 Speaker 1: an unaccredited school. This also happens a lot of times 396 00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:27,440 Speaker 1: in isolated belief systems. They want to get them young 397 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:29,800 Speaker 1: and keep them dumb, is the way I would put it, 398 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:34,920 Speaker 1: And maybe that sounds cynical, but that's the mo Anyhow, 399 00:24:35,359 --> 00:24:40,119 Speaker 1: he continues getting in trouble because children died as a 400 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:44,040 Speaker 1: result of this lack of access to healthcare. The government 401 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:48,000 Speaker 1: intervened in twenty seventeen and rescued almost one hundred children 402 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:52,800 Speaker 1: from the church, ninety three kids in fact. Then he 403 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:57,400 Speaker 1: was criticized for trying to inspire children to drop out 404 00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:03,320 Speaker 1: of school without parental consent. He was acquitted on some charges, 405 00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:09,280 Speaker 1: in one case the charge was dropped. He was increasingly 406 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:13,560 Speaker 1: budding heads with the law, which is another thing that 407 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:17,520 Speaker 1: cultic organizations tend to follow. It's a very similar pattern. 408 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:20,080 Speaker 1: Check out our YouTube episode on how to Start a 409 00:25:20,119 --> 00:25:22,439 Speaker 1: cult got to mention it every time, every time we 410 00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:23,000 Speaker 1: do this one. 411 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:26,320 Speaker 3: Well, one of the main reasons he was telling everybody 412 00:25:26,359 --> 00:25:29,200 Speaker 3: not to get educated, right, don't educate your kids, is 413 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:32,280 Speaker 3: because he believed that he was all controlled by some 414 00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:33,760 Speaker 3: kind of evil. 415 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:38,439 Speaker 1: Or satanic force, right, yeah, yeah, because just like fascism, 416 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:43,000 Speaker 1: a good cult needs an external enemy, right, and he 417 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:49,000 Speaker 1: had an increasingly isolationist kind of world view. What we 418 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:53,320 Speaker 1: saw is that this small church, everybody recalled that it 419 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:57,160 Speaker 1: was a quote normal church at the beginning. Do check 420 00:25:57,160 --> 00:26:01,560 Speaker 1: out an excellent New York Times article by Andrew Higgins 421 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:02,440 Speaker 1: that's on this. 422 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:04,879 Speaker 4: Ben. I'm sorry if I missed this, but when you 423 00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:07,560 Speaker 4: say normal church, you're talking about like just regular old, 424 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:08,879 Speaker 4: run of the mill Christianity. 425 00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:16,040 Speaker 1: Mm hmm, yeah, just your typical like Honda Civic of Protestantism. Right. 426 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:20,760 Speaker 1: And they actually they started this church in a home, 427 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:25,560 Speaker 1: in someone's private home. This would have been Ruth Kahindi. 428 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:30,280 Speaker 1: She had met Paul McKenzie at a Baptist church nearby 429 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:34,320 Speaker 1: and invited him to preach the word in her home. 430 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:37,919 Speaker 1: So maybe loose Baptist origins, you could say, but it 431 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:42,640 Speaker 1: evolves into something very different. Keeping control of the children, 432 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:45,760 Speaker 1: getting them away from the evils of the secular world, 433 00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:50,000 Speaker 1: also restricting access to kids. You know, you want to 434 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:53,520 Speaker 1: break the familial ties, which is one of the earliest 435 00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:56,560 Speaker 1: social dynamics and kind of replace the idea of the 436 00:26:56,600 --> 00:26:59,320 Speaker 1: family with the idea of yourself if you're the cult leader. 437 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:03,399 Speaker 1: And anyway, so something was coming, is what I'm saying, 438 00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:07,439 Speaker 1: you know what, like Korreesh style, there was something that 439 00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:10,080 Speaker 1: was going to culminate. And in the early weeks of 440 00:27:10,119 --> 00:27:15,480 Speaker 1: April this year, a guy contacted the police saying, hey, 441 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:20,000 Speaker 1: my daughter left Nairobi to join this commune and she 442 00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:24,640 Speaker 1: hasn't come back. And the police arrived to investigate. That's 443 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:29,280 Speaker 1: when they discovered absolutely terrible, terrible things. A lot of 444 00:27:29,320 --> 00:27:32,679 Speaker 1: people were dead in shallow graves, and a lot of 445 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:38,879 Speaker 1: people were on the brink of starvation because allegedly McKenzie 446 00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:42,720 Speaker 1: had been escalating, just like a Korreesha of Manson. Really, 447 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:47,240 Speaker 1: he had been escalating his demands and the extremity of 448 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:50,920 Speaker 1: his worldview, and he told his followers that they had 449 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:56,480 Speaker 1: to starve themselves in mass to meet Jesus. Two hundred 450 00:27:56,520 --> 00:28:00,720 Speaker 1: and one people died. He's got some now itx Joanes 451 00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:03,520 Speaker 1: New World Order stuff in there too. You know, the US, 452 00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:07,240 Speaker 1: the United Nations, the Catholic Church, tools of Satan. They 453 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:10,240 Speaker 1: are always preparing for the end time. But starving yourself 454 00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:11,920 Speaker 1: is not the way to be prepared. 455 00:28:12,359 --> 00:28:15,840 Speaker 4: No, it's the opposite. Ben you mentioned the whole siloing 456 00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:18,720 Speaker 4: of information about knowledge being or I think Matt you 457 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:23,320 Speaker 4: mentioned knowledge being controlled by some evil entities. Does that 458 00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:26,760 Speaker 4: come down to some sort of like strict constructionist view 459 00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:29,560 Speaker 4: of like the Book of Genesis, you know, where the 460 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:33,720 Speaker 4: tree of knowledge and the you know, the snake representing 461 00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:38,320 Speaker 4: the devil tempting Eve with the apple of knowledge and 462 00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:40,560 Speaker 4: all of that. I just, I mean, maybe I'm reaching there, 463 00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:42,720 Speaker 4: but it just it just seems like maybe like a 464 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:47,120 Speaker 4: super strict constructionist view of like that very thing, Like, no, 465 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:50,760 Speaker 4: you can't directly partake of this knowledge. It is only 466 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:51,960 Speaker 4: for me to divvy out. 467 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:56,000 Speaker 1: Honestly, I'm going to be extremely candid here this may 468 00:28:56,040 --> 00:29:02,560 Speaker 1: offend some people. Honestly, cult leaders pick and choose whatever, 469 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:05,600 Speaker 1: like they have their pre existing aims. Usually they want 470 00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:10,719 Speaker 1: exclusive sexual access to whatever kind of individual they're interested in. 471 00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:16,640 Speaker 1: They want to be the only source of attention, love, 472 00:29:17,120 --> 00:29:19,920 Speaker 1: emotive things, the only source of knowledge, and so on 473 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:25,320 Speaker 1: and the Bible or the religious scripture. Any tone that 474 00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 1: they use is only useful insofar as it supports those 475 00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:33,760 Speaker 1: pre existing aims. So they can take, like I like 476 00:29:33,760 --> 00:29:37,200 Speaker 1: your example, Genesis, they can what they have taken Genesis 477 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:40,240 Speaker 1: and done something like that. Why possibly. But if there's 478 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:43,200 Speaker 1: another verse that just helps them do whatever they want 479 00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:43,680 Speaker 1: to do, that. 480 00:29:43,680 --> 00:29:45,240 Speaker 4: Afternoon steers their narrative. 481 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:48,040 Speaker 1: They're just going to use that and pretend that that's 482 00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:52,680 Speaker 1: what happens. You can hear some absolutely disgusting stuff from 483 00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:57,520 Speaker 1: David Koresh's eight out eight plus hour long speeches where 484 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:02,400 Speaker 1: he is trying to rationalize the sexual abuse that he 485 00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:06,640 Speaker 1: is inflicting upon the community, including the children. This guy's 486 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:10,280 Speaker 1: no different. They're all variations on a theme, but they're 487 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:11,720 Speaker 1: the same genre of music. 488 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:13,320 Speaker 4: Yeah. Absolutely. 489 00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:15,520 Speaker 3: I think this has more to do with Revelation though 490 00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:18,800 Speaker 3: than any other book of the Bible, Like what are 491 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:21,760 Speaker 3: the prophecies of the end times and how they're coming about, 492 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:25,600 Speaker 3: and what are the signs within that scripture that match 493 00:30:25,680 --> 00:30:28,880 Speaker 3: up with things that are happening in the real world today, 494 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:30,640 Speaker 3: or at least seem to match up. 495 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:33,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, And there are a couple of other a couple 496 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:38,680 Speaker 1: of other religious organizations in this part of the world 497 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:41,959 Speaker 1: and thinking of things like the Church of Revelation and 498 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:46,880 Speaker 1: so on. End time, Protestant based churches and cults are 499 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:47,680 Speaker 1: very popular. 500 00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:49,000 Speaker 3: Ben, do you mind if we get back to that 501 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:55,160 Speaker 3: two hundred one bodies thing you're talking about. Well, well, 502 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:57,000 Speaker 3: first of all, I think that's just how many have 503 00:30:57,080 --> 00:30:58,240 Speaker 3: been recovered thus far. 504 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:02,760 Speaker 1: Right, it's still going on. They're quite likely more because 505 00:31:02,800 --> 00:31:07,000 Speaker 1: there's a litany of missing people, folks whose parents can't 506 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:09,480 Speaker 1: get in contact with them for one reason or another. 507 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:13,320 Speaker 1: So it gets it gets pretty rough. We also know 508 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:17,840 Speaker 1: that the police have recently claimed some of the bodies 509 00:31:17,880 --> 00:31:22,920 Speaker 1: they did recover were missing organs, and Kenyan authorities currently 510 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:27,880 Speaker 1: believe that these organs were being harvested and sold. You 511 00:31:27,960 --> 00:31:31,640 Speaker 1: can read a write up of this in the Citizen. 512 00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:36,960 Speaker 1: Just search online for Shakahola massacre. And it gets worse 513 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:42,320 Speaker 1: because people were spreading these rumors and they may be true, 514 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:46,360 Speaker 1: but now the Kenyan government is in full damage control mode. 515 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:50,480 Speaker 1: The Interior Cabinet secretary came out just a few days 516 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:55,040 Speaker 1: ago and said these claims of organ harvesting are not 517 00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:58,680 Speaker 1: true and they're still fighting it. But it seems like 518 00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:01,840 Speaker 1: the locals and people in the area absolutely do believe 519 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:06,240 Speaker 1: it's true. We should note, obviously, Paul McKenzie as the 520 00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:09,320 Speaker 1: cult leader, like all cult leaders are want to be, 521 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:12,920 Speaker 1: you know, spiritual dictators. He was very much a do 522 00:32:13,040 --> 00:32:15,640 Speaker 1: what I say, don't expect me to walk the walk 523 00:32:15,720 --> 00:32:19,640 Speaker 1: kind of dude. He did not starve himself. He has 524 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:25,560 Speaker 1: been arrested by authorities, so he's currently in jail for 525 00:32:25,720 --> 00:32:30,760 Speaker 1: inciting children to starve themselves to death. He's facing charges 526 00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:36,600 Speaker 1: of terrorism, murder, kidnapping, cruelty towards children. We don't know 527 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:42,280 Speaker 1: how this is all going to play out, but depending 528 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:45,200 Speaker 1: on how the courts choose to prosecute it, they could 529 00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:48,440 Speaker 1: prosecute this guy's a mass murderer. And the question is 530 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:51,560 Speaker 1: do you think they should Yes. 531 00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:56,040 Speaker 4: I also don't think Hollywood should make this into a 532 00:32:56,080 --> 00:32:58,200 Speaker 4: mini series, but I'm pretty sure they will. 533 00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:07,000 Speaker 1: And additionally, there was another leader, pastor Ezekiel o'dero, of 534 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:11,120 Speaker 1: a completely different organization, the New Life Church. He was 535 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:16,320 Speaker 1: arrested last week on suspicion of a mass killing of 536 00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:21,360 Speaker 1: his own followers. This is quite a disturbing This is 537 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:25,520 Speaker 1: quite a disturbing trend, and it's not I mean, New 538 00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:27,960 Speaker 1: York Times did do a piece on this, but these 539 00:33:28,040 --> 00:33:31,640 Speaker 1: kind of organizations are dangerous and there are many, many 540 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:34,880 Speaker 1: more out there than ever make the news. The number 541 00:33:34,920 --> 00:33:38,360 Speaker 1: would surprise and disturb most of us. So we're going 542 00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:41,560 Speaker 1: to wrap this up. I do think we have another 543 00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:45,320 Speaker 1: cults you never heard of episode on the way. In 544 00:33:45,320 --> 00:33:48,800 Speaker 1: the meantime, would love your helpful conspiracy realist. Let us 545 00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:51,520 Speaker 1: know some cults that you have personally encountered that you 546 00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:54,800 Speaker 1: haven't seen in the headlines, especially if you believe they 547 00:33:54,880 --> 00:33:58,000 Speaker 1: may be dangerous. Because we want to spread the word. 548 00:33:58,320 --> 00:33:59,760 Speaker 1: I will tell you how to get in touch with 549 00:33:59,840 --> 00:34:01,800 Speaker 1: us at the end of the show. It's all the classics. 550 00:34:01,840 --> 00:34:05,360 Speaker 1: Whatent eight three three, std, WYTK, and of course conspiracy 551 00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:08,040 Speaker 1: adiheartradio dot com. We're gonna pause for a word from 552 00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:10,799 Speaker 1: our sponsors and we'll return with one more piece of 553 00:34:10,880 --> 00:34:18,320 Speaker 1: strange news. 554 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:22,920 Speaker 4: And we're back with today's final piece of strange news. 555 00:34:22,960 --> 00:34:27,600 Speaker 4: And this one's a doozy. It's got all the all 556 00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:33,840 Speaker 4: the hits, conspiracy cover up, social media, megalomania run amuck. 557 00:34:35,560 --> 00:34:38,759 Speaker 4: Let's just jump right into it, skydive right into it. 558 00:34:39,840 --> 00:34:44,080 Speaker 4: The individual in question today, Trevor Jacob twenty nine years 559 00:34:44,160 --> 00:34:48,240 Speaker 4: old of Lumpoc, California, which I'd never heard of until 560 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:54,280 Speaker 4: looking into this story, has been brought up on charges 561 00:34:55,120 --> 00:35:01,520 Speaker 4: obstructing federal investigation pertaining to a YouTube video that he 562 00:35:01,600 --> 00:35:05,440 Speaker 4: made about a year ago. Trevor Jacobs Trevor Daniel Jacobs 563 00:35:06,480 --> 00:35:11,319 Speaker 4: was a professional was is whatever, a professional snowboarder. He 564 00:35:11,400 --> 00:35:15,280 Speaker 4: was actually in the Sochi Olympics and has since seemingly 565 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:19,840 Speaker 4: pivoted to sort of YouTube adventure type videos, like the 566 00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:22,120 Speaker 4: kind of like stuff you see on like I used 567 00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:26,000 Speaker 4: to see on Red Bull a lot, you know, like skydiving, paragliding, 568 00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:30,440 Speaker 4: flying planes, doing stunts, all that kind of stuff. And 569 00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:33,160 Speaker 4: you know, as we know, folks like that the Red 570 00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:37,440 Speaker 4: Bull case in point, like to get sponsorships and content 571 00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:41,040 Speaker 4: creators on YouTube. You know, they do not make their 572 00:35:41,080 --> 00:35:45,040 Speaker 4: money by YouTube monetization alone. Because I think the metric 573 00:35:45,160 --> 00:35:47,000 Speaker 4: there is I don't know if it's changed, but I 574 00:35:47,040 --> 00:35:49,360 Speaker 4: was always told it was something in the neighborhood of 575 00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:53,440 Speaker 4: a million views is a little less than one thousand dollars, 576 00:35:53,560 --> 00:35:55,560 Speaker 4: you know, the way it adds up. I think it's 577 00:35:55,600 --> 00:35:59,520 Speaker 4: maybe the whatever it's called, the CPM, I think is 578 00:35:59,560 --> 00:36:03,120 Speaker 4: something in the neighborhood of like five to six dollars, 579 00:36:03,200 --> 00:36:06,719 Speaker 4: so perly is like a thousand views that gives you 580 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:08,719 Speaker 4: about five bucks. So's yeah. 581 00:36:08,840 --> 00:36:12,319 Speaker 1: Unfortunately, from experience, we can confirm that I always found 582 00:36:12,360 --> 00:36:16,719 Speaker 1: the idea of YouTube millionaires to be a no disrespect, 583 00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:18,680 Speaker 1: it's it's a legit way to make a living. 584 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:19,200 Speaker 3: Uh. 585 00:36:19,440 --> 00:36:21,480 Speaker 1: You used to find it to be a bit laughable. 586 00:36:21,640 --> 00:36:24,320 Speaker 4: And you've got you've got your beauty pies and your 587 00:36:24,640 --> 00:36:27,400 Speaker 4: you know whoever that other guy ister beasts and all 588 00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:30,520 Speaker 4: of that, who had who get just gajillions of views 589 00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:34,279 Speaker 4: by doing these crazy stunts. So, of course, because it's 590 00:36:34,280 --> 00:36:36,760 Speaker 4: such a select few of the folks that actually command 591 00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:39,799 Speaker 4: that kind of money, uh from you know, not to 592 00:36:39,840 --> 00:36:42,680 Speaker 4: mention their sponsorships, but just from like YouTube views alone, 593 00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:46,240 Speaker 4: it's kind of created this pretty toxic culture of people 594 00:36:46,280 --> 00:36:48,920 Speaker 4: trying to mimic that, you know, to do everything they 595 00:36:48,960 --> 00:36:52,960 Speaker 4: can to reach that height of YouTube stardom. And that 596 00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:57,200 Speaker 4: is unfortunately the case with with mister Jacob here, Trevor Jacob. 597 00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:00,799 Speaker 4: He there's a there's is a really interesting story. This 598 00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:04,759 Speaker 4: took place over a year ago. But this investigation by 599 00:37:04,960 --> 00:37:10,600 Speaker 4: the FAA, or actually more specifically the Central District of California, 600 00:37:11,640 --> 00:37:15,400 Speaker 4: the United States Attorney's Office of the Central District California. 601 00:37:15,440 --> 00:37:17,880 Speaker 4: This investigation is just now kind of has come to 602 00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:20,720 Speaker 4: light in terms of like releasing the information to the public. 603 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:26,239 Speaker 4: He has pled guilty to the substruction charge. So let's 604 00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:27,640 Speaker 4: just kind of go through it from the star. Basically, 605 00:37:27,680 --> 00:37:32,359 Speaker 4: what happened is this guy bought a nineteen forties aircraft. 606 00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:35,600 Speaker 4: And it's really neat because if you watch the video 607 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:39,280 Speaker 4: of him doing this thing where he's flying this plane allegedly. 608 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:40,880 Speaker 4: I don't want to like totally for this guy on 609 00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:44,520 Speaker 4: the bus, but he claims that he's going to paraglide 610 00:37:44,600 --> 00:37:48,439 Speaker 4: on this particular cliff, this particular spot, and he has 611 00:37:48,680 --> 00:37:52,440 Speaker 4: the ashes of a fellow YouTube adventurer buddy of his 612 00:37:52,719 --> 00:37:55,320 Speaker 4: with him, and he says, Okay, I'm gonna take this plane, 613 00:37:55,440 --> 00:37:58,120 Speaker 4: go to the spot paraglide and my buddy's honor and 614 00:37:58,160 --> 00:38:04,960 Speaker 4: scatter his ashes conveniently covered by multiple angles mounted on 615 00:38:05,040 --> 00:38:08,200 Speaker 4: the plane, mounted on his person, mounted on what ultimately 616 00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:11,520 Speaker 4: ends up being his skydiving set up. He flies a plane. 617 00:38:12,239 --> 00:38:14,800 Speaker 4: Oh no, the engine is died, the engine has failed, 618 00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:19,040 Speaker 4: and then he proceeds to say, oh out loud, very conspicuously. 619 00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:21,040 Speaker 4: There's nowhere for me to land. I got to bail out. 620 00:38:21,320 --> 00:38:24,040 Speaker 4: So he jumps out of the plane, free falls for 621 00:38:24,080 --> 00:38:28,600 Speaker 4: an absurdly long time while holding a selfie stick no less, 622 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:31,800 Speaker 4: and then he kind of curves around in such a 623 00:38:31,840 --> 00:38:35,239 Speaker 4: way where he gets the footage of the plane crashing 624 00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:37,960 Speaker 4: and stuff like, it's all just too good. It's like 625 00:38:38,040 --> 00:38:42,360 Speaker 4: this cinematic you know, really is. Then once he lands, 626 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:46,200 Speaker 4: he stumbles through all this brush and he's like, ah raw, 627 00:38:46,480 --> 00:38:49,280 Speaker 4: he was making real hay of it. And he doesn't 628 00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:53,160 Speaker 4: go looking for like some sort of help or station, 629 00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:55,200 Speaker 4: of some sort of ranger station. I'm not you know, 630 00:38:55,239 --> 00:38:57,520 Speaker 4: I'm not sure exactly what you'd be looking for. This 631 00:38:57,600 --> 00:39:01,120 Speaker 4: is very much wilderness. He hikes back to the site 632 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:06,600 Speaker 4: of the crash, and he claims that he's doing it 633 00:39:06,640 --> 00:39:09,719 Speaker 4: once again conspicuously, kind of out loud, because he thought 634 00:39:09,760 --> 00:39:12,399 Speaker 4: he had some water in there. But all of these 635 00:39:12,440 --> 00:39:15,680 Speaker 4: intrepid YouTubers that have been dissecting this video for a 636 00:39:15,760 --> 00:39:18,560 Speaker 4: year's time, there's tons of him. They almost have more 637 00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:21,160 Speaker 4: hits even than his video. I think he's racked up 638 00:39:21,200 --> 00:39:24,120 Speaker 4: about of four million hits. But now it's really become 639 00:39:24,239 --> 00:39:27,319 Speaker 4: just this whole like dissecting like what is real, what 640 00:39:27,440 --> 00:39:29,560 Speaker 4: is theater kind of aspect of this, and these are 641 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:32,960 Speaker 4: all like varying degrees of professional aviators, you know that 642 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:36,760 Speaker 4: are saying, Ah, it's kind of weird that he opened 643 00:39:36,760 --> 00:39:39,560 Speaker 4: the door before he said how loud, that he was 644 00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:43,040 Speaker 4: having engine trouble. That's that's something that's cited in the 645 00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:47,440 Speaker 4: press release from the attorney's office. Huh, why does he 646 00:39:47,520 --> 00:39:51,000 Speaker 4: have a fire extinguisher stuffed into his pant leg? 647 00:39:52,080 --> 00:39:52,520 Speaker 3: Hmm? 648 00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:56,480 Speaker 4: Why is he carrying a glock that's strapped to his chest? 649 00:39:56,640 --> 00:39:58,360 Speaker 4: You know, so it is legal. 650 00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:03,920 Speaker 1: It is illegal to purposely crash a planet circumstances. 651 00:40:03,719 --> 00:40:09,560 Speaker 4: It's well, the felony here is the obstruction part. I 652 00:40:09,600 --> 00:40:12,279 Speaker 4: think I was one of the YouTube guys whose name 653 00:40:12,719 --> 00:40:15,560 Speaker 4: is escaping Me but really really really interesting went through 654 00:40:15,560 --> 00:40:17,720 Speaker 4: the video kind of like you know, frame by frame. 655 00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:21,279 Speaker 4: He pointed out that if a crash happens and the 656 00:40:21,280 --> 00:40:25,279 Speaker 4: plane is unmanned, it's in this weird gray area where 657 00:40:25,280 --> 00:40:28,759 Speaker 4: it's like it's is it an incident? Is it a crash? 658 00:40:29,080 --> 00:40:31,560 Speaker 4: Is it an accident? Like there's all these terms that 659 00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:34,280 Speaker 4: like aviation lawyers and like, you know, the proceedings around 660 00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:38,680 Speaker 4: these kinds of things use. He apparently didn't think he 661 00:40:38,760 --> 00:40:42,080 Speaker 4: had to even report it to the FAA. He was 662 00:40:42,160 --> 00:40:45,200 Speaker 4: informed by some colleagues or folks you know, at the 663 00:40:45,200 --> 00:40:47,839 Speaker 4: airport where he uses there in Lompoc where he took 664 00:40:47,840 --> 00:40:50,640 Speaker 4: off from that he definitely definitely did so. Two days 665 00:40:50,680 --> 00:40:54,279 Speaker 4: later he reported to the FAA and they launched an investigation. 666 00:40:54,880 --> 00:40:57,319 Speaker 4: All the while there's these folks he's put this video out. 667 00:40:57,440 --> 00:40:59,160 Speaker 4: It's like, by the way, this is all I mentioned. 668 00:40:59,160 --> 00:41:02,480 Speaker 4: The whole sponsorship thing. He this thing most sponsored by 669 00:41:02,520 --> 00:41:04,960 Speaker 4: like a company that makes this like kind of rugged 670 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:07,840 Speaker 4: wilderness wallet. And the very first thing he done was 671 00:41:07,880 --> 00:41:10,080 Speaker 4: before he takes off, is flash this wallet and do 672 00:41:10,160 --> 00:41:13,839 Speaker 4: his little plug you know for this wallet. Yeah, And 673 00:41:13,880 --> 00:41:16,800 Speaker 4: basically what it amounts to is in the press release, 674 00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:21,680 Speaker 4: they say that when they contacted him the FAA to 675 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:26,480 Speaker 4: you know, conduct, to get his cooperation to conduct the investigation, 676 00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:30,520 Speaker 4: he was asked where the coordinates of the flight the 677 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:33,799 Speaker 4: crash site were. He said he didn't know. He said 678 00:41:33,800 --> 00:41:35,880 Speaker 4: he couldn't find it, he didn't know where it was. 679 00:41:36,360 --> 00:41:38,600 Speaker 4: But then it was determined that he definitely knew where 680 00:41:38,600 --> 00:41:40,280 Speaker 4: it was. It's in the video he said he couldn't 681 00:41:40,280 --> 00:41:43,640 Speaker 4: find it again. I guess he went back there with 682 00:41:43,719 --> 00:41:48,160 Speaker 4: a helicopter that he hired and scooped up the wreckage 683 00:41:48,160 --> 00:41:52,839 Speaker 4: of the plane, took it back to the airport, dismantled it, 684 00:41:53,600 --> 00:41:57,759 Speaker 4: and then disposed of it in various dumpsters, you know, 685 00:41:58,080 --> 00:42:02,680 Speaker 4: around the airport. And like, I just don't understand why 686 00:42:02,719 --> 00:42:05,200 Speaker 4: he would have done that. Uh, it just you know, 687 00:42:05,239 --> 00:42:07,040 Speaker 4: he went back to the plane. It's in the video. 688 00:42:07,400 --> 00:42:10,680 Speaker 4: He obviously needed to recover the memory cards, you know, 689 00:42:10,760 --> 00:42:13,160 Speaker 4: from those cameras. And when you watch the footage, like 690 00:42:13,200 --> 00:42:16,239 Speaker 4: it's it's alternating between like multiple angles and then like 691 00:42:16,320 --> 00:42:18,680 Speaker 4: he but one of the big things that comes up 692 00:42:18,719 --> 00:42:21,640 Speaker 4: in the commentary around this from other pilots is like, 693 00:42:21,880 --> 00:42:23,680 Speaker 4: it makes no sense that he would have hiked back 694 00:42:23,719 --> 00:42:26,640 Speaker 4: to the plane. That makes no sense. It's just like, 695 00:42:26,680 --> 00:42:28,520 Speaker 4: that's not what you would have done, Ben, I see 696 00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:31,359 Speaker 4: you not because you're you're a go back guy. You're 697 00:42:31,440 --> 00:42:34,080 Speaker 4: like a prep kind of minded guy. You were a 698 00:42:34,080 --> 00:42:36,719 Speaker 4: boy scout. You wouldn't do that. That would be a 699 00:42:36,920 --> 00:42:38,080 Speaker 4: dangerous thing to do. 700 00:42:38,680 --> 00:42:43,600 Speaker 1: Well, Uh, it makes sense to go to the crash site. 701 00:42:43,600 --> 00:42:46,640 Speaker 1: If you're an unfamiliar territory, you want to be where 702 00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:50,680 Speaker 1: you can see our troubles are. No, you want to 703 00:42:51,080 --> 00:42:52,120 Speaker 1: not the Cheers theme song. 704 00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:52,680 Speaker 4: Uh. 705 00:42:52,719 --> 00:42:55,360 Speaker 1: If you are in a in an airplane crash and 706 00:42:55,400 --> 00:42:57,920 Speaker 1: you're lucky enough to survive, you you probably do want 707 00:42:57,960 --> 00:43:01,040 Speaker 1: to stick by the crash site if possible, because that's 708 00:43:01,040 --> 00:43:03,680 Speaker 1: where the authorities are most likely going to find you. 709 00:43:03,960 --> 00:43:07,439 Speaker 1: If it's something inhospitable, like crashing over open water, then 710 00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:08,960 Speaker 1: you're just going to have to try to get to 711 00:43:09,040 --> 00:43:12,560 Speaker 1: land because open water also is not the best unless 712 00:43:12,560 --> 00:43:15,560 Speaker 1: you have some kind of flotation device. I think what 713 00:43:15,680 --> 00:43:19,520 Speaker 1: sticks out here is that this guy didn't know what 714 00:43:19,560 --> 00:43:23,000 Speaker 1: he was doing. Clearly, he knew a little bit about 715 00:43:23,080 --> 00:43:27,320 Speaker 1: how this would get a lot of engagement a plane crash, 716 00:43:27,360 --> 00:43:29,719 Speaker 1: but it sounds like he didn't even know it was illegal, 717 00:43:29,880 --> 00:43:31,840 Speaker 1: and then when he did learn it was illegal, he 718 00:43:31,960 --> 00:43:35,600 Speaker 1: tried to cover it up, but just not too well. 719 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:36,239 Speaker 1: You know. 720 00:43:36,480 --> 00:43:39,160 Speaker 4: Yeah, that's a really good point, Ben. I think you 721 00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:41,200 Speaker 4: know some of the folks that found it suspicious that 722 00:43:41,239 --> 00:43:44,040 Speaker 4: he returned to the crash site. There's one YouTuber. Let 723 00:43:44,040 --> 00:43:45,319 Speaker 4: me see if I can find it, because it was 724 00:43:45,440 --> 00:43:49,960 Speaker 4: very very good. He actually used a lot of like 725 00:43:50,239 --> 00:43:53,520 Speaker 4: Google Earth. There's a thing called Google Earth Studio that 726 00:43:53,600 --> 00:43:57,560 Speaker 4: I was unaware of where you can like recreate certain conditions, 727 00:43:57,640 --> 00:43:59,640 Speaker 4: you know, with the sun and all that stuff, retrace 728 00:43:59,680 --> 00:44:03,400 Speaker 4: certain paths. And this guy, YouTuber Jeff Harris kind of 729 00:44:03,480 --> 00:44:06,919 Speaker 4: traced the path of his flight, you know, what time 730 00:44:06,920 --> 00:44:09,319 Speaker 4: he took off based on where the sun was, and 731 00:44:09,320 --> 00:44:13,319 Speaker 4: then the trajectory of his landing, and realized that there's 732 00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:15,400 Speaker 4: all this stuff that doesn't line up with the timing 733 00:44:15,400 --> 00:44:18,360 Speaker 4: that he claims. And he thinks that he went to 734 00:44:18,400 --> 00:44:22,400 Speaker 4: the site multiple times to stage the footage of him, like, oh, 735 00:44:22,440 --> 00:44:24,560 Speaker 4: I'm hiking to the site. Oh no, I mean the 736 00:44:24,760 --> 00:44:27,759 Speaker 4: brambles raw, And like he even points out that he 737 00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:31,279 Speaker 4: has a different growth of stubble in certain shots, you know, 738 00:44:31,640 --> 00:44:34,400 Speaker 4: Like he did this over the course of several visits. 739 00:44:35,320 --> 00:44:38,120 Speaker 4: There's even like one shot where they highlight somebody maybe 740 00:44:38,239 --> 00:44:42,640 Speaker 4: in the background. You know, like he did this with intent. 741 00:44:43,040 --> 00:44:45,440 Speaker 4: You know, like obviously whether he knew it was illegal 742 00:44:45,560 --> 00:44:48,319 Speaker 4: or not, you know, is debatable, but like he the 743 00:44:48,400 --> 00:44:50,479 Speaker 4: only reason he would have hiked back to the crash. 744 00:44:50,760 --> 00:44:53,120 Speaker 4: Your point is absolutely validant. And he makes it real 745 00:44:53,120 --> 00:44:54,680 Speaker 4: clear out loud, Oh I had to get the water. 746 00:44:54,800 --> 00:44:58,120 Speaker 4: There was water in here. But like he even changed 747 00:44:58,120 --> 00:45:01,880 Speaker 4: his trajectory of his pair shoot landing in such a 748 00:45:01,880 --> 00:45:04,040 Speaker 4: way that he could get the best footage, like of 749 00:45:04,440 --> 00:45:07,000 Speaker 4: the air, of the overhead of the plane. And at 750 00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:09,480 Speaker 4: one point he's using a selfie stick with a go 751 00:45:09,600 --> 00:45:12,239 Speaker 4: pro camera. On the other hand, he's got his iPhone. 752 00:45:12,680 --> 00:45:14,640 Speaker 4: I mean, it's just like, this guy's in it for 753 00:45:14,680 --> 00:45:16,879 Speaker 4: the footage, and it's very clear all of these other 754 00:45:17,239 --> 00:45:20,880 Speaker 4: YouTubers are pointing all this stuff out, so it's just wild. 755 00:45:21,239 --> 00:45:26,160 Speaker 4: For four million views, roughly four thousand dollars, this guy's 756 00:45:26,200 --> 00:45:27,960 Speaker 4: facing twenty years in federal prison. 757 00:45:28,239 --> 00:45:31,160 Speaker 1: He'll probably only have to serve a percentage of that. 758 00:45:32,680 --> 00:45:35,000 Speaker 4: I think the fact that he copped a plea, or 759 00:45:35,280 --> 00:45:38,200 Speaker 4: that he entered a plea of guilty was probably with that. 760 00:45:38,320 --> 00:45:42,760 Speaker 4: There was some you know, understanding of leniency to some degree. 761 00:45:43,000 --> 00:45:45,560 Speaker 4: But I don't think he was expecting any of this 762 00:45:46,600 --> 00:45:49,360 Speaker 4: at all. To your point, been you know his his 763 00:45:50,120 --> 00:45:53,279 Speaker 4: did he didn't he know or whatever? That's I think 764 00:45:53,320 --> 00:45:56,319 Speaker 4: clear that there was he had a very foggy understanding 765 00:45:56,360 --> 00:45:58,279 Speaker 4: of how this was going to be perceived. Maybe he 766 00:45:58,320 --> 00:46:00,560 Speaker 4: did understand that the aviation's community was going to eat 767 00:46:00,600 --> 00:46:02,480 Speaker 4: him alive, and that just by the virtue of the 768 00:46:02,520 --> 00:46:04,520 Speaker 4: fact that it was going to generate a lot of 769 00:46:04,560 --> 00:46:07,880 Speaker 4: like reposts and like, you know, analysis videos that was 770 00:46:07,920 --> 00:46:11,080 Speaker 4: going to serve his cause and maybe up his views, 771 00:46:11,080 --> 00:46:13,680 Speaker 4: which you know it did to a degree. But four million, 772 00:46:13,760 --> 00:46:17,040 Speaker 4: that's that's not that's not enough to put yourself in 773 00:46:17,120 --> 00:46:17,839 Speaker 4: this kind of risk. 774 00:46:18,640 --> 00:46:20,840 Speaker 3: So well, how much did he pay for the plane? 775 00:46:21,160 --> 00:46:23,400 Speaker 4: Well, that's not clear either, but it was a vintage, 776 00:46:23,520 --> 00:46:27,040 Speaker 4: you know, a nineteen forties plane. He bought it just 777 00:46:27,080 --> 00:46:29,239 Speaker 4: a couple of months before he did the stunt, and 778 00:46:29,280 --> 00:46:34,440 Speaker 4: it's like a classic plane, taylor Craft. I'm not sure 779 00:46:34,480 --> 00:46:36,880 Speaker 4: if it's taylor Craft or if it's just a tailor 780 00:46:37,040 --> 00:46:39,000 Speaker 4: and they call it a craft. That's what people often 781 00:46:39,160 --> 00:46:41,600 Speaker 4: in the aviation community refer to airplanes ass because that's 782 00:46:41,600 --> 00:46:44,080 Speaker 4: what they are. But they're you know, one of the 783 00:46:44,120 --> 00:46:47,160 Speaker 4: guys that did some really great analysis on this has 784 00:46:47,840 --> 00:46:51,200 Speaker 4: a YouTube channel called like flight plan or something like that, 785 00:46:51,239 --> 00:46:55,000 Speaker 4: Gush Darted. I'm really screwing up here forgetting this guy's channel, 786 00:46:55,000 --> 00:46:58,440 Speaker 4: But he interviewed the original owner of the plane, and 787 00:46:58,440 --> 00:47:01,000 Speaker 4: that guy was like this, this is a bummer. You know, 788 00:47:01,040 --> 00:47:02,920 Speaker 4: this is not what you do with a plane like 789 00:47:02,960 --> 00:47:04,880 Speaker 4: this this is like a piece of history. And it 790 00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:10,279 Speaker 4: also apparently wasn't particularly skyworthy, like it really should not 791 00:47:10,400 --> 00:47:13,719 Speaker 4: have been flown. It was being sold for parts. And 792 00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:18,040 Speaker 4: there's also a part where another YouTube channel kind of 793 00:47:18,080 --> 00:47:21,840 Speaker 4: dissection of this, points out that when the propeller stops, 794 00:47:21,600 --> 00:47:24,879 Speaker 4: there's a phenomenon in these types of planes called windmilling, 795 00:47:25,239 --> 00:47:28,600 Speaker 4: where like the propeller will continue to spin just because 796 00:47:28,640 --> 00:47:31,440 Speaker 4: of the trajectory of it through the air, and it's like, 797 00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:33,080 Speaker 4: you know, it's these are the kinds of planes that 798 00:47:33,160 --> 00:47:35,920 Speaker 4: you have to like hand start, I think to some degree, 799 00:47:36,000 --> 00:47:38,520 Speaker 4: you know, the nineteen forties planes, So it would continue 800 00:47:38,560 --> 00:47:42,440 Speaker 4: to spin unless you got you slowed yourself down, like 801 00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:45,719 Speaker 4: intentionally to a point where you were at like what 802 00:47:45,760 --> 00:47:49,960 Speaker 4: they call stall speed. And you can see him pumping 803 00:47:50,040 --> 00:47:52,080 Speaker 4: the yoke, which is like you push and pull on 804 00:47:52,120 --> 00:47:54,200 Speaker 4: these planes on like what looks like a steering wheel. 805 00:47:54,400 --> 00:47:56,360 Speaker 4: It's like a much older school kind of it's not 806 00:47:56,400 --> 00:47:59,319 Speaker 4: a stick like on more modern small aircraft. So you 807 00:47:59,360 --> 00:48:02,680 Speaker 4: see him pushing and pulling this thing from a distance, 808 00:48:02,719 --> 00:48:05,160 Speaker 4: you know, because it's the outside shot, and the guy's like, 809 00:48:05,160 --> 00:48:07,880 Speaker 4: why is he doing that? Oh, I think he's trying 810 00:48:07,920 --> 00:48:10,200 Speaker 4: to slow it down and get it to stallspy for 811 00:48:10,280 --> 00:48:14,600 Speaker 4: the dramatic effect of seeing the propeller slow to fully stopping, 812 00:48:15,000 --> 00:48:17,920 Speaker 4: because that would not happen if you just were like genuinely, 813 00:48:18,200 --> 00:48:22,640 Speaker 4: oh the engines died, it would keep spinning. But visually, 814 00:48:23,200 --> 00:48:25,960 Speaker 4: for drama, you need it to be like do do 815 00:48:26,120 --> 00:48:30,600 Speaker 4: do do do Dooche douche, And that's what he was doing. Also, 816 00:48:30,760 --> 00:48:35,600 Speaker 4: he conspicuously had one of the fuel lines disconnected from 817 00:48:35,600 --> 00:48:38,600 Speaker 4: one of the sides, and I think or some folks, 818 00:48:38,640 --> 00:48:41,080 Speaker 4: you know, experts in this think that he was he 819 00:48:41,400 --> 00:48:43,960 Speaker 4: had he was burning off every last bit of fuel 820 00:48:44,120 --> 00:48:47,880 Speaker 4: in there to keep it from exploding when it hit. Wow, 821 00:48:48,800 --> 00:48:49,800 Speaker 4: I this. 822 00:48:49,760 --> 00:48:53,040 Speaker 1: Is uh, this is a good timing because this reminds 823 00:48:53,080 --> 00:48:56,920 Speaker 1: me of an episode that we recently recorded on Frederick Valentych, 824 00:48:57,520 --> 00:49:01,319 Speaker 1: who was a pilot who does not seem to have 825 00:49:01,360 --> 00:49:04,560 Speaker 1: purposely wrecked his plane, but it's absolutely in the cards. 826 00:49:04,719 --> 00:49:09,600 Speaker 1: And it inspired me, based on our conversation, inspired me 827 00:49:09,760 --> 00:49:12,960 Speaker 1: to actually pull the trigger. You guys, I'm going to 828 00:49:13,040 --> 00:49:14,760 Speaker 1: start working toward a pilot license. 829 00:49:14,920 --> 00:49:16,960 Speaker 4: What Yeah, because we don't want. 830 00:49:16,840 --> 00:49:18,759 Speaker 1: To be in a situation where we need to fly 831 00:49:18,880 --> 00:49:22,400 Speaker 1: but we can't. You know, situations you get, you know, 832 00:49:22,880 --> 00:49:25,840 Speaker 1: I have become strange, we get in situations. Louis got like, 833 00:49:26,800 --> 00:49:29,959 Speaker 1: it's it's weird though, because I'm bringing this up since 834 00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:32,799 Speaker 1: we've got a lot of people in the aviation community 835 00:49:32,920 --> 00:49:38,000 Speaker 1: who are regular listeners, fellow conspiracy realists, I'm interested in 836 00:49:38,400 --> 00:49:41,000 Speaker 1: how much of a splash this is made in the 837 00:49:42,160 --> 00:49:46,080 Speaker 1: aviator community, or it has something like this happened before. 838 00:49:46,239 --> 00:49:50,920 Speaker 1: Has someone previously purposely wrecked a plane for clout? It 839 00:49:51,040 --> 00:49:53,320 Speaker 1: just seems like a very weird grift. 840 00:49:53,600 --> 00:49:55,400 Speaker 4: Yeah, we got a couple of names now. Trent Palmer 841 00:49:55,560 --> 00:49:57,960 Speaker 4: is another one of the YouTubers, the aviation community kind 842 00:49:57,960 --> 00:50:01,399 Speaker 4: of YouTubers, and his whole point was that this guy 843 00:50:01,440 --> 00:50:03,160 Speaker 4: has screwed it up for the rest of us, you know, 844 00:50:03,200 --> 00:50:05,640 Speaker 4: because he pointed out that in the United States we 845 00:50:05,760 --> 00:50:10,120 Speaker 4: have some of the most let's just say welcoming aviation 846 00:50:10,480 --> 00:50:13,480 Speaker 4: rules in terms of like people that can fly their 847 00:50:13,480 --> 00:50:16,960 Speaker 4: own private planes for for fun, you know, for sport, 848 00:50:17,960 --> 00:50:22,080 Speaker 4: and that he used the expression aviation FAA regulations are 849 00:50:22,120 --> 00:50:24,920 Speaker 4: many of them are written in blood, meaning that like 850 00:50:25,400 --> 00:50:29,040 Speaker 4: it takes someone dying or being seriously injured to like 851 00:50:29,200 --> 00:50:33,800 Speaker 4: alter these or create new ones. And in the era 852 00:50:34,080 --> 00:50:37,200 Speaker 4: of the social media clout and all of this kind 853 00:50:37,239 --> 00:50:40,960 Speaker 4: of like a striving to be this social media star. 854 00:50:41,320 --> 00:50:44,640 Speaker 4: This guy clearly was, you know, pushing for it could 855 00:50:44,680 --> 00:50:47,759 Speaker 4: bring to light things that could cause the FAA to 856 00:50:48,360 --> 00:50:53,120 Speaker 4: clamp down and make it more difficult for regular rule 857 00:50:53,160 --> 00:50:57,080 Speaker 4: following pilots to not be able to do things that 858 00:50:57,120 --> 00:51:00,160 Speaker 4: they have typically enjoyed being able to do. So that 859 00:51:00,640 --> 00:51:02,120 Speaker 4: was a big part of it. Not to mention, we 860 00:51:02,160 --> 00:51:04,880 Speaker 4: haven't eve talked about it. I mean, like he crashes 861 00:51:04,920 --> 00:51:09,399 Speaker 4: an unmanned plane into a national park for all ten 862 00:51:09,520 --> 00:51:11,680 Speaker 4: tents and purposes. I don't think that's necessarily how it 863 00:51:11,719 --> 00:51:14,240 Speaker 4: was categorized. But everyone that I was reading and listening 864 00:51:14,280 --> 00:51:16,680 Speaker 4: to and reading the comments on their life, people are there, 865 00:51:16,920 --> 00:51:20,960 Speaker 4: people camp down there, people like hike down there. He 866 00:51:21,000 --> 00:51:24,400 Speaker 4: could have killed somebody for what you know, four million 867 00:51:24,440 --> 00:51:28,200 Speaker 4: you two views and a wallet endorsement. I'm sure it's 868 00:51:28,239 --> 00:51:30,279 Speaker 4: not going to come close to even putting a dent 869 00:51:30,320 --> 00:51:33,040 Speaker 4: in his legal fees. And now he's facing prison time. 870 00:51:33,120 --> 00:51:35,600 Speaker 4: So that's that's all I got. This guy's kind of 871 00:51:35,600 --> 00:51:38,040 Speaker 4: an aphole, That's what it comes down to. 872 00:51:38,360 --> 00:51:41,840 Speaker 1: You know, Well, it's the main character syndrome so common 873 00:51:42,120 --> 00:51:45,920 Speaker 1: in social media these days. You know, like I've been 874 00:51:45,960 --> 00:51:49,840 Speaker 1: following TikTok cringe videos on Reddit and stuff like this. 875 00:51:49,960 --> 00:51:54,520 Speaker 1: But folks, we know you are not purposely wrecking a 876 00:51:54,600 --> 00:51:57,200 Speaker 1: plane for fun. If you're purposely wrecking a plane, I 877 00:51:57,200 --> 00:51:59,600 Speaker 1: think it's fair to say we assume you have a 878 00:51:59,719 --> 00:52:02,680 Speaker 1: very reason and you have to. But Noel, thank you 879 00:52:02,719 --> 00:52:06,319 Speaker 1: for this amazing story. Matt, thank you for bringing us 880 00:52:06,560 --> 00:52:12,560 Speaker 1: the disturbing peep behind the curtain of the finances there 881 00:52:12,800 --> 00:52:17,120 Speaker 1: in the Church of Latter day Saints. And hopefully you 882 00:52:17,200 --> 00:52:21,680 Speaker 1: can help us find more little known cults in the 883 00:52:21,680 --> 00:52:23,840 Speaker 1: world in your neck of the global woods, something we 884 00:52:23,840 --> 00:52:27,640 Speaker 1: could put a spotlight on before it leads to fatalities. 885 00:52:28,360 --> 00:52:30,279 Speaker 1: We can't wait to hear from you. We try to 886 00:52:30,320 --> 00:52:32,200 Speaker 1: be easy to find online. 887 00:52:32,360 --> 00:52:34,600 Speaker 4: That's right. You can find us at the handle conspiracy 888 00:52:34,640 --> 00:52:39,399 Speaker 4: Stuff on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, Conspiracy Stuff show on 889 00:52:39,440 --> 00:52:42,799 Speaker 4: Instagram and TikTok. But we're not as cringing, we don't. 890 00:52:42,840 --> 00:52:45,480 Speaker 4: We try, well, maybe a little, a healthy amount of cringe, 891 00:52:45,560 --> 00:52:46,280 Speaker 4: just enough cringe. 892 00:52:46,440 --> 00:52:50,279 Speaker 3: Oh no, we're totally your grandfather on TikTok. Come on, 893 00:52:50,360 --> 00:52:53,239 Speaker 3: this is how it is. It's fine, that's just who 894 00:52:53,239 --> 00:52:56,719 Speaker 3: we are. That's what we are. We're fun though. If 895 00:52:56,760 --> 00:52:58,879 Speaker 3: you don't like social media, why not give us a call. 896 00:52:58,960 --> 00:53:03,440 Speaker 3: Our number is one eight three std WYTK. When you 897 00:53:03,480 --> 00:53:06,319 Speaker 3: call in, give yourself a cool nickname, not your government name. 898 00:53:06,680 --> 00:53:08,960 Speaker 3: You've got three minutes. Say whatever you'd like. Just at 899 00:53:08,960 --> 00:53:10,799 Speaker 3: some point let us know if we can use your 900 00:53:10,880 --> 00:53:13,399 Speaker 3: voice and message on the air. If you don't want 901 00:53:13,400 --> 00:53:15,120 Speaker 3: it to be on there, just say. If you don't 902 00:53:15,120 --> 00:53:17,120 Speaker 3: want to do that, why not send us a good 903 00:53:17,160 --> 00:53:18,040 Speaker 3: old fashioned email. 904 00:53:18,200 --> 00:53:39,440 Speaker 1: We are conspiracy at iHeartRadio dot com. 905 00:53:39,640 --> 00:53:41,680 Speaker 3: Stuff they don't want you to know. Is a production 906 00:53:41,800 --> 00:53:46,319 Speaker 3: of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 907 00:53:46,400 --> 00:53:49,640 Speaker 3: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.