Recent headlines trumpeted Gen. Petraeus' concern that a couple of idiots in Gainesville might put the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of our troops in danger. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if anyone thinks they are going to avoid a shitstorm by appealing to the patriotism and compassion of bible-thumping con artists like Terry and Sylvia Jones, they are in for one hell of a rude awakening. You see, Terry Jones has something David Petreaus doesn't have. Terry Jones has an exit plan. An integral part of that plan is to create as big a distraction as possible so he can take the money and run.
This is the third in a series of posts documenting the operations of Terry and Sylvia Jones of Gainesville, FL. I am putting this out here hoping it will catch fire and unmask these rat bastards before they cause terrible damage. Let me give you the punchline up front: Terry and Sylvia Jones are predators with a history of preying on their flock. As far as they are concerned, Private Ryan can save his own ass, the "benjamins" are all these con artists care about.
In WARNING: Money-launderers using muslims as red herrings, I brought together a lot of sources that showed how Terry and Sylvia Jones of Gainesville FL use religion as a cover for an international money-laundering operation. The conclusion was simple, straightforward, and damning. Based on public information, I concluded Terry and Sylvia Jones:
- take in money for allegedly religious purposes (placement) and
- shuffle it around through multiple businesses across state lines and even internationally (layering)
- bring the money back in through a variety of channels managed by for profit corporations that are subsidiaries of TS and Co., LLC (integration)
- turn profits into multiple real estate holdings of considerable value (payday).
In Keeping up with the Joneses: Koran burning con artists, I showed you where the money comes from and where they are stashing it. The take home message being: If you build on operation on slave labor, you can buy some pretty nice real estate with the profits.
In both essays, I ended with the dire prediction that these grifters were getting ready to take the money and run, using the current debacle as a plausible cover story.
Today, I am going to show you the current situation isn't an anomoly. This is a pattern of behavior with Terry D. Jones. This is how he conducts business. This has been his meat and potatoes for decades. I'm also going to show you where I believe this wiley grifter is going next.
Terry Jones has been running this scam for decades as part of various ministries that took advantage of their tax-exempt status to run profitable industries. Meg Rolland at the Gainesville Sun did an excellent job of digging in to Jones' past in an article titled, How did Dove World Outreach Center get started?
It turns out the church was founded little more than 20 years ago by an associate of Terry Jones named Don Northrup. Both of these men had a history of working together previously. They were both involved in Maranatha Ministries during the scandal of the early 80s.
When they folded their tents and moved on to greener pastures, Northrup set up Dove World Outreach in Gainesville and sent Jones to set up a church in Germany.
For the next two-plus decades, the Jones family - Terry, Lisa, Emma, Jenny and Luke - lived and worked for Terry Jones' church in Cologne, keeping close contact with its Gainesville origins.
Lisa Jones, Terry Jones' first wife, died in 1996, and Emma Jones says that's when things began to change at the church in Cologne. Northrup also died in 1996, leaving the church to another pastor, who eventually called upon Terry Jones in Germany for help.
Terry Jones officially took the head pastor position in Gainesville in 2001, and between 2001 and 2008 apparently divided his time living in Gainesville and in Cologne.
When asked about it in interviews, Jones explains his departure from Germany as "it was time to move on." The truth is he was booted by the German authorities after they discovered he was implementing the same abusive practices in Germany that brought Maranatha to the attention of authorities a couple decades earlier in the US. Here's the kicker:
The Cologne church disbanded in 2008 when Terry and Sylvia Jones left Germany, and the New Orleans church also has closed. "He just left us with nothing. I had no apartment, no car, no income. He just left," Emma Jones said.
Emma Jones estimates that when the church in Cologne collapsed, there were slightly more than 1,000 active members.
"There are a million stories," she said. "It's like leaving people without a dad."
For those families who sold their homes and quit their jobs to live and work for the church, the collapse was life-jarring and spiritually destructive, Emma Jones said.
Think about that for a second. The guy claims he was sent to Germany because of a vision from God. He sets up a church that runs for almost 20 years. Meanwhile, he is using the flock to feather his nest. At the same time, he is quietly putting an exit strategy in place. As soon as the shit hits the fan -- and the authorities start breathing down his neck -- he folds his tents and absconds with everything, leaving his faithful flock of fleeced sheep holding the bag. Any decent guy would have used at least some of the wealth from his new operation to help the disoriented and now leaderless flock through their transition. But Terry Jones is a con artist so counting on his decency would be akin to expecting a miracle.
I believe past is prologue in this case. In reviewing the real estate holdings, we previously focused on the land holdings in Florida. However, there was one piece of property that now deserves attention:
The couple purchased a house in Slidell, La., in January 2007 for $303,900
That takes on new meaning when you consider this quote from Megan Rolland's report of Jones' activities:
For several years, Terry Jones operated as the senior pastor of the churches in Gainesville and Cologne and a fledgling charity and church in New Orleans. [emphasis added]
Given his past behavior, the pending economic collapse of his Gainesville operations, and his toe-hold in New Orleans, I see no reason to change my original assessment:
Here's where I think this is headed. I think these grifters are getting ready to blow town. They have all but shut down their online operations. They are trying to sell their major real estate asset. They are simultaneously trying to provoke a major media event that will put them in conflict with local government, who has expressly forbid them from having their bookburning. I fully expect they will go ahead with their shindig and when the hammer comes down, they will cry "persecution" and flee... taking as much money as they can so they can "start over anew in more hospitable environs"... while leaving his fleeced flock of faithful holding the bag.
If you want some insight into the depths of depravity this guy will go to chase a buck, read Keeping up with the Joneses: How do you honor the dead? Talk about adding insult to injury. All I can say is, "Dear Lord, haven't the poor people of New Orleans suffered enough?"