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Richard Schair's motion to dismiss was granted last Friday after defendant Newsvine moved his
libel and defamation complaint against the MSNBC online subsidiary to federal court.
And last Monday, August 3, the Brazilian federal judge overseeing that country's own case against him accepted it from the federal prosecutor's office. This is a step closer to Schair being prosecuted in South America after the Brazilian federal police charged him with rape, operating a house of prostitution and the corruption of minors.
The Brazilian federal police began investigating the sexual exploitation of minor girls by North American foreign tourists in early 2007. Part of this investigation included the depositions of five "Jane Does" who testified that a North American named "Richard" illegally entered their Indian reservation and hired them to to cook and clean on his fishing boat. The girls, who were 13 to 16 at the time, discovered that they were to instead drink whiskey and have sex with his clients.
On June 26, 2009, Schair sued Newsvine in Hall County, Georgia for libel and defamation, complaining that my investigation of a similar lawsuit he filed against a competitor had somehow damaged him.
Coverage of that lawsuit began in March 2008 after reporting that Schair, a former fishing tour operator, sued competitor Philip Marsteller for alleging Schair's involvement with drugs and prostitution.
This became part of my three-year investigation into Shriner corruption as a witness list for the defense identified 19 members of their secret sub group, the Royal Order of Jesters (ROJ).
The defense took depositions from two of Schair's former fishing guides who substantiated Marsteller's allegations. They also described photos of Jesters having sex with underage prostitutes.
Prior to this, the same two witnesses had been encouraged by both the Brazilian federal police and officials at the U.S. embassy in Brasilia to report these crimes as well as testify about them in the United States.
In December 2008, Schair paid Marsteller $15,000 to settle out of court.
Precisely two years after the date of being charged, online entries in the Brazilian federal court system indicate that both the prosecutor's office and the judge overseeing this case have been working closely to prosecute a North American for these crimes. The system has also been tracking entries related to Schair's recent request for habeas corpus, including a link to previously sealed records of his 2007 charges, making them available to the public for the very first time. The latest entries note the judge's final decision to deny Schair's application because it has no merit, clearing the way for his immediate arrest upon entering Brazil.
It has yet to be determined if Schair's clients, including the Jesters, are being investigated by Brazilian authorities.
The FBI, however, is currently investigating the Royal Order of Jesters for sex trafficking and child sex tourism after catching three of them in a human trafficking sting over a year and a half ago.
All three pleaded guilty to violating the Mann Act for taking and/or conspiring to take illegal alien prostitutes across state lines to weekend Jester parties. They include a former New York state Supreme Court judge, his law clerk and a retired police captain. The last two were essentially put on probation, fined and ordered to register as sex offenders. The judge will be sentenced this Friday for admitting, among other things, that he worked with top Jester officers to coordinate prostitutes for a national ROJ meeting in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
The judge's July 29, 2009 pre-sentencing memorandum states that when he joined the Royal Order of Jesters, "the group's practice of inviting women, called 'Jester girls,' to the meetings for sexual activities was already a long-standing tradition. Every few years, a letter was sent out advising members that women should not be brought to Jester functions, but everyone knew that the letters were window dressing and not to be taken seriously. Indeed, women always were at Jester functions. The behavior was not isolated to the Buffalo group of Jesters. In fact, it was reported to have occurred at Jester meetings across the country. The motto taught to newcomers 'What you hear here, what you see here, stays here when you leave here' evidences the sort of activity expected at Jester meetings."
According to the memorandum, the judge recognized that what he saw at the time as friendship and camaraderie in a national organization really was morally bankrupt and often criminal. The judge arranged for women to travel to the various Jester meetings not to make money for himself or even for the organization but only because it was part of his "job description" as the Director of the Buffalo Chapter of the Jesters.
The Royal Order of Jesters is a clandestine sub-group of the Shriners.
The Shriners are one of many sub-groups of Freemasonry.
Once a man is accepted into his local Masonic lodge and completes three degrees, he then becomes a Master Mason who can then join other "appendant" or sub-groups like the Scottish Rite, the Knights Templar and the Shriners.
The Shriners are best known for their red Fezzes, driving goofy little cars in parades and raising money to support their network of 22 hospitals that provides free medical care to burned and crippled children.
One must first be an invited Shriner before joining the Royal Order of Jesters. In other words, all Jesters are invited Shriners who must first be Master Masons, so, all Jesters are Master Masons.
To further clarify things, the following timeline tracks Richard Schair's perfect storm.
May 11, 2007 - Schair sues Philip Marsteller for defamation and libel after alleging his involvement with drugs and prostitution, complaint here.
July 11, 2007 - Five Indian girls provide depositions to the Brazilian federal police alleging that "Richard" illegally lured them off their reservation to work as underage prostitutes for his North American fishing clients.
August 8, 2007 - Brazilian Federal Police, Amazon division inquest #410/2007 leads to filing legal proceedings against Richard Wayne Schair, charging him with rape, corruption of minors and operating a prostitution network.
February 15, 2008 - "Jesters Exposed" published. This is the first article ever written about the Shriners clandestine sub-group, the Royal Order of Jesters
March 6, 2008 - "Jesters' To Testify about Illegal Drugs, Child Prostitution?" published three weeks later. This reports that 19 Jesters named on a witness list for the defense were expected to testify about "their first hand knowledge of prostitution, minor prostitution, use of illegal drugs and/or entry into Indian reservations by Schair (plaintiff) and/or his customers" in the case Schair v Marsteller.
May 25, 2008 - "Brazilian Fishing Trip Depositions: 'Masons' Pictured Having Sex with Teen Prostitutes?" published. This describes depositions that include how the Jesters asked to be called "Masons" and for girls over 13.
June 2, 2008 - "Child Sex Tourism: Brazilian Teens Testify About Being Lured into Minor Prostitution for American Tourists" published. This describes what five "Jane Does" told the Brazilian federal police, including one who testified that she was left pregnant at age 13.
December 9, 2008 - Schair pays Marsteller to settle out of court as mounting evidence supports his allegations that Schair is involved with drugs and prostitution.
June 19, 2009 - Schair submits an application for habeas corpus to prevent being arrested upon entering Brazil.
June 23, 2009 - Brazilian federal judge Maria Lucia Gomes De Souza denies Schair’s application.
June 26, 2009 - Schair files libel/defamation complaint against Newsvine in Hall County Superior Court, Georgia.
June 29, 2009 - "Brazilian Judge Rejects Jester Fishing Tour Operator's Request for Habeas Corpus" published.
July 14, 2009 - "Editorial: Schair v Newsvine Illustrates Importance of Reporter Shield and Child Protection Bills Before Congress" published. I wrote "The big picture here is that Richard Schair is attempting to intimidate other media from covering the breaking news out of Brazil that his request for habeas corpus was denied. Now he could and probably would be arrested by the federal police upon entering Brazil for the charges of rape, corruption of minors and operating a prostitution network."
July 24, 2009 - Newsvine files to transfer Schair's lawsuit to federal court in Gainesville, Georgia.
July 27, 2009 - Brazilian judge issues final denial of Schair's application for habeas corpus because it lacks merit.
July 28, 2009 - Schair's attorney Aaron Clark files motion in U.S. federal court to dismiss complaint against Newsvine.
July 29, 2009 - Schair v Newsvine complaint dismissed in federal court.
August 3, 2009 - Brazilian judge approves the case against Richard Wayne Schair as submitted by prosecutors on behalf of the Brazilian federal police, paving the way for arrest warrants and possible extradition.
It now appears that Brazilian authorities are serious about prosecuting those charged with child sex crimes but is the United States?
Here's an article about a similar case except instead of illegally luring 13 to 16 year old girls off their Indian reservations, this individual got them from orphanages for his wealthy clients.
He'll be spending up to 8 years in Club Fed for doing so while facing a civil suit for "helping to finance an online child-sex ring and develop its English-language Web site to attract wealthy international customers."
The questions now are:
"Will U.S. authorities work as hard as their Brazilian counterparts to successfully put together and prosecute cases against Richard Schair and the Royal Order of Jesters for prostitution, sex trafficking and child sex tourism without being influenced or pressured to do otherwise?"
"Will a civil suit be brought against Richard Schair and/or the Royal Order of Jesters to find justice for and compensate those living lives forever lost?"
"Will the IRS suspend the Royal Order of Jesters nonprofit status and call upon other agencies to investigate them for authorizing such trips as well as for being a front for a national prostitution network?"
All copies of material reprinted or duplicated from "by Sandy Frost" must include the following credit line: From http://sandyfrost.newsvine.com. Copyright (c) 2009 by Sandy Frost. Used by permission.
