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Rick Alan Ross
Born (1952-11-24) November 24, 1952 (age 72)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation(s)Founder & Executive Director,
Rick A. Ross Institute
WebsiteCult News
The Rick A. Ross Institute

Rick Alan Ross (born 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States named Ricky Alan Ross) is a consultant, lecturer and "intervention specialist," with an interest in exit counseling or deprogramming people from cults.

He runs the CultNews.com blog and founded The Ross Institute of New Jersey in 2003, which maintains a database of information about controversial groups including press articles, court documents, and essays.

He has been accepted in various courts as an expert witness, interviewed and quoted by the media in the United States and other countries in relation to his expert knowledge in cults/cultic methodologies.

Ross has been criticized by some of the groups he lists on his website, by some of the scholars who study new religious movements (NRMs), and by other individuals in relation to the roles he played in the controversial "deprogramming" case of Jason Scott and the ill-fated FBI standoff with the Branch Davidians. Ross' common response is to label such critics as "cult apologists."

Biography

Early life

Rick Ross, named Ricky Alan Ross, was adopted by Paul and Ethel Ross in 1953 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Ross family moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1956, where Rick Ross grew up and attended school. Ross' formal education extended through high school, which he completed in 1971.

Rick Ross was convicted of a felony at age 22. He was involved in a jewelry embezzlement scheme at a retail store in Arizona, pleaded guilty and was put on probation, which resulted in the deprivation of some civil rights. Ross admitted his mistake: "I had been in trouble as a young man, and I turned my life around...I never again in my life made another mistake like that." In 1983 the Maricopa County Superior Court vacated both judgments of guilt in the absence of any opposition, dismissed the charges and restored Ross' civil rights.

Early career

Ross states that he became concerned about controversial religious groups in 1982, when a group that specifically evangelizes Jews "infiltrated" the paid staff of a Jewish nursing home in Arizona where his grandmother was a resident. Working with the director of the facility and the local Jewish community, he managed to stop their activities. According to The Arizona Republic, Ross joined a local committee that charged Jews for Jesus and other evangelical groups with being "anti-Semitic in that they seek the extinction of the Jewish people by conversion." Ross subsequently went on to work with the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, and was appointed to two national committees by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC), one which focused on cults and another concerned with interreligious affairs.

During the 1980s Ross also represented the Jewish community on the Religious Advisory Committee of 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. Ross was also a member of the professional staff of Jewish Family and Children's Service (JFCS) and the Bureau of Jewish Education (BJE) in Phoenix, Arizona.

Full-time private consultant and lecturer

Ross has lectured at University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago and University of Arizona and has testified as an expert witness in thirteen states. According to his publicly posted CV, 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!

In 1986 Ross left JFCS and the BJE to become a full-time private consultant and lecturer. In the following years he was involved in involuntary deprogramming cases, at the request of the families of cult members.

Ross no longer advocates coercive deprogramming or involuntary interventions for adults (he claims to have conducted dozens of such interventions), preferring instead voluntary "exit counseling" without the use of force or restraint. He states that the reasons for abandoning such practices are related to the exorbitant legal fees needed in defending this practice against legal challenges paid for by controversial groups, such as the Unification Church and Scientology. Ross claims these challenges exist because groups called "cults" recognize the effectiveness of deprogramming. He states that although the process has been refined over the years, exit counseling and deprogramming are based on the same principles.

Ross wrote an 11-page paper in 1995 titled The Missionary Threat addressing Jewish concerns about fundamentalist Christian groups that evangelize to Jews specifically in missionary efforts:

Jews around the world are now faced by the greatest missionary threat in history. "Born-again" crusades for converts are now stronger, with more money and power, than ever before. The targets are you, your children, and your parents. Colleges, high schools, nursing homes, centers for the disabled, hospitals, and even prisons are being infiltrated. Missionaries are exploiting the vulnerabilities of the young in transition, the old and lonely, the sick who are helpless, and people in crisis.

In 1996, Ross started a website which serves as a public database about cults in general, including controversial groups and movements.

Rick A. Ross Institute

Ross moved to New Jersey in 2001 and two years later founded the Rick A. Ross Institute for the Study of Destructive Cults and Controversial Groups and Movements, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) public charity located in New Jersey, USA. Its stated mission is "public education and research," largely accomplished through its website, which also advertises Ross's own professional services as an exit counselor and expert witness, complete with his fees. In IRS EZ-990 form of 2002, the Institute's income is given as below $25,000, which means it is not required to file an annual return with the IRS.

The Advisory Board of the RRI include Ford Greene, a California attorney specialized in cult related litigation, Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman, co-authors of the books Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change and Holy Terror: The Fundamentalist War on America's Freedoms in Religion, Politics and Our Private Lives.; Psychologist Margaret Singer was also a board member of the Institute until her death.

Cases

The Jason Scott case

Main article: Jason Scott case

In January 1991, Ross attempted an involuntary deprogramming of Jason Scott, an 18-year-old member of a United Pentecostal Church in Bellevue, Washington. Ross was hired by Scott's mother who was given his name by a local Cult Awareness Network (CAN) hotline. Ross, with the help of three associates, abducted Scott. According to court testimony, Scott was gagged, and then held in a seaside cottage where he was restrained and told he would only be released if he gave up his religious beliefs. After five days of unsuccessful "deprogramming", Scott escaped and called the police, who arrested Ross.

In 1993, Ross and two associates were criminally charged with unlawful imprisonment; the jury acquitted Ross because "prosecutors had not proved Ross participated in restraining Scott." The prosecutor expressed surprise at the verdict. Ross' associates pled guilty to coercion and were sentenced to 30 days in jail.

A civil suit against Ross, his associates and CAN was filed on behalf of Scott by Scientologist Kendrick Moxon, to determine whether Scott's civil rights had been violated. The jury held the defendants liable for negligence, conspiracy to deprive Scott of his rights, and the tort of outrage. Scott was awarded $875,000 in compensatory damages, with additional punitive damages of $2,500,000 against Ross, $1,000,000 against CAN, and $250,000 each against Ross' associates.

The judgment drove CAN and Ross into bankruptcy. In 1996, Scott reconciled with his mother, fired Moxon as his lawyer, and settled with Ross for $5,000, and 200 hours of Ross' services.

Branch Davidians

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The involvement of Ross before and during the standoff between Branch Davidians and Federal Law Enforcement agencies, at Waco, Texas has caused some controversy.

Ross deprogrammed Branch Davidian David Block in 1992, prior to the raid. That Davidian was later interviewed by the BATF, which also interviewed Ross. Ross says he deprogrammed another Davidian during the standoff, but this was not reported. He was also one source quoted in the Waco Tribune-Herald's series titled "Sinful Messiah" for which they interviewed over 100 people.

According to the FBI Ross approached them during the standoff and requested that he be interviewed, which he was. The Report to the Deputy Attorney General on the Events at Waco, Texas (28 February to 19 April 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.

Ross denies that this information is correct and states that he was contacted by FBI agent Bobby L. Siller on 4 March 1993 and later by several others whom he also names.

Nancy Ammerman insisted the FBI relied too much on Ross, a view which is not shared by the other three experts reporting to the Justice department. 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 that Ross predicted. Because Ross had been successful in using such tactics on isolated and beleaguered members during deprogramming sessions, 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.

In his account to the Department of Justice, Ross gives very different examples of advice which he gave to the FBI agents.

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 emphatically denies this.

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.

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, in which she criticized the fact that Ross was often cited by the local media.

Landmark Education

For details see Landmark Education - Legal disputes - Rick Ross Institute

In June 2004, Landmark Education filed a US$1 million lawsuit against the Rick A. Ross Institute, claiming that the Institute's online archives damaged Landmark's product. In December 2005, Landmark filed to dismiss its own lawsuit with prejudice, supposedly on the grounds that a material change in caselaw regarding statements made on the Internet occurred in January 2005.

NXIVM vs. Rick Ross Institute

NXIVM (pronounced NEX-ee-um), which offers human potential seminars, alleged that Rick Ross of New Jersey published critical commentary authored by a psychologist and psychiatrist regarding its program after obtaining information through alleged copyright infringement. Dr. John Hochman was one of the individuals who evaluated the research.

In September 2004, a federal district judge in Albany, New York denied NXIVM's request for an injunction to remove the information from the Ross Institute Web site. Subsequently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York City rejected NXIVM's appeal of that decision, saying critical analysis of a confidential 265-page NXIVM manual by two mental health professionals on Ross' site represented criticism, and therefore "fair use" under copyright law. In December of 2004 The United States Supreme Court denied without elaboration an appeal to review the NXIVM case.

The newspaper article that came to play a role in Ross' fuller understanding of NXIVM's alleged espionage attempts against him was reported by Chet Hardin and published in Albany's altweekly, Metroland. Stress in the Family

Criticism

This article's "criticism" or "controversy" section may compromise the article's neutrality. Please help rewrite or integrate negative information to other sections through discussion on the talk page.

Ross is often criticized for his lack of formal training and for his early criminal record by those associated with new religious movements, controversial groups or organizations which he studies, such as the Church of Scientology and the Kabbalah Centre, and has been the target of lawsuits from some of the groups he has criticized. Ross responds by stating that he does not challenge the beliefs of the groups discussed, only their behaviour patterns. Ross was quoted in the Jersey City Reporter as stating: "When these groups hurt people ... that's when I'm concerned about the group." Ross receives legal services pro bono from the law firm Lowenstein Sandler.

Hecklers interrupt Ross' speeches and lectures, reminding him that he is a convicted felon; critics also send copies of his 33-year-old arrest reports to news organizations. However, Ross states that though this is annoying, it helps him remember just how far he has come. He states that during the month he spent in jail awaiting sentencing, "A rabbi convinced him to get himself in shape, reaffirm his Jewish faith and, most of all, give his grandmother something to be proud of."

Referring to criticism by the Kabbalah Centre's Moshe Omer, Ross stated: "It's the same old, same old. It's just the same recasting of a Scientology attack that I've heard many times." Although the Church of Scientology denies colluding with the Kabbalah Centre to spread negative information about Ross to the press, it did state that it was "glad that the information is getting around."

Scientology

The Church of Scientology maintains a 17-page critique about him supplemented by a 196-page document at "Religious Freedom Watch" consisting of court transcripts, jury verdict forms, news articles, psychiatric records, the bankruptcy filing petition and other documents.

This has been described by Ross as an ad hominem attack typically used to avoid any meaningful rebuttal of the arguments, press reports, official documents or other information contained on his website. Ross adds that the Scientology bulletin often "misrepresents, distorts and/or ignores the facts and actual context of my personal history and work."

Jeffrey K. Hadden

Professor Jeffrey K. Hadden at the University of Virginia wrote that:

Rick Ross is a highly visible entrepreneur who has carved out quite a niche for himself as a self-proclaimed expert and counselor to families desperate to retrieve family members from new religions. His past has been called into question by the Church of Scientology which has uncovered evidence of alleged mental instability and an attempted robbery conviction.

Shupe and Darnell

Anson D. Shupe was an expert witness for the plaintiff in the Jason Scott case. He testified against Ross and the Cult Awareness Network. In a book cowritten with Susan Darnell he described Ross's website as an "entrepreneurial 'lone ranger' attempt to solicit customers", necessitated by the demise of CAN as a primary, centralized source of referrals for deprogrammers.

Articles and Publications

Television appearance

Ross appeared in an episode of Penn & Teller's Bullshit! that dealt with Life Coaches. He characterized life coaching as a New Age concept and questioned the motives and training of people purporting to be Life Coaches, contrasting their qualifications and methods with those of licensed mental health professionals.

See also

References

  1. Curriculum Vitae of Rick Ross." Accessed 26 February 2008 at http://www.cultinformation.org.uk/articles.html
  2. Cult News website
  3. "Information Database". www.rickross.com.
  4. Dick Anthony. "Brainwashing Allegations and the Elizabeth Smart Abduction". CESNUR.
  5. John B. Brown II. "Jehovah's Witnesses and the Anti-cult Movement: A Human Rights Perspective"". CESNUR.
  6. J. Gordon Melton. "Melton's Critique of Brainwashing". CESNUR.
  7. "Cult Apologists?" by Rick Ross
  8. ^ Willis, Stacy J. Arrival of cult specialist in Las Vegas stirs debate, Las Vegas Sun, 24 August 2001
  9. Maricopa County, Superior Court ruling
  10. Taking Aim: Efforts to convert Jews draw fire from interdenominational group, The Arizona Republic, 1982, By Richard Lessner
  11. Cleveland Jewish News, 29 July 2004. KABBALAH CENTRE hawks 'snake oil for the soul
  12. Challenging Cults, Cultivating Family, The Greater Phoenix Jewish News, February, 1989, By Elaine DeRosa
  13. Ross to head religious committee for state corrections department, Greater Phoenix Jewish News, 12 March 1986
  14. Three Nation Umbrella Org. to Aid Jewish Prison Inmates, Families, National "Jewish Press", April 1986
  15. Curriculum Vitae, Rick Ross web site
  16. Minister Sues Cult Expert, Palm Beach Post, Jul 14, 2001
  17. Cult Experts List, FACT.net, 2006
  18. Rick Ross' Biography
  19. Rick Ross. "Deprogramming". Intervention. Retrieved 10 August. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  20. Rick Ross, paper, The Missionary Threat, 1995, 11 pgs
  21. Rick A. Ross Institute, IRS: 990-EZ, Guidestar basic report, 13 August 2005, (Only accessible with free sign-in at guidestar.org)
  22. ^ Haines, Thomas W. (1995-09-21). "'Deprogrammer' Taken To Court -- Bellevue Man Claims Kidnap, Coercion". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
  23. Kent, Stephen A.; Krebs, Theresa (1998), "When Scholars Know Sin. Alternative Religions and Their Academic Supporters", Skeptic, 6 (3)
  24. ^ Shupe, Anson (2006). Agents of Discord. New Brunswick (U.S.A.), London (U.K.): Transaction Publishers. pp. pp. 180–184. ISBN 0-7658-0323-2. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help). The account given in Shupe/Darnell is "based closely on court documents and testimonies, including Scott's own under-oath account of his deprogramming experience." The court documents referred to are cited on page 194 of Shupe/Darnell.
  25. ^ "UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT: JASON SCOTT, Plaintiff-Appellee v. RICK ROSS, A/K/A/ RICKEY ALLEN ROSS, MARK WORKMAN, CHARLES SIMPSON, Defendants, CULT AWARENESS NETWORK, Defendant-Appellant". CESNUR. Retrieved 2008-10-13. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  26. ^ Cockburn, Alexander (1996-08-26). "Vindication II: That Fool Adolph". The Nation. 263 (6). The Nation Company L.P.: p. 8. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  27. ^ Bromley, David G. (2003). The Politics of Religious Apostasy. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. pp. 99–100. ISBN 0275955087. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  28. ^ Ortega, Tony (1995-11-30). "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlatans. Clients of deprogrammer Rick Ross call him a savior. Perhaps that's why people he's branded cult leaders want to crucify him". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2006-04-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ "Eastside Journal – Glad It's Over". Seattle Times. 1994-01-21. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
  30. "Deprogrammers Plead Not Guilty To Holding A Bellevue Teenager 5 Days, Against His Will". Associated Press. Seattle Times. 1993-08-17. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
  31. "Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network: Verdict form (page 6)". CESNUR. Retrieved 21 October. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  32. JASON SCOTT, PLAINTIFF v. RICK ROSS, A/K/A/ RICKEY ALLEN ROSS, MARK WORKMAN, CHARLES SIMPSON, CULT AWARENESS NETWORK, A CALIFORNIA NONPROFIT CORPORATION AND JOHN DOE 1–JOHN DOE 20, DEFENDANTS. Case No. C94-00796. November 29, 1995
  33. ^ "Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network: Verdict form". CESNUR. Retrieved 12 October. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  34. "Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network: Verdict form (page 5)". CESNUR. Retrieved 15 October. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  35. Scott v. Ross (Ninth Circuit Panel Opinion En Banc Opinions)
  36. "Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network: Verdict form (page 3)". CESNUR. Retrieved 16 October. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  37. Knapp, Dan (1996-12-19). "Group that once criticized Scientologists now owned by one". CNN. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. 'The Cult Awareness Network, CBS News 60 Minutes report 28 December 1997
  39. Goodstein, Laurie (1996-12-23). "New Twist In Anti-Cult Saga: Foe Is Now Ally -- Bellevue Man Who Put Group Into Bankruptcy Fires Scientology Lawyer". Washington Post. Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  40. Ortega, Tony (1996-12-19). "What's $2.995 Million Between Former Enemies?". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  41. 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, 28 February to 19 April 1993. Available online
  42. Waco, Federal Law Enforcement, and Scholars of Religion, Nancy Ammerman, 1993
  43. Davidian Tragedy - Letters Re: Attorney General, Rick Ross, 25 October 1993
  44. Letters to the Editor - What Happened at Waco, Rick Ross, The Washington Post, 23 July 1995
  45. The Branch Davidians and the Waco Media, Catherine Wessinger, 2003, Loyola University
  46. "A Forensic Psychiatrist Evaluates ESP", February 2003, John Hochman, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles
  47. Appeals Court decision, NXIVM vs. Ross Institute etc
  48. Court upholds Nxivm ruling, Times Union, 23 April 2004
  49. High court rejects Nxivm appeal, Times Union, 3 December 2004
  50. Prendergast, Alan (1997-03-06). "Nightmare on the Net". Denver Westword. Village Voice Media. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  51. ^ Zinsli, Christopher (14 April 2007). "He ain't afraid of no cults: Jersey City 'cult buster' exposes controversial groups - including local ones". Jersey City Reporter. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  52. ^ Grove, Lloyd (2004-01-13). "Daily Dish & Gossip: Busting on the Cult Buster". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2008-10-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  53. "Rick Ross document". Religious Freedom Watch. Church of Scientology.
  54. "Rick Ross Responds to his critics" by Rick A. Ross
  55. Statement, Jeffrey K. Hadden, University of Virginia
  56. Shupe, Anson (2006). Agents of Discord. New Brunswick (U.S.A.), London (U.K.): Transaction Publishers. pp. p. 101. ISBN 0-7658-0323-2. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  57. Penn & Teller Bullshit! Season 3: Life Coaching

External links

Rick A. Ross Institute
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