[continued from previous message]

avoid any problems in the future....

6. Insist me next manuscript be seen by a lot of people to make
sure it's OK this time....

9. If don't get book out on spring list 93 will want to wait
until 94! ...

11. In marketing the sequel, he doesn't want any move "waves"
like we did last time, e.g. several pushes on certain dates. He
wants to "go for the gusto" all at once when the book comes
out. [All sentences in context]"54

While "work for hire" arrangements are perfectly legal55 -- and
surprisingly
common in the Christian publishing industry56 -- the ethical
implications of the
practice are profound. It appears that, in their private dealings, these self-appointed mavens of "mainstream morality" can't even abide by the
ethical
standards established by that supposed object lesson in moral decay known as Hollywood.
That Larson continues to make liberal use of Ministry-paid staffers
for his
personal gain is evidenced by a second memo to Bonnie -- this time,
written and
initialed by BLM secretary Becky Prien:

"Bob's been pulling me as soon as the show is over until I go
home to do book edits. Therefore, I can't get to the front
desk from 4:30 to 6:00. Lisa, Chris and Tammy have been taking
my shifts, but today no one could stay late. Angelo, however,
finally found Debbi to stay for me."57

It almost seems as if everyone at BLM works on "Bob's" books -- except Bob! Ministry funds are used to pay for direct-mail campaigns, Ministry air
time is
used to run slick promotional spots, and Ministry studios have been used to create those ads. And even though the Ministry squanders so much of its "limited" resources in order to turn his literary fantasies into lucrative reality, Bob has the audacity to charge an author's royalty for the books it "gives" to contributors.58


For Whom the Bell Tolls...:
Unlike his celebrated counterpart, Jim Bakker, Bob Larson knows that his actions over the last few years are without question immoral -- if not
patently
illegal. Several callers have asked him on the air about the
controversy, but
their voices were quickly squelched by his panic button'. When the
Evangelical
Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) raised questions of their own, Larson indignantly withdrew his membership application.59 And all the
while,
his hand-picked board of directors sat in blissful acquiescence.
Larson has gone to extraordinary lengths to evade such outside
scrutiny. When
leaving BLM, key employees are required to sign confidentiality agreements' which, in essence, are intended to deter them from revealing evidence of wrongdoing.60 Nor is he subject to peer review: The organization which provided him his ordination credentials -- Dave Ford's Evangelistic
Messengers,
of Cleveland, TN -- was not even aware of his divorce from ex-wife
Kathy, some
two years after the fact.61 And, as this excerpt from an August, 1992 memo, initialed by BLM vice president Angelo Diasparra suggests, the Ministry's financial information is regarded as a state secret':

"All other written requests for financial information
regarding the ministry or Bob personally will be referred to
Angelo for disposition.... If a phone request is for anything
other than the Stewardship Report, the caller is told to put
the request in writing, giving reasons, and send it to the
attention of the Chief Financial Officer."62

By sharp contrast, legitimate ministries (e.g., James Dobson's Focus
on the
Family) give out copies of their financial statements to anyone who
asks.63 And
even the LDS Church starts out its' annual televised meeting with a presentation
of the audit report. But Larson acts like a man who has something to hide.
Tax fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, embezzlement -- these are matters
best left
to the proper authorities. But stewardship begins at home.

______________________________________________________________________

ENDNOTES:

Secrets of Freemasonry Revealed:
1 Kelly Hafey, "Evil Addiction (radio script)," 1 Jul. 1992, p. 1.
2 Mary Kilgannon, "Bob Backers (radio script)," 20 Oct. 1992, p. 1.
3 E.g., see Mary Kilgannon, "Teens Tormenting Teens (radio script),"
31 Aug. 1992, pp. 2-3.
4 Mary Kilgannon, Memorandum (to Bob Larson), 28 Aug. 1992, pp. 1-3.
5 Linda [Felde?] per Margo [Hamilton], Memorandum (to Bob Larson), 27
Jul. 1992, p. 1.
6 Michael Roberts, "The Evil That Men Do," Westword, May 27-Jun 2,
1992, p. 18 (I confirmed this report with "Marjorie" -- who has known
the Larsons socially for some time, and has been a valuable source of
background information).
7 Lori Boespflug, Interview, 17 Jun. 1992.
8 Margo Hamilton, Memorandum (to Bob Larson), 10 Jul. 1992, p. 1.

The Prophet Motive:
9 Bob Larson, Fund Raising Analysis (attachment to a memorandum to
Bonnie Bell), 26 Jun. 1992, pp. 1-2.
10 Jay Grelen and Doug LeBlanc, "This is Me, This is Real," World,
Vol. 7, No. 32, 23 Jan. 1993, p. 8.
11 Karolyn Merriman, Letter (to Bob Larson), 11 May 1992, p. 1.
12 Anonymous, Letter, Colorado Christian News, April 1993, p. 8 (CCN
editor Joann Bruso advised me in an April telephone conversation that
she spoke to the author of that letter, and believes the story to be
genuine).
13 Margo Hamilton, Memorandum (to Bob Larson), 20 Oct. 1992, p. 2.
14 Margo Hamilton, Memorandum (to Bob Larson), 26 Nov. 1991, pp. 1-2.
15 Lori Boespflug, Interview, 17 Jun. 1992 (corroborated by memoranda
from former Larson staffer Alan Hergert re: technical aspects of
studio set-up
-- obtained from an independent source -- and verified by
a technical glitch in the Sept. 29, 1993 broadcast of Talk-Back).

I Love Myself...
16 Bob Larson, "Talk-Back With Bob Larson," Radio broadcast, 29 Jan.
1993.
17 Kathy Hendricks, Memorandum (to Bob Larson/Bonnie Bell), 10 Nov.
1992.
18 Kathy Hendricks, Memorandum (to Bob Larson/Bonnie Bell), 14 Oct.
1992.
19 Unidentified, Memorandum, 9 Nov. 1992.
20 Lori Boespflug, Telephone interview, Jun. 1992 (author made call to
Phonecian Resort to determine 1993-94 high-season room rate).
21 Computerized personal telephone directory, Undated.
22 "In Search of Satan," Television broadcast, Home Box Office, 1993.
23 Author's personal observation (see, Bob Larson, "Talk-Back With Bob
Larson," Radio broadcast, 19 Oct. 1992, for an oblique confirmation
of the encounter).
24 Timothy Morgan, "Bob on the Block," Christianity Today, 17 May
1993, p. 74.
25 Lori Boespflug, Interview, 17 Jun. 1992 (Mesplay is listed in the
Denver telephone directory as a psychotherapist; he likewise appears
on Larson's computerized rolodex).
26 Ibid., ibid. (key BLM managers were encouraged to receive treatment
from Mesplay; Boespflug attended six sessions before refusing to
continue).
27 Anonymous, Letter (to Edward Atsinger, President of Salem
Communications),
1991. (The authenticity of the letter was confirmed by former Salem
employee,
attorney, and Christian talk-show host John Stewart.)

Jailhouse Rock?:
28 Bob Larson, Appeal Letter, 4 Jan. 1991, p. 2.
29 Bob Larson, Appeal Letter, 4 Feb. 1991, p. 2.
30 Bob Larson Ministries, 1990 Form 990, pp. 1-2 (copy on file).
31 Bob Larson Ministries, 1990 Stewardship Report, inside of folder.
32 Interview, Name withheld by request, 1993 (corroborated by the
Ministry's 1990 federal form 990).
33 Bob Larson, Appeal Letter, 2 Dec. 1991, p. 2.
34 Bob Larson, Appeal Letter, 19 Feb. 1992, p. 2.
35 Bob Larson Ministries, Independent Auditors' Report, 18 Feb. 1992,
cover letter.
36 18 U.S.C. 1341 (1988).
37 The scope of =1341 is nicely summarized in a 1965 case involving an
employment agency scam perpetrated in Denver:

"The crime of mail fraud is broad in its scope, and may
ordinarily be shown by proof of the intentional devising of a
scheme to defraud and that the mail was used in furtherance of
it. The scheme is one to defraud if it is reasonably
calculated to deceive persons of ordinary prudence and
comprehension. Direct proof of willful intent is not necessary.
Not only are the patently false statements prohibited, but also
those made with a reckless indifference as to whether they are
true or false. Similarly, the deceitful concealment of material
facts may also constitute actual fraud. Moreover, the
deception need not be premised upon the verbalized words alone.
The arrangement of the words, or the circumstances in which
they are used may convey the false and deceptive appearance
[citations omitted]."

Gusow v. United States, 347 F.2d 755 (10th Cir. 1965), cert. den 382
US 906 (parallel citations omitted).
38 Larson (Fund Raising Analysis), supra note 9, p. 2.
39 Michael Harvey, Letter (to Bob Larson Ministries), 12 Dec. 1991
(copy on file).
40 Michael Harvey, Telephone interview, 8 Sept. 1993.

Making of a Best-Selling Author:
41 Muriel Olson, Memorandum (to Bob Larson), 2 Feb. 1989, pp. 1-2.
42 Memorandum (to Bob Larson(?)), 1 Mar. 1989, p. 2(?) (the document
itself is unattributed, but it is in substance supported by two other
memos -- and one has Larson's handwriting on it).
43 Bonita ("Bonnie") Bell, Memorandum (to Bob Larson), 20 Aug. 1992,
p. 2.
44 Bob Larson, "Underground (title ascertained from other sources),"
(unpublished manuscript; copy on file), Undated, Chapter One, p. 1.
45 Ibid (the source has requested confidentiality).
46 Lori Boespflug, Interview, 17 Jun. 1992.
47 Affidavit of Muriel S. Olson at 6, Olson v. Larson, No. 92 CV 2058
(Jefferson County (Colo.) Dist. Ct., Dec. 18, 1992).
48 Pam Koczman, Memorandum (to Bob Larson), 18 Aug. 1992 (copy on file
includes Larson's handwriting, and FYI to Bonnie Bell).
49 Bob Larson, Letter (to Muriel Olson), 20 Jun. 1990.
50 Plaintiff's Brief in Response to Defendants' Motion to Dismiss or
in the Alternative Motion for Summary Judgment at 6, Olson v. Larson.
51 Defendants' Reply Brief at 3, Id.
52 Order at 10, Id.
53 Francisco J. Flores, Jr. (Dist. Dir. of the U. S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission), Determination Letter, Charge No. 3209211626,
31 Dec. 1992, p. 1.
54 Bob Larson, Memorandum (to Bonnie Bell), 7 July 1992 (year deter
mined in context).
55 17 U.S.C. =201(b) (1988).
56 See, e.g., Edward Plowman, "Haunted Houses" World, Vol. 8, No. 3,
10 Apr. 1993, pp. 10-14.
57 Becky Prien, Memorandum (to Bonnie Bell), 20 Jul. 1992 (copy on
file).
58 Bob Larson, Interview, 17 Oct. 1992 (see also, e.g., BLM's 1990
Form 990 (related party transactions are to be disclosed therein) and
Note 6 to BLM's 1991 audited financial statements ("During 1991, the
Ministry purchased books and materials totaling $67,982 from an
officer of the
Ministry. The officer's cost in the books and materials
sold was $45,215"). Conclusion: another $22,000 falls into Larson's
pocket.

For Whom the Bell Tolls:
59 See, Pat Mahoney, Fax (to Ken Smith), 22 Sept. 1993; Gary Massaro,
"Ministry Quits Audit Group over Finances," Rocky Mountain News, 24
Sept. 1993, p. 12A, col. 5, and a similar article by Joyce Mucci in
the Kansas City Christian (cite unavailable at this time).
60 Larson tried to enforce just such an
agreement' in Bob Larson Ministries v. Boespflug, No. 93 CV 442 (Jefferson County (Colo.) Dist. Ct., filed 8 Mar. 1993).
61 David Ford, Telephone interview, 27 Sept. 1993. According to Ford,
the Association requires prospective ministers to engage in course
work prior to ordination. But twenty years ago, theirs was strictly
an apprenticeship program.
The Association's disciplinary procedures are ad hoc; evidence of a
minister's malfeasance is brought to their attention on an informal
basis.
62 Angelo Diasparra, Memorandum (to staff), 14 Aug. 1992.
63 Teresa Aggen (Focus on the Family), Telephone interview, 27 Sept.
1993.



Tags: bob larson, ken smith, mcexorcist
Posted on Jul. 4th, 2012 at 04:57 pm

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