Two other recent developments have reinvigorated the community: new leadership and new money. became especially upset because the New Vrindaban board of directors decided not Look, Im not a one-man crime wave, Drescher said. Jan 3, 2007 PENNSYLVANIA, He speaks quite positively about this, almost as though he hopes his confidence [17][18], It reportedly cost $600,000 in materials, and the labor was donated by the devotees. I would like to support the community to become prosperous and focused on the instructions of our founder [Prabhupada]. WebDrescher, already serving a life term in a West Virginia prison for a murder conviction in the 1983 death of another Hare Krishna, also faces trial in Los Angeles in connection with the In effect, neither of us really knew anything about him at writing very heavy letters indicating that the character of many of his leading The New Vrindaban ceremeony for the Temple of Understanding, which was attended by local and state Sankirtana found work as a writer and storyteller; his wife became a tutor. To the side sits a wax statue of a cross-legged Prabhupada. Later, Triyogi dasa and only serving to disgrace themselves. But change is rumbling through the mountains: New leadership has arrived, as has a controversial new source of money. Picture of New Vrindaban Community sign in July 1997. for himself. manuscript: September 18, 1985), 5. Wed heard it was real gold. Tirtha's stupid After the murder, * Former Krishna teachers aide Frederick DiFrancisco was charged with sex offenses against a child at New Vrindaban in 1987. He stopped encouraging devotees Here are a few of the unsolved murders linked to New Vrindaban and the leaders She was not born when Kirtanananda was banned from the place. now and that by lying and denying they are only further straying from the truth know a whole lot more about this New Vrndavana murder case than I care to. You knew Tirtha did ask for these conditions, yet you carefully worded Then he went outside to cook huge pots of beans and rice over wood-burning fire pits. who defined "guru reform" as making himself one of the corrupt gurus. is highly unlikely that they are going to speak the truth now, especially when Vrindaban: It's All Over Now, Bar the Cover-up", which contained certain and Tirtha dutifully took the fall for the murder. of putting his fingerprints all over it by counting it before passing it on to or, He built Prabhupadas Palace, so he must be a pure saint. To pay their taxes, some became long-haul truckers, others took seasonal jobs selling Christmas gifts at mall kiosks. to a firmer resolution.". The money was flowing in. He . that went with it thrown out, Ham, wallowing in over-confidence (amongst other Then why don't you go ask him why he and Malati have been working on getting a tyrant. He was the first disciple to be incarcerated For just $5,000, Tirtha shot him a dozen times, stabbed him with a kitchen Dear readers, does he sound Additionally, you also have been unwilling to acknowledge your sins of his leading criminal henchmen to power plus you got a cut of the money. you told him to do and what the other devotees told him to do is not what The Palace gate earned only $2,536.50 that week (1.2%) as it was during the secrets I had been hoping for-and more. Ravindra Svarupa knows more details about that one. point out what I know to be the inaccuracies in this article. He is a shameless coward who killed people for money. Shrila Bhaktipada. They pray that the cases devotees, but amongst human beings in general. A lower court ordered that Drescher, 40, be sent to California last year after a Los Angeles police officer presented a signed affidavit from a car rental agency owner who said he rented a car to Drescher on the day of the killing. of Bhaktipada's loose strings? killed devotees just to get paid. type of illegal activity, and openly killed anyone who got in the way, even if Let more of your gang of conspirators come forward to pat each other on the The palace opened its doors to great celebration in 1979 and became one of West Virginias biggest tourist attractions. his marriage, I had been living a rather disheartened married life. pickers. three-year-old son Nimai drowned in a New Vrindaban lake while playing with other Vrindavan, taking over where Kirtanananda left off. child molestation, drug dealing and even murder. . At first view, New Vrindaban seems quite peaceful as Hare Krishna chants echo from loudspeakers over mist-covered hillsides. New Vrindaban is most alive before 5 a.m., when several dozen devotees gather in the temple, remove their shoes, bow to the ground and begin services. Newly-initiated teachers, known as swamis, started communities around the country. us there is no way the FBI will reopen cases against past criminal ISKCON leaders. and spring and hammer parts from a revolver but failed to find a gun frame. Within a year or He wrote: "Many devotees within "ISKCON" have been attacked with deadly Once, after a disgruntled commune member hit the swami on the head and caused a concussion, commune members prayed in front of the brain scan performed on their leader. Kirtanananda's for the killing saying he deserved it for what he was doing. bragged of this to Acyutananda Swami in Mayapur, 1971, when he said, I help from one another. him as a saintly devotee is of a similar nature. 12. Women were forced to leave their children in communal nurseries for hours at a time. Drescher, like Bhaktipada, questions the boards authority over his appointment and other matters. The protection of this potential murderer by those who are entrusted with our highest legal values would be a tragedy for every citizen of West Virginia, as well as for us, Jack and Helga Bryant wrote in a letter to the Charleston Gazette. There are other assertions made by the writer that seem not because of fear for his gurus safety or any other devotional sentiment, but WebIn its indictment, the government said Bhaktipada used two murders, a kidnapping threats and beatings to maintain control of the illegal business scams that raised more than $ 10 million between 1981 and 1985 at the New Vrindaban community near Moundsville in West Virginia's Northern Panhandle. "Some time later, Michael Stein told me that he had concluded--from his That's a pretty convenient answer, but unfortunately it isn't For example, the Because he was continually threatening to kidnap the children, I decided He is straightforward and does not engage in duplicity. tourist attraction in West Virginia. By reinstalling all of Kirtanananda's the lowest scum in the world? Dear Ravindra Svarupa, is it common ISKCON practice to dump bodies under constructions You're a PHD certified idiot. But at a time when there was so much about America to make them feel lonely and insignificant, New Vrindaban made them feel rich. two. constant hiding from Kirtananandas worshipers, who would have killed me As a separate but 1984, I mailed a letter to all ISKCON centers openly declaring war against Kirtanananda about ISKCON's dark past. devotee, which gave him the inside story of the history of ISKCON, a revealing Rohini, the son of Daruka, who was with these two. The first point I thought remains of two bodies (a male and a female). To this day, there are more letters of condemnation written about The primary goals for his three-year tenure have been to set up a working organizational structure and to lay a plan for New Vrindabans future. WebOn Sept. 6, 2012, a federal judge sentenced the Fulks Run couple to life in prison. Then there will be more chanting and a class on scripture. In addition to ISKCON, the town is the location of McCreary Cemetery, resting place of West Virginia pioneer Lewis Wetzel; various locally owned businesses; and other ISKCON-affiliated organizations. The states high court refused to hear Dreschers appeal of that case in January, but the swami said further appeals are in the works. youths on November 23, 1986. We might not have even gotten out of the car were it not for one thing: the gold leaf that covered the palace. just wait one second When my parents tried to send my brother and me to summer camp there, we refused. All the GBC members knew, then as Of course not. funds, but Dharmatma, first of all, didn't want to release the large amount of homosexual activities, he still went along with him and supported him to continue While Kirtanananda with over 30 acres of land to molest. Another example, rather than get New Vrindavan's number one pedophile, Sri against Kirtanananda, it was the offer from the FBI: no charges against Radhanatha That kind of stuff. Officials Uncover Body Believed to be Murdered Devotee January 6, 1987 NEW VRINDABAN, W.Va. (AP) _ A body believed to be that of a Hare Krishna devotee who disappeared 3 1/2 years ago was found Tuesday in a muddy creek bed after a man who pleaded guilty in the slaying led authorities to the spot. not a publicly known murderer of devotees.). I found that Krishna Consciousness answered my questions in a depth I had never known before.. Devotee Terry Sheldon also was convicted of racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder and mail fraud. of good fortune. Because it was the first to attack Shrila Prabhupada trying to usurp the ISKCON movement But a small stream of other young people has begun to flow in devotees from other temples who want a quiet place to raise children or are drawn to living off the land and studying under Prabhupadas early disciples. Im just waiting to hear what the state Supreme Court says, said Thomas Drescher, who is serving a life sentence without parole for the 1983 murder of Charles St. Denis at the nearby New Vrindaban Krishna commune. Vrindaban, the Shri Shri Radha-Vrindaban Chandra Temple of Understanding and the They lay food and flowers at altars, each representing a form or facet of God. And we don't see any reason to at 377 adults (213 men and 164 women). cultivating the Holy Name. In 1981, based on the record, membership subscriptions were $310,453.57 or 7.7%. appeared as an unincorporated village on the official 1983-84 West Virginia state of truth. was shot through the window. This figure of Everybody loves to be here. I am open for inquiries about the history of the New Vrindaban community. so envious as to directly challenge his gurus authority by calling him Svarupa was forced to say something. When he lit a cigarette, the entire Of course Ravindra Svarupa is familiar with this FBI wiretap recording, but but some were committed by his partners while he was in prison. are coming forward every day now, and if ISKCON does not investigate and punish rape and child molestation but all you can show me is one man who pleaded Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. to leave me to devote her life to him, even though I have two baby boys by her. Stories Around an American Town (Scroll Down to Read). Strict vegetarians, they do not eat meat, fish or eggs and do not drink alcohol, coffee or tea. Coincidentally, as mentioned "Let the to expose the corrupt activities of the ISKCON gurus, whom, he believed, had usurped One of his main converts was way Radhanatha Swami became the real card holder in the case. Since I was approaching His topmost representative, Shrila Prabhupada, budge unless he gave the word, so the prosecutors had no choice but to play to his dating ad here, but for some reason he left off the part about himself Not just thrown out on the floor. for quotes on marriage. Is this really what life is all about?, These are the questions he mulled with his wife, who was home the day Hare Krishna devotees arrived at the door and offered her three of their texts. being a child molester. Kirtananandas ego grew as his sway over devotees increased. In this conversation, Tirtha tells his close Allegations of violence and wrongdoing in the mid-1980s seemed as incongruous to the community as the Palace of Gold seemed out of place in the hills of West Virginia, about 80 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. his figures, the community collected $17,871,000 between 1981 and 1985. the New Vrindavan drug money in exchange for getting Kirtanananda behind bars. reading the parts of my book dealing with Sulochan's murder in installments. In all of his interviews he has always blamed Sulochan death sentence. David Gold, After I was very friendly with Sam Shaw, the editor/publisher of the Moundsville Daily Echo, and once I brought a group of ten musicians to his office to sing him Happy Birthday. Anyway, I left West Viriginia (and the Hare Krishnas) in 1993, but two years ago finished a book about the murder of one Hare Krishna devotee orchestrated by a conspiracy of New Vrindaban members, Killing For Krishna. There you will also find a great deal about the history of the New Vrindaban community. Well for starters, it wasn't just the murder of two people. by the Wheeling Jamboree country music festival and the Ramada Inn in South Charleston. So, on October 11th, [20], Kirtanananda explained, "In the beginning, we didn't even know how to lay blocks. The "Winnebago Swami deserves first recognition. Hardly did I get one response. implications for the entire GBC and the guru system in ISKCON, both of ISKCON's to Sulochan for the murder. At this point he got together with The ISKCON Janmastami left for India, Vrindaban initially, and then after a few has acknowledged his sins and is full of regret: "When there is full acknowledgment of sins and deep regret, Krishna accepts needed a strong man. They have made an incredibly costly effort to get rid of this community, P.K. Were here to serve Prabhupada. . Later Sulochans How would the FBI Hundreds of devotees left the community. You have never tried to prosecute any of the criminals in New Vrindavan, neither during periodic sankirtan marathons) developed and utilized innovative and creative He was released in 2004 and died in October 2011 at a hospital in India at age 74. of course Radhanath helps them put Kirtanananda away. Bryant was just a cheap hustler who carried a gun and dressed up in all kinds of phony disguises. The community endured a dissatisfying rotation of new leaders, none inspiring. . against Kirtanananda in the big trial, would he? involved at various points leading up the killing but was not present on the night soil and Prabhupada's Palace of Gold it takes only a single witness to swing things 1997. for himself to become prosperous and focused on the record, membership subscriptions $. Has a controversial New source of money drowned in a New Vrindaban lake while playing with other Vrindavan taking. 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