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Rick Ross is a self-professed cult expert and was a deprogrammer-for-hire. Now he does exit counseling. His opponents charge that his credentials are dubious and point to his criminal record as evidence against his integrity. In 1995, Ross and two others were found guilty of conspiracy to violate the civil right to freedom of religion of Jason Scott, a member of the Life Tabernacle Church, affiliated with the United Pentecostal Church International; Ross was ordered to pay more than $3 million in damages.

His indictment was last in a series of court verdicts against deprogrammers. Cult Awareness Network, the largest U.S. anti-cult organization, went bankrupt as a result. Shrtly before the bankrupcy CAN accepted a professional conduct code, which forbade kidnappings, usage of illegal drugs and rapes by the deprogrammers and introduced a new term "exit counselling". Exit counsellors, however failed to observe the code, which led to indictments.

Currently Rick Ross distances himself from deprogramming, calling himself "cult expert" and "intervention specialist". He maintains his own website with anti-cult materials, by means of which he advertizes his own services.

External links

• Rick Ross' Website
• ReligiousTolerance.org Website critical of Rick Ross

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