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This next week, the Shriners will be swarming Las Vegas to support the Justin Timberlake Golf Tournament benefitting their hospitals. Hanging out with the rich and famous; living like rock stars on charitable donations; basking in the limelight as reporters buzz about how these old guys in funny red hats help the kids while having fun.
That's their motto.
Helping kids while having fun.
The Shriners operate a $5 billion network of 22 hospitals that provides free medical care to burned and crippled children.
But before a man can be a Shriner, he must first be a Master Mason.
Turns out that the Shriners are led by members of their own secret sub-group, the Royal Order of Jesters.
Last year, three Jesters were caught in an FBI human trafficking sting out of Buffalo, New York. They all pled guilty to taking an illegal alien prostitute to one of their weekend parties in Ashland, Kentucky. Those caught were a retired police captain, a former New York State Supreme Court Judge and his law clerk.
All pleaded guilty to violating the Mann Act, apparently on official Jester business. This means deducting their expenses because the Jesters are a nonprofit fraternity.
The judge is in federal prison for 18 months because he got hookers for Jester parties in Florida, Pennsylvania and Canada.. His sentence was reduced for helping the FBI investigate the Jesters for the sexual exploitation of minors and foreign travel for those purposes.
In another case, the fishing tour operator who took 19 Jesters fishing on the Amazon was indicted by the Brazilian federal police for using underage prostitutes to lure North American customers. Former fishing tour operator and real estate salesman Richard Schair had sued a competitor for alleging he was involved with prostitution. A witness list for the defense named 19 Jesters who were expected to testify about their first hand knowledge of drug use, sex with prostitutes and with minor prostitutes.
Depositions provided by fishing guides testified that the Jesters asked to be called "Masons" and for girls over 13.
On June 19, 2009, Schair submitted an application for habeas corpus to a Brazilian federal judge, asking her to dismiss the case against him, though he'd been indicted by the Brazilian federal police six weeks earlier.
She denied his application because it lacked merit.
The witness list named a Las Vegas financial consultant, Samuel "Scutter" Newton, also a member of the Las Vegas Court #181. He's listed on the latest Jester tax return as a national officer.
Turns out that the Jesters weren't so secret after former Nevada Assemblyman Joe E. Dini Jr.:
"DECLARED, That the members of the Assembly of the State of Nevada hereby express a hearty welcome to the Royal Order of Jesters, Reno Court 33 and Las Vegas Court 181, and the Shrine of North America in their endeavors to provide fun and fellowship for its members and to bring necessary medical treatment to children across the United States. Declared by the Assembly March 9, 2001."
So, some attorney convinced the IRS to grant the Jesters tax exempt status to "spread the gospel of merriment and mirth."
This translates to throwing weekend parties called "The Book of the Play."
Tax returns show the Jesters spent $600,000 on one.
That's over $12,000 a minute.
This redacted "Jester Girl Code of Conduct" indicates that Jesters secure prostitutes rooms and implies that they submit certificates, presumably proving that they're disease free.
All these groups, the Masons, the Shriners and the Jesters, are nonprofit, meaning that they pay no or significantly reduced taxes for providing social benefit. Members are also prohibited from any benefit; financial, professional, personal, or otherwise.
The real crime is hiding behind burned and crippled children and using those clueless Shriners who dedicate their lives to driving goofy little cars in parades or putting on clown make up at zero dawn thirty to drive a hundred miles so they can twist up animal balloons and put a smile on the bandaged face of a badly burned baby.
The real criminals here are those "pillars of the community" who have hijacked the IRS and taken advantage of us, all of us, so they can party with prostitutes at tax payer expense.
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.
Generally Shriners, Masons, Demolay, Job Daughters and Rainbow Girls do a lot of good.
Sandy Frost: I will take the time to research this and thank you for the article.
I was a Rainbow Girl and my father was a Mason. Some of the dearest friends I've had were part of the organization.
Here is a link from a reputable Masonic web site providing their distain for this sort of horrid behavior.
So your dad was a Mason. I feel a little better because I'm sure your father is a good man.
In the link they suggested calling out these Masonic offshoots and severing them off from the Masonic Lodge. Hopefully they'll do that. I had never heard of Jesters until I read your post. In Masonic web sites I have read that a lot of groups will claim to be part of the Masonic Lodge when in fact they don't follow the order as is. Thanks for your post.
Thanks Sandy Frost for the article. I had not heard of the Royal Order of Jesters before reading your writing.
Like many college fraternities and sororities (as well as other organizations), Shriners and Masons seem to do both good and bad.
Ideally an organization ought to hold its members accountable before seeking to hold those outside the organization accountable. Justice suffers when secretive organizations cover up the misdeeds of their members.
Personally I have a distrust for organizations that engage in secret rituals. And I do not belong to either the Shriners or Masons.
But I know many men who do. And typically they will state the Masons are "a good organization." Often they are also active in a church and other organizations.
I hope that secretive organizations will now be held more accountable for their misdeeds. However, based on my very limited knowledge I would guess that a large percentage of our leaders in politics, business, and other groups are members of at least one secretive organization. It may take help from insiders to truly make huge progress in reforming the organizations.
Thank you for all your work on this issue, Sandy. I know you have taken a lot of heat over it at times, but you have done the work and can document everything you write. These people who hide behind sick and injured kids to get away with the crassest self-indulgences and crimes against women and children should be brought to justice -- as some of them finally are being brought to justice.
Sandy
Every Grand Lodge in the US has an official website. Have you sent a copy of the Jester File to all of these grand lodges? Have you reveived any responsse? Why or why not. Perhaps you could compose a blog consisting of the responses or non-responses your have received ... particularly thr grand lodge of nevada ---- the Grand Master of Nevada and most of the Grand Line are now or have been Jesters. It would be interesting to see their response to severing ties between Jesters and Masons.
Bilken
Most of the grand masters across the US are jesters, thus jesters will not go after other jesters!!!!!!!!! The Grand Masters themselves would be in volation of masonic law by being a jester and their activities. Their is only one way to end this to prosecute all of them in the legal system. It may be difficult to prosecute since some of the jesters are the legal system in some areas. The FBI must be the investigator. If you talk or try to change the system as a mason, the jesters have the Grand Master suspend your membership in masonry. Some of us has seen close so called friend have the Grand masters file charges and protect the jesters. The end of this Mason, Shrine and Jesters saga is far from over.
Sandy
Just as a suggestion, if you get nowhere with the grand masters, try sending the information to the Grand Worthy Matron of the Eastrern Star in each state. Contact information for these ladies is generally found on the web pages of the various grand lodges. You can also send stuff to the Daughters of the Nile and Ladies' Oriental Shrine --- they have their own web pages.
Just like any other "mens'" Organization, the men can only play IF the women will allow it. Hell truly hath no fury like a pissed-off Eastern Star.
Sandy
As to a title for your book ... you have consistently maintained that the vast majority of the Masons and Shriners are good and decent men. So why smear them in the title?
Why not consider something like: "Hiding Behind The Apron: Shriners, Jesters, Prostitution and Tax Cheats" or "The Subversion of Masonry: How A Few Bad Apples Spoiled The Masonic Order" or "A Peek Under The Fez: The Dark Side of The Shriners"
I believe that a title that conveys that the Masons are being used, without their knowledge, would be more reflective of your position than a title that implies that all Masons know of and condone these misdeeds.
Also, this would save a lot of good, innocent couples from getting into marital arguments when the man wants to attend a lodge function.
"A Peek Under the Fez: The Dark Side of the Shriners" gets my vote!
Bill Ilken:
Why should Sandy have to carry all the water on this. If you want the Star ladies to recieve this, perhaps, send it yourself. It could even be done anonymous through Hush Mail.
Yes I agree that Star Ladie's anger could force some Grand Masters to act against these criminals.
Sandy:
By the look of the comments posted, you have touched a nerve in the fraternity with your latest posting. Keep it up!
Bill Iken: are you trying to alleviate all the Masonic lodges?
I'm the only one in the world who's investigated the Shriners and Jesters to this point,
Regarding the above quote from Sandy Frost's comment #9.2:
I was not aware you were the only one investigating them. I've read about other problems with the Shriners from other sources. And since your writings sometimes cite court actions, I thought maybe they were secondary reporting.
If your first-hand investigation has led to all these court actions, etc., I commend you for a job well done!
Jameseg,
I think the point of Sandy's comment was that she is the only reporter who has done this indepth investigation/reporting into the Shriners/Jesters.
Jameseg:
Don't mess with Sandy. She's the only one that has the courage to stand up against the dark side of our fraternity. If her writings become well enogh known (and I'm sure they will), then the wide spread exposure will begin.
As far as I'm concerned Sandy is a Jedi Knight, and the rest of us are cowards, to let this kind of thing go on.
May the Force be with you Sandy!
Ralph-1053423, I do not desire to "mess with" Sandy Foster or others who courageously "stand up against the dark side."
However, I do want to see that credit is given to others who also do such investigating. There have been at least a few other people who stood up to the Shriners and investigated them several years ago, apparently before Sandy began her research.
Sandy may however be the one who has done the most thorough research, and she perhaps initiated the investigation of the Royal Order of Jesters.
But, Freemasonry has been criticized and investigated by many over the years.
Thus, I commend Sandy Frost for her investigative reporting. However, I think it is important to humbly give credit to others for their efforts and to acknowledge the large number of Masons, Shriners, and perhaps even Jesters who do good work and are not invovlved in prostitution, etc. Indeed, Sandy likely owes a debt of gratitude to inside information from cooperative sources within the organizations during her investigation.
I confess I have not read much of Sandy's extensive writings on the subject, besides this article, so she may cover this in some of her other writings. And I certainly commend her for her ongoing research and writing that is exposing these things.
Dan Herbeck of the Buffalo News
Regarding the above quote from Sandy Frost's comment #11.2:
Sandy, I commend you and Dan Herbeck for your efforts. It takes much courage to stand up publicly against a large group of influential wrongdoers.
And I appreciate those within the Royal Order of Jesters who apparently courageously sought to expose and correct these wrongs.
Below is a link to a webpage that apparently contains a copy of an April 19, 2005 e-mail sent to Texas Masons about the tragic abuses of the Royal Order of Jesters. I guess you have probably already read this e-mail message, which apparently was sent courageously with the request that anonymity be preserved.
http://www.freemasonrywatch.org/royalorderofjesters.html
It is a blessing that at least some of the scandals are now being exposed in the mainstream media and hopefully many of the worst offenders will be held accountable.
But there are numerous secretive organizations, and holding them (and their members) accountable is not easy. Thanks much for your investigative efforts!
Correction: Actually the apparent April 19, 2005 e-mail I cited in comment #11.3 was apparently sent about three weeks after the one "to all Texas Masons" it claims to quote. At any rate, Sandy likely knows much more about it! Sorry for the inaccuracy and confusion.
Thanks Sandy!
I looked at some of your other writings, including the article linked to in your comment #11.5.
And I commend you for assembling a variety of details from various sources and printing them for the public.
Similarly, I commend all the investigators from various places and the anonymous Texas Mason who sent the 2005 e-mail.
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