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Rick Ross (born November 1952) is a controversial former deprogrammer who launched and maintains what is now one of the largest databases accessible through the Internet regarding cults, controversial groups and new religious movements, and related research about mind control. Ross describes himself today as a "cult intervention specialist" rather than a deprogrammer, and has been interviewed and quoted by the media as a cult expert in the United States and around the world. He has been called as an expert witness on several occasions and has created a standard of ethics for intervention work. He was closely involved with the original Cult Awareness Network (CAN) until its bankruptcy and takeover resulting from legal action against both CAN and Ross.

After deprogramming hundreds of Americans and some Canadians, Ross made news in 1995 when a jury ordered him to pay over two million dollars for the unlawful imprisonement of Jason Scott, during an deprogramming attempt, which resulted in the bankrupting of both Ross and CAN. Ross claims to have "deprogrammed" two Branch Davidians, contributed to a series on the group in the local newpspaper and was consulted by the BATF before the ill fated raid on the group's compound. He was also interviewed by the FBI during the Waco standoff at his own request. Ross is criticized for his lack of academic credentials, for a criminal record that predates his cult interest, and for his former deprogramming activities. Critics, particularly those within new religious movements, characterize Ross and others as an anti-cultist.

Ross, like much of the anti-cult community after the controversy and court cases against his deprogramming business, no longer advocates involuntary interventions for adults, preferring instead what he refers to as voluntary "exit counseling".

Britain's FHM magazine named Rick Ross "America's number one cult buster." The New York Daily News referred to Ross as "Self-styled cult buster"

Rick Ross was born in November of 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio. As a child his family moved to Arizona. His formal education extended through high school, which he completed in 1971. He was arrested for two non-violent crimes committed in 1974 and 1975. On April 2, 1976, Ross was found guilty of conspiracy, 2nd degree, to commit grand theft, a felony, and was sentenced to four years probation and a fine of $1,100. Maricopa County, Arizona Superior Court vacated judgment and restored Ross' civil rights in 1983.

Ross's involvement with cults started in 1982, when a messianic group infiltrated the Jewish nursing home in Arizona where his grandmother was a resident. Working with the director of the facility and the local Jewish community, Ross managed to stop their involvement. That incident led to further involvement with the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, and an appointment by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) to a national committee focused on cults and interreligious affairs. Ross also represented the Jewish community on the Religious Advisory Committee to the Arizona Department of Corrections and was later elected its chairman. He also served as the chairman of the International Coalition of Jewish Prisoners Programs sponsored by B'nai Brith in Washington D.C. Ross' work within the prison system included inmate religious rights and educational efforts regarding hate groups.

Jason Scott case

In 1990, Ross and associates abducted Jason Scott, then an 18-year-old member of the Life Tabernacle Church, affiliated with the United Pentecostal Church International. Scott's mother, Katherine Tonkin, had been a member of the church, but had left due to concerns about the means the church used to keep members in line, their focus on material donations to the church, and a relationship between an elder church member and one of her two minor sons, Jason's younger brothers. After leaving the church herself, and on the suggestion of the Cult Awareness Network (CAN), whom she called, she asked Ross to assist her in the deprogramming of her two minor sons. After speaking with Ross, the two minors chose to leave the church.

Tonkin then made an attempt, again with the help of Ross, to provide a similar intervention for Jason. This attempt was unsuccessful, and criminal charges were brought against Ross and two others for unlawful imprisonment of Jason during the deprogramming, charges that were filed, dropped, and then re-filed two years later. The trial ended in acquittal for Ross in 1994, but a civil suit was filed in 1995, with long-time counsel for the Church of Scientology Kendrick Moxon representing Jason Scott. The jury in that second trial held Ross liable for conspiracy to deprive Scott of his civil rights of freedom of religion. The suit ended in Ross and the Cult Awareness Network being ordered to pay large judgments:

The jury awarded Jason Scott $875,000 in compensatory damages and punitive damages in the amount of $1,000,000 against CAN, $2,500,000 against deprogrammer Rick Ross, and $250,000 each against Ross’ two accomplices.

The large punitive damages awarded were described in the judgement as follows:

“A large award of punitive damages is also necessary under the recidivism and mitigation aspects of the factors cited in Haslip. Specifically, the Court notes that Mr. Ross himself testified that he had acted similarly in the past and would continue to conduct ‘deprogrammings' in the future.”

The suit pushed Ross into bankruptcy, from which he later emerged, and along with over 50 similar suits (most of them brought by Moxon) pushed CAN into bankruptcy, where its name, its logo and its files were considered assets, assets then purchased by the Church of Scientology.

In December 1996, Scott reconciled with his mother and settled with Ross for $5,000, and for 200 hours of Ross's services "as an expert consultant and intervention specialist". Moxon was fired the next day and Scott then retained long-time Church of Scientology opponent Graham Berry as his lawyer instead. Moxon, who had argued in the case that Ross and associates had hindered a competent adult's freedom to make his own religious decisions, immediately filed court papers seeking to appoint a guardian for Scott, whom he called "incapacitated", and rescind the settlement. That effort failed.

Branch Davidians

Ross claims to have deprogrammed two Branch Davidians prior to the raid at Waco, Texas. He was a major source for a series on the group in the local newpspaper. Prior to the raid the BATF consulted him. During the subsequent standoff he approached the FBI and requested that he be interviewed, which he was.

The Report to the Deputy Attorney General on the Events at Waco, Texas (February 28 to April 19, 1993) states that:

The FBI interviewed Ross only at Ross' request, and politely declined his unsolicited offers of assistance throughout the standoff. The FBI treated the information Ross supplied as it would any other unsolicited information received from the public: it evaluated the credibility of the information and treated it accordingly.

Nancy Ammerman contradicted the FBI's denial that they did not consult Ross and instead insisted they relied on him too much. In her official report to the Justice Department Ammerman wrote:

In late March, Ross recommended that agents attempt to humiliate Koresh, hoping to drive a wedge between him and his followers. While Ross's suggestions may not have been followed to the letter, FBI agents apparently believed that their attempts to embarrass Koresh (talking about his inconsistencies, lack of education, failures as a prophet, and the like) would produce the kind of internal dissension Ross predicted. Because Ross had been successful in using such tactics on isolated and beleaguered members during deprogramming, he must have assumed that they would work en masse. Any student of group psychology could have dispelled that misapprehension. But the FBI was evidently listening more closely to these deprogramming-related strategies than to the counsel of scholars who might have explained the dynamics of a group under siege.

Ammerman claims that the FBI interview transcripts on the Waco tragedy include the note that " has a personal hatred for all religious cults" and would aid law enforcement in an attempt to "destroy a cult". Ross denies having talked about destroying a cult.

Carol Moore, author of "The Massacre Of The Branch Davidians A Study Of Government Violations Of Rights, Excessive Force And Cover Up" 1994 , writes:

Ross told the Houston Chronicle that Koresh is "your stock cult leader. They're all the same. Meet one and you've met them all. They're deeply disturbed, have a borderline personality and lack any type of conscience. . .No one willingly enters into a relationship like this. So you're talking about deception and manipulation (by the leader), people being coached in ever so slight increments, pulled in deeper and deeper without knowing where it's going or seeing the total picture."

Kimberly Post wrote in 1997:

Relying heavily on reports from a few former members of the Branch Davidians, Marc Breault (a former member and angry apostate) and Rick Ross (a deprogrammer and anti-cultist), Aguilera's affidavit delved into topics not under the jurisdiction of the BATF or part of the initial investigation into firearms violations, such as allegations of child abuse. His affidavit and the assumptions put forth by Breault and Ross decisively influenced the investigation and opinion of Koresh and his followers by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Attorney General Janet Reno, and President Clinton.

Ross recounted his role regarding the Waco Davidian standoff in a letter to Attorney General Janet Reno and responded to critics such as Ammerman in a statement published by the Washington Post.

Criticism

Critics assert that hubris and personal financial reward are Ross' primary motive for his anti-cult activities. The criticism originates from those associated with new religious movements, controversial groups or organizations that have been called "cults" such as the Church of Scientology, and scholars studying new religious movements.

Scientology

The Church of Scientology, perhaps Ross' most severe critic, maintains a 17-page critique about him supplemented by a 196-page document at "Religious Freedom Watch".

The same website acusses Ross of "garnering media attention to create fear and suspicion in the family members of individuals in minority religious groups. He then exploits this fear to get them to pay him thousands of dollars in fees to coerce people out of their chosen religious affiliationDehumanized individuals who were coerced, lied to, brainwashed and degraded by Ross into renouncing their religious beliefs" .

Shuppe and Darnell

In a paper by Anson D. Shuppe and Susan Darnell, a critique of self-professed cult experts is leveled at Ross. They write that " It is sociologically understandable that deprogrammers came to acquire “spoiled identities” as vigilantes and mercenaries rather than as bonafide counselors or therapists. Their coercive tactics outraged new religious movements (NRMs) and civil libertarian sympathizers and caused many deprogrammers to face legal and criminal complications when (as often happened) their “interventions” did not work. Operatives’ quest to institutionalize themselves as legitimate professionals acting within the law began not long after CAN was founded."

Shuppe and Darnell also assert that Ross engages in anti-Christian rethoric, referring to a letter to Priscilla Coates, a CAN activist, dated July 30, 1987, in which Ross complained about not getting deprogramming referrals from CAN and that "some parents are so cheap they prefer to let their kids 'bang the bible' than pay." In another letter from Ross to Coates, dated April 28, 1988, Ross describes his strategy to manipulate the media to promote his business as a deprogrammer. He told Coates about his idea to get on television as someone that “had deprogrammed fundamentalist Christians” in order to “stimulate some deprogramming cases in California.”

Moshe Omer

In August 2001, Nevada Kabbalah Centre official Moshe Omer attacked Ross when the latter was invited by a local synagogue to speak on religious cults. "Rick Ross is a convicted felon who a history of psychiatric problems," Omer complained to the Las Vegas Sun.

Kabbalah Centre founder Philip Berg describes Ross as "disreputable."

Others

Other critics note that he has had conflicts with other anti-cult figures such as Steven Hassan and Anton Hein .

Catherine Wessinger, Professor of the history of religions and women's studies at the Loyola University in New Orleans, characterizes Ross as a "spurious self-styled expert" in her paper The Branch Davidians and the Waco Media, 1993-2003.

Current activities

Ross' resume lists lectures at Rutgers University, Penn University of Pennsylvania, Dickinson College, Baylor University, the University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon University and Arizona State University. He has been a paid consultant for the television networks CBS, CBC and Nippon of Japan and retained as a technical consultant by Miramax/Disney for the Jane Campion film Holy Smoke. He has been qualified and accepted as an expert witness in eight states and has been deposed and/or submitted affidavits as an expert in an additional five states.

In 1996, Ross started an Internet-accessed database which is widely cited by the anti-cult movement as a resource for information about controversial groups and movements, some of which have been called "cults." The website's FAQ takes care to clarify that not all new religious movements are cults (nor all cults religious), nor all cults necessarily unsafe and/or destructive. Ross moved to New Jersey in 2001 and two years later he founded the ""Rick A. Ross Institute for the Study of Destructive Cults and Controversial Groups"" a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization located in New Jersey. Its stated mission is "public education and research," largely done through Ross's website, although it only declared less than $25,000 income in 2004, as reported by Philantropic Research's GuideStar .

On the FAQ of his website, Ross states that the average intervention costs about $5,000.00, excluding payment for testimonies of former members ($500 per day), travel expenses, or if additional research is needed.

External links

• Rick A. Ross Institute for the Study of Destructive Cults, Controversial Groups and Movements (Website)
• Curriculum Vitae of Rick Ross (from "Cult Education and Recovery", a website sponsored by the Rick A. Ross Institute)
• Rick Ross' response to his critics and various allegations
• "Busting on the 'cult buster'" Article in the "Lowdown" gossip column of the New York Daily News about the Kabbalah Center in Los Angeles and Rick Ross.

Waco controversy

• New Dawn magazine, issue 6: "Cult Awareness Network Brainwashers urged attack on Waco"
• Questions for Congress About "Waco" BATF AND FBI Crimes Against the Branch Davidians, by the Commitee for Waco Justice
• Branch Davidians Religious Movements website, University of Virginia

Critical websites

• ReligiousTolerance.org Website critical of Rick Ross
• Rick Ross and the "Ross Institue" A critique of Ross' background and activities, by ReligiousFreedomWatch.com, a Scientology website
• "Rick Ross Exposed", Guardian of the Truth or Garner of Attention? Anonymous website critical of Ross

References

1. Shupe, Anson and Darnel, Susan E. - (2003) The Attempted Transformation of a Deviant Occupation into a Therapy: Deprogramming Seeks a New Identity. A paper presented at the 2003 annual meeting of the SSSR/RRA, Norfolk, VA, October 2003. Available online
2. US Department of Justice, Report to the Deputy Attorney General on the Events at Waco, Texas: Part IV, The Role of Experts During the Standoff, February 28 to April 19, 1993. Available online
3. Moore, Carol, (1994). Branch Davidians: A study of Government, Violations of Rights and Cover Up,in consultation with Alan Forschler, Ian Goddard, James A. Long, Richard J. Sanford, Timothy Seims and Andrew William. Available online.
4. Suppe, Anson & Darnell, Susan (2001) Sampler of Deprogramming Cases
5. Brown, John II, (2005).Jehovah's Witnesses and the Anti-cult Movement: A Human Rights Perspective, CESNUR 2005 International Conference, June 2-5, 2005 – Palermo, Sicily. Available online
6. Hamerman, Warren A.J. Cult Awareness brainwashers, Executive Intelligence Review V20, #12
7. Palmer, Susan J. Apostates and their Role in the Construction of Grievance Claims against the Northeast Kingdom/Messianic Communities Avalilable online
8. Cleveland Jewish News, KABBALAH CENTRE hawks 'snake oil for the soul, July 29, 2004. Available online
9. Wessinger, Catherine Phd., The Branch Davidians and the Waco Media, 1993-2003, a paper presented at the CESNUR 2004 international conference, Baylor University, Waco (Texas), June 18-20, 2004. Available online

• 1952 births
• Cults
• Deprogrammers