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Rick Alan Ross

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Rick Alan Ross (born November 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a private consultant and lecturer in the area of cults who maintains a website with an extensive listing of articles about destructive cults, controversial groups and movements, and related research about mind control theories. He also publishes the Cultnews.com blog. He describes himself as a "cult intervention specialist", a term he coined to describe his way of doing exit counseling.

He has been referred to by the media as a "cult deprogrammer" (Ortega, 1996), a "veteran cult watcher" (Padgett, 2003), a "self-styled cult buster" (Grove, 2004), as an "internationally known expert regarding destructive cults" (Bond, 2005), and as a "cult expert" (Cohen, 2005), and has been interviewed and quoted by the media in the United States and other countries in relation to his interest in cults.

He faces criticism from some of the groups he lists on his website, from some of the scholars that study new religious movements, and from other individuals related to the roles he played in the controversial case of Jason Scott and the ill fated Waco standoff with the Branch Davidians.

Life

Rick Ross was born to a Jewish family in November of 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio. His family later moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1956, where he grew up and attended school. Ross' 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 became concerned about controversial religious groups in 1982, when a group that targets Jews for conversion 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. This led to work with the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, and an appointment 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 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. 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.

In 1982 Ross contributed to a brochure titled What in God's Name is going on in Arizona published by the Jewish Federation and endorsed by many Christian leaders, addressing the concerns about proselytizing efforts that target Jews.

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 exhorbitant legal fees needed in defending his practice against legal challenges by controversial groups that oppose him. He claims these challenges exist because they have recognized the effectiveness of deprogramming in extricating people from cults. He states that although the process has been refined over the years, exit counseling and deprogramming are based on the same principles. (Ross, Deprogramming, 1)

Ross later wrote an 11-page paper in 1995 titled The Missionary Threat addressing Jewish concerns about fundamentalist Christian groups that target 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.

As of 2005, the FAQ of his website states that the average intervention costs are about $5,000.00 at the basis of a fee of $75.00 per hour excluding travel expenses. These costs are comparable to the typical costs for exit counseling given by David Clark in Recovery from Cults ($500.00 to $1000.00 per day). According to Ortega, he never has earned more than $31,000 from deprogramming in a single year, and he rarely makes more than $20,000 (Ortega, 1995)

Ross' resume lists lectures at Rutgers University, 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 a website which is widely cited as a resource for information about controversial groups and movements. The website's FAQ takes care to discern between cults and destructive cults (Ross, Defining a cult, 6). A disclaimer linked from all articles on the site states that being mentioned on the site does not define a group as a cult or an individual as destructive or harmful, and that "all the information archived must be evaluated critically, through a process of independent and individual judgment." (Ross, Disclaimer, 3)

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. In IRS EZ-990 form of 2002, its income is given as below $25,000, which means it is not required to file an annual return with the IRS. (IRS EZ-990)

Ross' role in the Jason Scott case

In 1990, Ross and associates kidnapped 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 Shirley Landa, a part-time volunteer for the Cult Awareness Network (CAN), whom she had called, Tonkin 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.

In 1991, Tonkin asked Ross to provide a similar intervention for her son, Jason which was unsuccessful. Criminal charges were brought against Ross and two others for unlawful imprisonment during the deprogramming. The charges filed were dropped, but re-filed again two years later. The trial ended in acquittal for Ross in 1994.

In 1995, a civil suit was filed by Kendrick Moxon, long-time member and counsel for the Church of Scientology representing Jason Scott. The jury in the second trial held Ross liable for conspiracy to deprive Scott of his civil rights of freedom of religion. The suit ended with Ross and the Cult Awareness Network being ordered to pay 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. (Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network)

The judgement drove CAN, which had already been weakened by the cost of defending over 50 previous lawsuits, (most of them similar and filed by Moxon) into bankruptcy. CAN's name, logo, phone number and files were considered assets and were purchased by Scientologist attorney Steven Hayes at an auction.

Ross went into bankruptcy as well, but emerged in December 1996, when 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 rescind the settlement and appoint a guardian for Scott, whom he called "incapacitated." That effort failed. (Ortega, 1996)

Ross' role in the Branch Davidian standoffs

The role of Ross before and during the Branch Davidian standoff at Waco, Texas 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 (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.

Ross states that this information is not correct and details that he was contacted by FBI agent Bobby L. Siller on March 4, 1993 and in the later course by several others which he also names.

Nancy Ammerman insisted they 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 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.

In his account to the Department of Justice, Ross gives very different examples of advice 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 denies this emphatically.

Carol Moore, author of "The Massacre Of The Branch Davidians A Study Of Government Violations Of Rights, Excessive Force And Cover Up" 1994 published by Gun Owners of America, 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, a sociology student working on a class assignment for Professor Jeffrey K. Hadden, 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.

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 that Ross was often cited by the local media. Rick Ross describes her paper on his site as follows:

This rather long-winded "scholarly" review regarding media coverage of the Waco Davidian Standoff was written by cult apologist Catherine Wessinger. . Ms. Wessinger snipes about "spurious self-styled experts" getting too much media attention. The professor then stuffs her footnotes with what looks like a Scientologist's historical guide concerning my past. Could it be that she is angry that the press doesn't quote her more?

Criticism

Ross is criticized for his lack of academic credentials, for the two felony crimes in his twenties previously mentioned, and for his former deprogramming activities, the tort of unlawful imprisonment. A great part of the criticism originates from those associated with new religious movements, controversial groups or organizations which are listed in his website, such as the Church of Scientology and the Kabbalah Centre.

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

Scientology

The Church of Scientology, known for no-holds-barred actions against its critics, 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 more .

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". Hadden himself sought funding from groups called "cults" as revealed by a confidential memo he sent to fellow academics sympathetic to "new religions" dated December 20, 1989

Shupe and Darnell

Anson D. Shupe played a controversial role in the Jason Scott lawsuit. Shupe was an expert witness for the plaintiff in the Jason Scott case. He testified against Ross and the Cult Awareness Network. Later working closely with Scientology lawyer Kendrick Moxon he co-authored a paper with Susan Darnell, who "manages a credit union in Gary, Indiana and is a civil rights advocate journalist."

In a paper written with Darnell he is critical about deprogrammers, defining them " as vigilantes and mercenaries rather than as bonafide counselors or therapists". Specifically about Ross, he asserts that "even coercive deprogrammer Rick Ross was terming himself only an Expert Consultant and Intervention Specialist (an unique euphemism for exit counselor) on his late 1990s Internet Website." and that " expert Rick Ross still physically abducting unwilling adults belonging to unconventional religions and criminally restraining the latter according to the old deprogramming/mind control mythos." The comment of Ross on the article is:

Long-time "cult apologist" Anson Shupe broods about "deprogramming" and seems somewhat miffed that despite his professional effort subsidized by Scientology, my cult intervention work continues. He refers to the Jason Scott case, but of course ignores its final outcome. Shupe then supports his opinions largely with footnotes citing other "cult apologists," . Both of these men have picked up substantial checks working for purported "cult" groups.

Shupe and Darnell also assert that Ross engages in anti-Christian writings, 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 get 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.”

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