Tag: sexual abuse

Wealthy Liberal Enclave of Santa Monica to Declare ‘Fiscal Emergency’ over Sexual Abuse Payouts

The city council of Santa Monica, California, will be asked to declare a “fiscal emergency” this week over hundreds of millions of dollars that it has paid in ongoing sexual abuse litigation.

The city by the beach, which has been hit by homelessness, crime, and an ongoing retail collapse, now faces fiscal catastrophe.

The Santa Monica Daily Press reported: “The dire financial situation is a result of a shortfall in revenue relative to forecasts combined with ongoing litigation, most notably the Uller sexual abuse case.”

The publication reported in 2023 that the city had reached a $229.8 million settlement over the claims: “Eric Uller was accused of abusing young boys between the late 1980s and early 2000s while he was employed by the City and volunteered in the Police Activities League (PALs), a city owned nonprofit. He committed suicide before his criminal trial in 2018.”

The Los Angeles Times reports that the case has crashed the city:

Services in Santa Monica are also suffering, according to the [city’s] report. During the COVID-19 pandemic, city leaders slashed the city’s budget and eliminated hundreds of positions. City services haven’t been restored to pre-pandemic levels, and several capital projects remain unfunded.

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The report also cites recent and proposed changes by the federal government, including tariffs and mass deportations, that could affect the local and national economies.

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In April, Santa Monica ended negotiations with Olympics organizers to host beach volleyball during the 2028 Games.

Santa Monica is often referred to as the “People’s Republic of Santa Monica,” due to its left-wing policies. It is one of the wealthiest towns in America, and diverts public resources to ideological policies as climate change, criminal justice reform, and resisting immigration enforcement (though it is not officially a “sanctuary city”).

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China’s cyber-abuse scandal: is the government unwilling to crack down on exploitation of women online?

When Ming* found a hidden camera in her bedroom, she prayed for a reasonable explanation, wondering whether her boyfriend had placed it there to record memories of their “happy life” together. But hope quickly turned to horror. Ming’s boyfriend had been secretly taking sexually exploitative photos of not just Ming and her female friends, but also of other women in other locations, then using AI technology to generate pornographic images of them.

After Ming confronted him, he “begged for mercy” but became angry when she refused to forgive him, Ming reportedly told Chinese news outlet Jimu News.

Ming is just one of many women in China who have been covertly photographed or filmed – both in private and public spaces, including toilets – by voyeurs who have then circulated or sold the images online without consent. The sexually explicit pictures – often taken using pinhole cameras hidden in ordinary objects – are then shared online in massive groups.

The scandal has left China reeling and raised questions about the government’s ability – and willingness – to crack down on such behaviour.

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Jessica Tarlov Shredded by Co-Hosts on ‘The Five’ for Suggesting ICE Detainees Are Being Sexually Abused by Federal Workers

Today on the popular FOX News panel show, The Five, liberal host Jessica Tarlov suggested that people being held in ICE detention centers are reporting sexual abuse by the workers at these facilities.

Co-host Greg Gutfeld actually jumped in to clarify her remarks, seemingly in disbelief that she would make such a claim. Jesse Watters then proceeded to shred Tarlov’s remarks.

Here’s a partial transcript:

Jessica Tarlov: There was a story about a San Antonio area ICE detention center, a huge spike in 911 calls from people who have been detained there, reporting increased suicide attempts and sexual abuse. What is going on with this immigration policy is not what people showed up on November 5th for. I know there are some people out there, there are pictures of those grannies that had those signs that say ‘mass deportation now’ but that’s…

Greg Gutfeld: Wait, what about… You bring up something as charged as sexual abuse. Who is causing the sexual abuse? Is it the people that run… So the people running the detention center are raping the detainees?

Jessica Tarlov: You’ve never heard of that happening?

Greg Gutfeld: So that’s… I want to be clear that that’s what you’re alluding to…

Jessica Tarlov: That’s what the report says…

Greg Gutfeld: So the people running the detainee center are sexually abusing…

Jessica Tarlov: I don’t have video of what was happening, I just know that they are seeing an increased amount of 911 calls saying that people…

At this point, Jesse Watters jumps in and reminds Jessica that the Biden administration was responsible for losing track of hundreds of thousands of children brought into the United States who may be getting sex trafficked right now and that her side said nothing about this.

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Leaders of ‘orgasmic meditation’ women’s wellness company OneTaste convicted in forced labor trial

The leaders of a sex-focused women’s wellness company that promoted “orgasmic meditation” have been convicted of federal forced labor charges.

A Brooklyn jury on Monday found Nicole Daedone, founder of OneTaste Inc., and Rachel Cherwitz, the California-based company’s former sales director, guilty after deliberating for less than two days following a five-week trial. The two each face up to 20 years in prison when sentenced later.

Prosecutors had argued the two women ran a yearslong scheme that groomed adherents – many of them victims of sexual trauma – to do their bidding.

They said Daedone, 57, of New York, and Cherwitz, 44, of California, used economic, sexual and psychological abuse, intimidation and indoctrination to force OneTaste members into sexual acts they found uncomfortable or repulsive, such as having sex with prospective investors or clients.

The two told followers the questionable acts were necessary in order to obtain “freedom” and “enlightenment” and demonstrate their commitment to the organization’s principles.

Prosecutors said OneTaste leaders also didn’t pay promised earnings to the members-turned-workers and even forced some of them to take out new credit cards to continue taking the company’s courses.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nina Gupta, in her closing statement last week, said the defendants “built a business on the backs” of victims who “gave everything” to them, including “their money, their time, their bodies, their dignity, and ultimately their sanity.”

“The jury’s verdict has unmasked Daedone and Cherwitz for who they truly are: grifters who preyed on vulnerable victims by making empty promises of sexual empowerment and wellness only to manipulate them into performing labor and services for the defendants’ benefit,” said Joseph Nocella, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

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The Sexual Abuse Scandal That’s Engulfed the Evangelical Movement

Whenever Missouri megapreacher Mike Bickle received prophecies from God, he tended to shout the good news from the rooftops. But there was one recurring vision that he only shared with a few people. In the early 1980s, Bickle—who would go on to found International House of Prayer in Kansas City—confided in Tammy Woods, the 14-year-old who was babysitting his children, that his wife Diane would die and “that we could be together,” a prelude to his repeatedly sexually abusing her. The founder of the outrageously successful church certainly felt that God had his back. He had the same vision over a decade later, when he told his 19-year-old female intern that his wife would die and that they would get married.

But maybe God had other plans. Thanks to these two women and their willingness to come forward to attest to Bickle’s misdeeds, a larger crisis of sexual abuse in evangelical Christianity has been exposed, and countless more allegations have followed. In June, Trump spiritual adviser Robert Morris resigned from his Dallas-based Gateway megachurch after he was accused of abusing a 12-year-old girl. Last month, his successor was fired for undisclosed “moral issues.”

That two towering figures of the charismatic evangelical movement have faced such serious allegations ought to lead to soul searching, and more importantly, a rush to ensure better safeguards so that pastors cannot abuse their authority. If the past is any guide, there’s little hope that any kind of reckoning is at hand. As we’ve seen with a series of similar scandals and a damning report into sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention, America’s evangelical leaders have made failing to act responsibly into an art form.

Sexual abuse in churches has long been thought of as a “Catholic disease,” but as recent events have shown, it is unchecked power and authority, not celibacy, that is the root of the problem. It is also very much a crisis of the evangelical movement’s own making; in this milieu, commercial incentives have produced a culture where the more charismatic and authoritarian the leader, the more successful the church. The widespread culture of abuse, cover-up, and denial has been exacerbated by the kind of corruption that arises when friends appoint friends to positions of authority, tamping down any incentives toward transparency and accountability.

A big reason the problem has gotten out of control is the growing trend among evangelical churches of all stripes to label themselves “nondenominational.” According to religious data cruncher Ryan Burge, nearly 13 percent of all adults in the United States now identify as nondenominational Protestant Christians, and there are now more nondenominationals in the U.S. than mainline Protestants.

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Ex-Clinton Military Aide Alleges President Molested Air Force One Flight Attendant in Late-Night Incident

After making bold claims about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a former top military aide is now revealing explosive allegations that cast a harsh spotlight on former President Bill Clinton’s conduct behind closed doors—adding a troubling new chapter to the legacy of his presidency.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson, who carried the “nuclear football” during Clinton’s administration, describes a toxic environment rife with misconduct and moral failures at the highest levels of power. 

One incident, he says, continues to haunt him.

“We were returning late one night from a long trip to Europe on AF-1,” Patterson wrote on X Tuesday night. “We landed at Andrews, and helicoptered on Marine One to the White House.”

“We landed on the South Lawn at about midnight… After ensuring the president was on his way to his residence upstairs, I headed to my bedroom in the East Wing. Shortly thereafter, my phone rang and it was the AF-1 presidential pilot. ‘Buzz, we have a problem.’”

According to Patterson, the issue involved a female Air Force One steward—a married staff sergeant with children—who alleged that Clinton had cornered and molested her in the galley during the flight. 

“I knew her, liked her, and she was super sweet. Now, she was in tears,” he said.

The woman reportedly did not want to become another public scandal but was deeply shaken. 

“All she wanted was an apology,” Patterson explained. “In the world of Monica Lewinsky, Paula Jones, and Kathleen Willey, this wasn’t surprising to me. It was, however, terribly disappointing and sad.”

What happened next left a lasting impact on Patterson. 

“That morning, as a young major, I had to walk to the Oval Office and tell the commander-in-chief that he needed to apologize to the young lady,” he continued. “I’ve been shot at with hot metal, but this was the toughest day in my life.”

Two weeks later, Patterson said the president finally addressed the incident—barely. 

“We got the two together onboard AF-1 in the president’s office and he offered a very uncontrite ‘half apology,’” Patterson stated. “He didn’t care.”

“If anybody in the military had done that, it would’ve been jail, expulsion, or both. It would’ve been Fort Leavenworth. But not for this president, not for this man. It was just another day.”

Patterson’s allegations add a new layer to ongoing questions surrounding Clinton’s treatment of women during his presidency. 

The same aide recently weighed in on Monica Lewinsky’s claim that Clinton should have resigned over their affair, per BizPac Review.

“I was there. She’s right,” he said. “Bill should’ve resigned, but he hated Al Gore. It was, bar none, the longest 2-year assignment of my life.”

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Catholic Church To Excommunicate Priests for Following New US State Law

The Catholic Church has issued a warning to its clergy in Washington state: Any priest who complies with a new law requiring the reporting of child abuse confessions to authorities will be excommunicated.

The new law, which will take effect on July 27, eliminates the long-standing confidentiality of the confessional, forcing Catholic leaders and lawmakers into a highly charged standoff over religious liberty and child protection.

However, the Archdiocese of Seattle and several bishops argue that the law not only contravenes church doctrine but crosses constitutional lines, while supporters maintain it is a crucial step to protect minors from abuse.

Newsweek contacted the Archdiocese of Seattle and Washington Governor Bob Ferguson and the three Democratic state senators who sponsored the bill for comment via email and online inquiry forms.

The issue spotlights the enduring tension between religious freedom and the state’s duty to protect children from abuse. By compelling clergy to breach the confessional seal, Washington joins a small group of states stripping traditional confidentiality protections.

The law has triggered a national conversation about the boundaries of church and state, setting a precedent that could have implications for religious practices and privileged communications nationwide. The outcome may influence how other states approach mandated reporting requirements for clergy, especially as constitutional and civil rights groups enter the debate.

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Sound of Freedom Tim Ballard’s wife, Katherine, is added to lawsuit as victims claim she conspired with her husband to abuse victims on overseas trips where they were forced to pose as his wife ‘for financial gain’

Sound of Freedom Tim Ballard’s wife has been added to a lawsuit accusing her husband of sexual misconduct, including alleged grooming and abuse within the anti-sex trafficking organization. 

The lawsuit – which is one of several filed against Tim Ballard – now claims Katherine Ballard conspired with her husband for their financial gain and she promoted a ‘Couples Ruse’ that was used for alleged sexual grooming.

One lawsuit said the Couple’s Ruse involved women pretending to be in a relationship with Tim Ballard to go on missions to fool sex traffickers. However, a lawsuit claims Tim used the ruse to abuse the woman including requiring the women to give Tim lap dances and participate in tantric yoga. 

During a recent interview on the Rob Arquette Podcast, Katherine said she was aware of the ‘Couple’s Ruse’ that was mentioned in the lawsuit and claimed it was done with training. 

She also said the lawsuit has been difficult on her family. 

‘For some reason, when you decide to go against sex trafficking, people come out to attack you on that,’ Katherine said on the podcast and quoted in the lawsuit.

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71-Year-Old Romanian Yoga Guru Charged with Leading International Sex Cult Ring

A 71-year-old Romanian yoga guru and 14 others were handed preliminary charges by a Paris magistrate on a raft of counts linked to an international ring that for years allegedly subjected followers seeking enlightenment to sexual exploitation.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said that six of the 15 people interrogated were ordered held on Friday, while nine others were freed but under judicial surveillance.

Gregorian Bivolaru was among two of the six handed a string of preliminary charges that included human trafficking in an organized band, kidnapping, sequestration or arbitrary detention of numerous people along with rape and “abusing the weakness of a group” via psychological or physical subjection. None of the 15 was named but a judicial source said that Bivolaru was among the two facing the longest list of charges.

A trimmed-down version of the preliminary charges were handed to the other suspects. An investigation will now determine whether the preliminary charges lead to a formal indictment and a trial.

The arrest this past week of Bivolaru and 40 others in the Paris region ended a six-year manhunt in several countries. The police unit that combats sect-related crimes freed 26 people described by authorities as sect victims who had been housed in deplorable conditions.

Accounts from alleged victims detailed in the French media portray Bivolaru as a guru who coerced women into sexual relationships under the guise of spiritual elevation in a career spanning decades and continents.

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Ex-CIA official allegedly duped aspiring spy into sex to help her use her body ‘as a weapon’

A former CIA official has reportedly been accused of conning an aspiring operative into having sex with him under the guise of a training program to teach her how to use her body as a weapon.

Shaun Wiggins was named in the explosive new lawsuit, according to a report from the Daily Beast on Wednesday.

“A former CIA officer allegedly duped an aspiring covert operative into believing she was part of a quasi-official recruitment program for budding spies, then coerced her into repeatedly having sex with him so she could learn how to use her body ‘as a weapon,'” the Daily Beast reported. “The woman claims she was told it would replicate the purported ‘off limits’ work every CIA officer was inevitably called on to do, and that the techniques she picked up would become a valuable part of her ‘technical skillset.'”

The news report continues:

“But the ‘fabricated and extended ‘training exercise’’ did nothing to help the young cybersecurity specialist realize her dream of joining the agency, and instead groomed her for ongoing sexual abuse—ultimately landing her in a psychiatric facility, according to a bombshell lawsuit obtained by The Daily Beast.”‘

The report states that, while Wiggins is currently the co-founder and CEO of New York data analytics company Soteryx, his “corporate bio says he ‘served as a Clandestine Service Officer for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, identifying and engaging key foreign national stakeholders critical to U.S. interests.'”

The woman who is suing him has chosen to remain anonymous in the litigation.

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