This is an editorial in response to comments from “Mavis” left after “Fourth Jester Sentenced.”

Dear Mavis,

Thank you for sharing your rage and passion because the Jesters do nothing but hurt people, exploit women and girls and rip the rest of us off with their devious little tax schemes.

I felt the same way after reading the depositions of those five Brazilian Indian girls who told the Federal Police that they’d been lured off their reservations into prostitution by a former fishing tour operator for sex with his North American clients. I then went on to read about the state of Indigenous rights in Brazil, that the Indians were put on “reservations” as wards because they were viewed as too dumb and too uncivilized to take care of themselves. Today, their resources are stolen with little or no compensation.

I knew then that I had to give voice to these girls. You can watch them on this Brazilian news video. It reports that the FBI interviewed them, including one who was left pregnant after one such trip at age 13. Let’s hope to hear about our own federal investigation sooner than later because the situation is definitely heating up.

According to the Brazilian Federal Court system, a decision was made on April 11, 2011 in the case of Richard Schair, charged and indicted by the Brazilian Federal Police with corruption of minors under 18, attracting the girls and facilitating the prostitution of the same, maintaining locations (boats Santana’s) destined for the prostitution, taking advantage of the prostitution and using it for support in part by using said services to attract clients and promoting the recruitment, transport to the cities of Autazes and Barcelos, and lodging on the boats for the girls that go there to practice prostitution, among other conducts. It has yet to be revealed what that decision is, but the judge in charge had a chance to dismiss the case in June, 2009 after Schair submitted a failed habeas corpus request asking for just that.

ECPAT-USA has a new Protect Children in Tourism project in Brazil. From the site:

ECPAT groups throughout Brazil met together to discuss the work plan for ECPAT Brazil for the year. Participants were the 23 of the 27 affiliated organizations from the Northeast, Southeast and Central Western Regions, including World Childhood Foundation. Groups were informed about the planned actions of ECPAT Brazil for the next two years including the Project in partnership with ECPAT USA.

One of those who had been expected to testify about his knowledge of sex with minor prostitutes while on a fishing trip to Brazil is a national Jester officer. The plea agreements of the former Judge and Erie County Sheriff state that they worked with national Jester officials to get prostitutes over the Canadian border to a national Jester meeting in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

This does not bode well for those Jesters who are currently trying to reverse a decision against their property tax exemption application and avoid paying over $50,000 in property taxes. The national Jester office hired attorneys to advance their claims of being a Masonic fraternity to gain the tax exemption, though the Jesters somehow convinced the IRS that “museum” qualified them as a “charity.”

The problem is that the Marion County Assessor didn’t believe the building was a museum and denied the exemption. The matter is before state tax authorities as they try to figure out who is telling the truth because the assessor’s decision contradicts the IRS decision to grant the Jesters charity status as a “museum.”

What will happen after state investigators Google “Royal Order of Jesters” and identify court and tax documents linking prostitution and child sex tourism to that same building?

Questions emailed to the Masonic Grand Master of Indianapolis, Kenneth Willis, Jr., remain unanswered, including his recognition of the Jesters as a Masonic group? Does he support their fraternal claims so they get the property tax exemption? Is he aware of any Masonic activities held in the Jesters' HQ building?

Maybe I shouldn’t have emailed it last April 1.

Back to those Jesters who party with prostitutes at tax payer expense, like your husband.

He’s certainly no different than other Jesters whose status as Master Mason and Shriner puts them next to “hypocrisy” in the dictionary. Who vows love, charity and brotherhood and gets caught driving an illegal alien prostitute to a Jester party or is pictured partying with underage prostitutes in Brazil?

The things you are going through, Mavis, are the certainly among the worst.

Your golden years ruined because your husband wants to be a pimp instead of a husband. But if he had been one of those Jesters who went fishing for girls over 13 in Brazil, he’d be facing calls for death and castration.

This discussion about American pedophiles in the Amazon has been going on since March 13, 2008. Words like “monsters,” “pigs,” “mf+ckers,” and “a-holes” describe those who prey on Brazil’s children. One posted:

According to the indigenous Guaraní culture that inhabited from the South to the Midwest the parent or responsible for a son or daughter who were abused or assaulted by another Indian or person had the right to decide whether such an aggressor would be castrated or suffer the same aggression committed.

Another wrote:

What would you do if you discover that a Stallion abused if your little girl of 11 or 12 aninhos? Certainly this kind of criminal, mentally ill, in my opinion had to be arrested and immediately, castrated, cut all off to serve as examples.

And, finally, about the Lesinski sentencing? He basically screwed his brothers by fighting the first charge of violating the Mann Act by pleading guilty to knowing about a felony and not reporting it. This sets precedent for and provides prosecutors with the template to go after these guys nationwide.

Hang in there, Mavis, and thank you for being a voice for Jester wives.

Sandy

All copies of material reprinted or duplicated from "by Sandy Frost" must include the following credit line: From Copyright © 2011 by Sandy Frost. Used by permission.http://sandyfrost.newsvine.com/

The June 7 criminal complaint in the case of United States of America v. Michael Lesinski paints a clear picture of “Mirth and Merriment,” Royal Order of Jesters style.

That’s how they describe their activities to the IRS, you know.

The Jesters tell the IRS that their tax exempt mission is “promoting fellowship and fraternalism and extending good cheer to others” and that they hold annual events “devoted to fraternalism and spreading the gospel of mirth and good cheer.”

Apparently, this is code for renting a limo to get about a dozen “Jester Girls” from the Buffalo, New York airport to work as prostitutes at a Jester national meeting held in Niagara Falls Ontario, Canada.

Lesinski is charged with “knowingly, willfully and unlawfully combining, conspiring and agreeing together with others, including Ronald Tills, to commit an offense against the United States, that is to knowingly transport women in interstate and foreign commerce, with the intent that said women engage in prostitution, in violation of Title 18 (Mann Act) and that at least one overt act was committed in furtherance of the conspiracy, in that the defendant, Michael Lesinski, on April 18, 2005, did rent limousines in order to transport said women from the Buffalo airport to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, with the intent that the women engage in prostitution.”

The Royal Order of Jesters is an appendant body of Masonry. Once one becomes a Master Mason, they can join other groups such as the Scottish Rite, Knights Templar and Shriners. The Shriners are best known for their red fezzes and supporting a network of 21 hospitals that provide free medical care to burned and crippled children. One must first be a secretly invited Shriner before joining the Jesters.

This all started when Dan Herbeck and Aaron Besecker of the Buffalo News reported on March 9, 2008 that three Jesters were under investigation after getting caught in an FBI human trafficking sting. All three confessed and pleaded guilty to either conspiring to or violating the Mann Act after they were caught driving an illegal alien Asian woman from a Buffalo massage parlor under surveillance for prostitution to a weekend meeting of the Royal Order of Jesters in eastern Kentucky.

Lesinski’s complaint begins by listing agencies that make up the New York Human Trafficking Task Force and Alliance that are investigating the Jesters. These include the FBI, Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE, and deputies from the Erie County Sheriff’s Office. It then lists the criminal statute allegedly violated, that being the Mann Act.

Next, and for the first time, the Royal Order of Jesters are defined in their own self-titled section.

It begins:

“The Royal Order of Jesters (“ROJ”) is a worldwide fraternal organization whose membership is limited to individuals invited to join by other members. The motto of the ROJ is ‘mirth is king.’ The ROJ has local chapters or ‘courts.’ On occasion, a local court or group of local courts in the same geographical area sponsor social gatherings known as ‘books of the play’ or ‘books.’ The sponsoring courts organize the ‘books’ and arrange for food, lodging, and entertainment at the ‘books.’ The ROJ also sponsors a yearly national ‘book,’ the equivalent of a national convention. In April, 2005, the Jester’s national book was held in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.”

“As set forth below, a typical feature of a ‘book of the play’ is the presence of prostitutes (‘Jester Girls’) who engage in commercial sex acts with members of the ROJ. Arrangements for the prostitutes are generally made by the organizer of the ‘books,’ or the region hosting the national ‘book.’ On occasion, individual Jesters make arrangements to transport prostitutes to ‘books.’”

According to the complaint, investigators began interviewing several Jesters in January and February of 2008. Jester John Trowbridge, a retired captain with the Lockport, New York, Police Department, told investigators about how he attended a number of “books” throughout the United States and Canada that provided prostitutes for those members in attendance.

Trowbridge described a number of occasions where members of the Buffalo Court, including Ronald Tills, then a New York State Supreme Court Judge, and his law clerk, Michael Stebick, made arrangements for Jester Girls to attend “books.” Tills was in charge of getting the prostitutes to the Jesters’ national “book.”

According to his plea agreement, in or about spring, 2006, Tills admitted to coordinating the prostitute’s travel with national Jester officers.

Trowbridge also described how Tills was in charge of getting the Jester Girls to the national meeting and that the judge asked Lesinski to take care of it.

Lesinski, at the time, was a deputy sheriff with the Erie County Sheriff’s Department.

Trowbridge then disclosed that Lesinski rented a limousine to transport about a dozen prostitutes from Buffalo to Canada.

The Jesters’ 2005 tax return lists $70, 049 for transportation. The complaint includes a receipt from Lakeview Limousine that indicates a deposit of $980 was paid for by check, with a total cost of $1,175.

The complaint then includes co-conspirator Michael Stebick’s description of how Jester ‘books’ are typically held in hotel hospitality rooms where members can pick from a list of Jester Girl prostitutes. It continues that in April, 2008, Trowbridge provided investigators with contact information for the 13 prostitutes as he’d spoken with each of them as they gathered at the Buffalo airport though there were other prostitutes he’d not spoken with.

In June 2008 Tills told investigators that there were about 30 women at the national book and “described a network of members who had the ability to supply such women.” It was then that he identified Lesinski’s renting of two limousines that took the prostitutes to Canada.

According to “Sex Traffic Rises, Along With Scramble for Solutions” by We-news correspondent Rich Daly:

“These (2010 United States Human Trafficking Report) statistics come out as Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican and co-chair of the Congressional Human Trafficking Caucus, is co-sponsoring a bill to establish an international registry of known sex offenders to help foreign and U.S. law enforcement agencies crack down on underage sex tourism also linked to trafficking.

‘This is modern day slavery and it's a winnable war,’ Smith said in an interview with Women's eNews.

The Smith bill, called the International Megan's Law, was approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on April 28 and could come up for a House vote in the next few weeks, Smith said.”

Representative Smith’s bill can be found here. In summary, H.R. 1623:

• Requires registered sex offenders to notify appropriate jurisdictions of their intent to travel not later than 21 days before their departure or arrival in the United States. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of up to 10 years for failure to report such travel.
• Requires diplomatic or consular missions in each foreign country to establish and maintain a countrywide sex offender registry for sex offenders from the United States who temporarily or permanently reside in such country.
• Directs the Commissioner of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to issue directives for the assessment of sex offenders whose travel is reported to determine whether such offenders are high risk sex offenders.
• Directs the President to establish the International Sex Offender Travel Center to monitor the travel of high risk sex offenders.
• Authorizes the Secretary of State to rescind the passports of individuals awaiting trial for a sex offense against a minor or a permanent resident who has been convicted of such an offense.
• Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make convicted sex offenders inadmissible to the United States.

If passed as written, these new international sex offender laws would rescind the passports of any Jesters on trial for things like child sex tourism and require any other registered sex offenders to report their intention to leave the country at least 21 days before doing so.

All copies of material reprinted or duplicated from "by Sandy Frost" must include the following credit line: From http://sandyfrost.newsvine.com. Copyright (c) 2010 by Sandy Frost. Used by permission.

Update: 11/11/2009: The author of the Royal Order of Jesters "Mirth Missives" newsletter, Mack "Tazmack" Gooding, filed a second copyright infringement notice with Newsvine today, incorrectly claiming that I edited out his copyright notices on the newsletters as well as the subscription lists previously linked to in this article. FYI, here is a copy of the first notice he filed last March. For those of you in possession of past "Mirth Missives" as well as the subscriptlon lists, you know that there are no copyright notices anywhere on these documents. Here's a question for the rest of you. What kind of a nonprofit group has members who will go to any length to hide their newsletter and subscription list? What kind of a tax exempt group has members who threaten to drag a journalist to federal court because they are desperate to discover the sources who have provided these materials because that is what this is all about. Therefore, I am removing the links in question to protect my sources.

Thank you,

Sandy Frost

Adult content warning: Links to the Jesters official publication, the "Mirth Missives," make public material of a sexual, racist, misogynistic and otherwise offensive and derogatory nature. If you don't want to be offended, don't click on the links. Seriously.

Editor's Note: I've been investigating allegations of Shriner tax fraud and misuse of charitable donations for three and a half years. We're way beyond that now as their secret sub-group, the Royal Order of Jesters, is under investigation for operating a nationwide network of prostitution and child sex tourism. That's going to other countries to have sex with kids. As a matter of clarification, the Shriners, those goofy old guys in the red fezzes who work hard to support their beloved network of 22 hospitals that provide free medical care to burned and crippled children, are first Master Masons. Most have no idea that their charity has been compromised by those Shriners who accepted secret invitations to join the Royal Order of Jesters. This is the biggest nonprofit scandal of our time; that some Shriners hid behind burned and crippled children and conspired to convince the IRS to grant tax exempt status to their own nonprofit group so they could throw huge parties at tax payer expense. Like a nearly $600,000 weekend party. The IRS grants tax exempt status in exchange for providing some social or community benefit. The Jesters exempt purpose is "Promoting fellowship and fraternalism and extending assistance and good cheer to others" though they fail to detail their program accomplishments on their tax returns. So, when the Jesters don't pay certain taxes, fees and other obligations in exchange for providing program services, they are the only ones who benefit. This is illegal. When the Jesters don't pay taxes, the rest of us make up for it. That's how nonprofits work. It is my hope that the Shriners can somehow clean up their fraternity, to include denouncing, disassociating from and severing all ties to the Royal Order of Jesters, because oversight by law enforcement is no way to help the kids.

Sandy Frost

October 23, 2009

The Shriners secret sub-group, the Royal Order of Jesters, continues partying with prostitutes at tax payer expense, in spite of being investigated for interstate prostitution and child sex tourism.

It's business as usual for who have sex with hookers like Misty LaSweet because they think that their Jester brothers in law enforcement and the judiciary system will protect them above all else.

Remember, those Jesters caught by the Buffalo FBI in a human trafficking sting included a former New York Supreme Court Judge, his law clerk and a retired police captain. All pleaded guilty and were sentenced for taking an illegal alien prostitute from the Buffalo area to a Jester party in Ashland, Kentucky.

Doesn't look like anyone went to bat for those guys. Instead, national Jester leaders like Gary N. Martin tell reporters that the Buffalo bust was an isolated incident, implying that the Jesters don't participate in prostitution.

This invitation from the Jesters of Texas 2008 announces that the group will honor Royal Director Gary N. Martin at a Stag bash and that "Mirth - It's Bigger and Better in Texas!"

This party was scheduled two weeks after Hurricane Ike closed the Shriners Hospital for Children (SHC) in Galveston. Nowhere on the invitation does it ask these Jesters, invited from the ranks of Shriner leaders, to help their hospital rebuild or raise money to again provide free medical care to burned children.

In addition to being Royal Director of the Jesters, Martin is also on the board of the Mexico Shriners hospital.

In mid-August 2009, Jesters were meeting in Montana for their Book of the Play.

It's their initiation for the 13 new Shriners invited each year. That's after the candidates tell a review board ten self-incriminating secrets that no one else knows about them. For the privilege of joining the Jesters, the prospective members blackmail themselves by admitting to embezzlement and anything and everything else to keep them from squealing on their brother Jesters.

If they talk, these secrets are then used against them.

Here's an announcement for a Jester event in Yosemite put on by Fresno Court #157.

Here's a copy of the Jester newsletter, (Link Removed 11/11/2009) "Mirth Missives" from Super Bowl Sunday 2008. It includes a Jester wide warning about me and an offer from the then- publisher for free pharmaceuticals.

Here's another (Link Removed 11/11/2009) "Mirth Missives" with a picture that advises: "Play Dumb - If she looks TOO young, just assume she is 18."

According to sources, the then publisher replaced his computer last August because it "crashed," destroying all evidence of Jester records, confidential subscription lists and archived "Mirth Missives" in the process. He later demitted from the Royal Order of Jesters last October "for personal reasons."

Here are "Mirth Missive" subscription lists from April, 2006 (Link Removed 11/11/2009) and February, 2008 (Link Removed 11/11/2009).

As you scan the lists to see if you can recognize any of the names, you'll find no copyright marks on either the subscription list or the "Mirth Missives."

According to sources, the Jesters also traffick prostitutes around the country for their weekly meetings.

The U.S. Attorney"s office describes the Royal Order of Jesters as:

"This organization maintained chapters throughout the United States, including in Western New York, and it was the custom of these chapters to host periodic meetings, usually on weekends, for their members. At most of these meetings, some members of the organization would be tasked to arrange for the presence of women at the meetings, for the specific purpose of utilizing the women to engage in sexual intercourse and other sexual activity with the organization's members in exchange for money."

Sources claim that these "Books" include hospitality rooms for high stakes gambling, with as much as $100,000 in the middle of the tables.

They also allege that the Jesters pay for the prostitute's expenses, to include one who regularly accompanies a married member of the Royal line from state to state. These expenses are then hidden on the Jesters' tax returns as un-itemized expenses for the "Book of the Play" and payments to hotels on financial statements.

Additionally, sources identified a Jester doctor who certifies that the prostitutes are disease free.

It's also been alleged that most Masonic Grand Lodges across the country will not throw out Jesters involved with prostitution or any other crimes except for murder or treason. Sources say that Masonic committee members responsible for prosecuting such crimes instead quash investigations to protect themselves and/or their Jester brothers.

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.

I was puttering around the other night and got the urge to find the Jesters most recent tax returns.

I found them on Guidestar and armed with a yellow highlighter, sticky notes and legal pad, began scanning the categories, dollars and answers reported.

My brain started screaming "WTF?" until I got up and started pacing around as I couldn't believe what I was reading.

You'd fall asleep.

I was nearly running in place.

Over three years ago, I was contacted by a Shriner who'd been working with a former IRS agent. He asked me to investigate his own because expert analysis of Shriner tax returns revealed "discrepancies."

This all started with allegations of the misuse of charitable donations, retaliation and tax fraud.

We're WAY beyond that now.

So, the Shriners sued these guys, my sources, for defamation after one claimed the charity was being investigated by the state of Pennsylvania. The Shriners, among other things, named me as a secondary party of interest and used "production of documents" in an attempt to get their paws on otherwise protected communications between me and the whistleblowers to see if they were telling me what to write and/or if they were writing articles for me.

What an insult.

Then, I began wondering "What are the Shriners so desperate to hide?"

The lawsuit was settled out of court and today, you're reading about the Shriners' secret sub-group, the Royal Order of Jesters and prostitution.

I've been at this since April, 2006, digging into all sorts of documents as well as countless tax returns and have reached a bizarre conclusion that ends, for the first time, at a dead end.

Well, except for an unfounded rumor.

Based on officers named on tax returns as well as in a secret directory, my bizarre conclusion is that:

The Shriners are controlled by their secret sub-group, the Royal Order of Jesters. And Jester tax returns reveal that the Royal Order of Jesters is controlled by their secret sub-group, the Secret Order of Brothers in Blood or S.O.B.I.B.

I have no idea what this means except for the possibility that the Shriners are controlled by a bunch of guys who belong to a nationwide group described by a U.S. Attorney as having members who get prostitutes for their weekend meetings.

Or if the unfounded rumors are true, the Jesters are controlled by a bunch of guys who have a thing for menstrual blood. Or girls. Or maybe both. But really, I have no idea as this is just a wild rumor.

Interestingly, the Jesters report on their latest tax return that they spent over $13,000 on "Rituals."

What we do know is that three Jesters were convicted after getting caught in an FBI human trafficking sting for taking illegal alien prostitutes to their weekend parties.

One of those caught, a former judge, will soon be heading to federal prison for 18 months. He pleaded guilty to violating the Mann Act and got a reduced sentence for cooperating with an investigation into the Jesters for the sexual exploitation of minors and travel out of the country for those purposes.

He's a S.O.B.I.B. too.

We also know that the former fishing tour operator who took 19 Jesters fishing on the Amazon was indicted by the Brazilian federal police last April for allegedly providing underage prostitutes for his North American fishing clients.

Per "Newsitorial: Schair's Failed Application for Habeas Corpus Confirms Indictment, Implicates Jesters" :

"A failed application for habeas corpus has made public a court file that details the evidence for which former fishing tour operator Richard W. Schair was indicted by the Brazilian federal police as they investigated the sexual exploitation of minor Indian girls living along the Amazon. The file includes a client manifest that names three members of the Shriners secret sub-group, the Royal Order of Jesters (ROJ)."

Schair had sued a competitor for defamation for alleging his involvement with prostitution. A witness list for the defense names 19 Jesters who were expected to testify about their first hand knowledge of fishing trips to Brazil and sex with underage prostitutes. Eye witness depositions in the case testify that the Jesters asked to be called "Masons" and asked for girls over 13.

One must first be a Master Mason to join groups like the Scottish Rite, the Knights Templar and the Shriners.

One must be an invited Shriner to join the Royal Order of Jesters.

And at this point, I have no idea about how a Jester joins the S.O.B.I.B. or what they do at their meetings other than meet as "Brothers in Blood."

As evidence mounted against him, Schair paid the defendant $15K to settle out of court.

One guy on the witness list, Samuel "Scutter" Newton of Las Vegas, Nevada links this case to the Jester National Court, as he's listed on their 2007 tax return as an officer.

A comparison of the Jester's national officers to a secret directory reveals that eight out of nine national officers are also members of the S.O.B.I.B., including Newton, who is named on both.

All the officers listed on the Jesters' 2006 tax return are also in the S.O.B.I.B. and all but two listed on the 2005 tax return are in the S.O.B.I.B. including:

William Siders

Robert M. Haynes

John T. Stafford

James M. Lake PRD

Taylor E. Best

Gary Martin

Dennis R. Schueler

Raymond Grannis

Paul A. Stradman

John T. Stradtman

Robert C. Davis

Alex Rogers - Business Administrator

Now, back to the tax returns.

Nonprofit groups file tax returns like everyone else because they're corporations, just nonprofit. That means they don't make any money and no one is supposed to benefit. These groups get these tax breaks because they're supposed to benefit society like helping the needy or finding homes for animals.

The Jester's exempt purpose is:

"Promoting fellowship and fraternalism and extending assistance and good cheer to others."
"Management by Mirth" reports that:

* Eleven out of twelve of Shriner Hospitals for Children (SHC) trustees are Jesters.

* Fourteen out of twenty one of those listed on the SHC 2006 tax returns are Jesters.

* Nine out of fourteen of those listed on the 2006 fraternal tax return are Jesters.

This could help explain the hospital's financial woes that nearly led to closures. Which, for those faithful Shriners who have dedicated their lives to supporting the hospitals, was worst case scenario. The last Shriner national convention saw a vote to keep the hospitals open as well as throw out former SHC CEO, Ralph Semb.

An internal investigation investigated Semb and Imperial Treasurer Gene Bracewell and, among other things, recommended that they be reprimanded for lobbying on behalf of a fundraiser who kept $43 millin out of $47 million raised for the hospitals.

Last I knew, both were Jesters and Semb's pictured here in the S.O.B.I.B. directory.

Now, the Shriners are made up of two nonprofit components, a 501c10 fraternity made up of members and a 501c3 charity of 22 hospitals that provide free medical care to burned and crippled children.

Same for the Jesters, who somehow convinced the IRS to grant them a 501c3 charitable classification for operating a "museum" out of their new headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Marion county assessor rejected the Jesters application for a property tax exemption because they didn't buy it but on appeal, the exemption was granted because executive director Alex Rogers convinced the tax board that the Royal Order of Jesters was an appendant group of Masonry.

So, what kind of a museum lists it's worth as $1.4 million but has no employees, phone or computers; nor does it pay for utilities?

The museum's directors all are in the S.O.B.I.B. including:

Hugh Libby

Ray Thagard

George Burt

Ray Grannis

James White

Henry Everett

Here's the S.O.B.I.B. Toast:

"A Few Good l\len and A Few Good Times"

To the Chap who seeks

Those of his kind

Who treasure the drink

And savor the wine.

An Evangel of Mirth

Time and again

Found in the company

Of a Few Good Men.

A Toast to the One

Who reveres the food.

Cursed by his wife in "surly" mood

For quite often he's mocked

By those who malign

That Fellow who cherishes

A Few Good Times.

So here's to our Order

And those we call Brother.

To the bond that binds us

One to the other.

For there are "Traveling" groups of admirable intent

With glossy mottos and rhymes

But as for us, it's the simple notion

Of a Few Good Men, and a Few Good Times.

A copy of the S.O.B.I.B directory, including members' pictures and contact information, can be found here.

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.

Disclaimer and Adult Content Warning: This is called a "newsitorial" because investigative journalism doesn’t need to be dry, dull and boooring. Reporting the news with voice will make it easier to understand and follow along as I’ve been tracing out this tangled web of Shriner corruption since April 2006. Plus, I don’t want Newsvine to get sued for defamation/libel again, though last time the plaintiff tucked tail and ran after his complaint was moved to federal court. And I can’t tell you how many day’s I’ve spent translating legal documents from Portuguese to English using Yahoo Babel Fish. Finally, legal documents refer to the sexual exploitation of underage Indian girls so if you consider this type of material offensive or disturbing, consider yourself warned.

Thank you,

Sandy Frost
Starbuck’s Washington
9/9/09

A failed application for habeas corpus has made public a court file that details the evidence for which former fishing tour operator Richard W. Schair was indicted by the Brazilian federal police as they investigated the sexual exploitation of minor Indian girls living along the Amazon. The file includes a client manifest that names three members of the Shriners secret sub-group, the Royal Order of Jesters (ROJ).

Exclusive coverage of this and the conviction of three other Jesters who were caught in a FBI human trafficking sting can be found here.

Schair's application was an attempt to avoid prosecution as he asked a Brazilian judge to throw out the case against him.

His application included customer lists that named clients who’d submitted affidavits claiming they never witnessed any girls or prostitution while on his Wet-a-Line fishing trips.

One of these lists (photo 1) includes three members of the Royal Order of Jesters, guests of Schair’s from August 31 - September 9, 2005. They are Donald W. Anderson, R.W. Keers and R.R. Kirby, all members of the ROJ Albuquerque court # 24.

They provided no such affadavits.

These statements were solicited in an attempt to discredit depositions provided by five Indian girls who told the Brazilian federal police that a North American named "Richard" illegally lured them off their reservations into prostitution with tourists aboard his fishing boats. One girl testified that she'd been left pregnant at age 13 after such a trip.

The Jesters involvement with Schair was first reported here. Schair had sued a competitor, Philip Marsteller, for alleging he was involved in prostitution. A witness list for the defense named 19 Jesters who were expected to testify about their fishing trips to Brazil and:

"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."

Schair's application for habeas corpus in part blamed Marsteller for his legal troubles but the judge didn’t buy it. Her first decision to deny alludes to Schair's pleas that he not endure further financial and psychological hardship, including the scrutiny of his parents. She continues that though Schair claimed his application was urgent, she failed to see why because the police report she had asked for spelled out why he'd been indicted. She decided Schair's application lacked urgency and the evidence proved it lacked merit so she denied it.

The police report (photos 2 and 3) explains that they'd been investigating how Schair allegedly used underage prostitutes to attract tourists to his fishing business in Brazil.

The report continues that the materially criminal information included police files, declarations, audiovisual materials and registered documents that support penalties and sanctions against Schair for:

• having sexual relations with a minor under 14

• enticing minors under age 18

• attracting the girls to facilitate prostitution

• keeping boats as destinations for prostitution

• promoting the recruitment, transport of and lodging of girls on the boats to practice prostitution, among other things

The judge's five page final denial cites these violations in addition to those of Brazil's Statute of the Indian, using words like sexual violence and Indians.

Indigenous rights were first legislated in 1811, nine years after Brazil became independent of Portugal. According to "Indigenous Rights in Democratic Brazil" by Maria Guadalupe Moog Rodrigues published in Human Rights Quarterly 24, the Portuguese Crown had authorized a "total war" against indigenous peoples to wipe them out and claim their resource rich lands. The new Brazilian law was a step toward protecting Indian's rights but really considered them too stupid to make their own decisions, thus legislating that the Indian's material and personal rights be protected under the "Justice of Orphans" and be administered by the government.

In 1919, the Brazilian Civil Code included "Indians" and considered them "relatively incapable" of exercising their rights as they were lumped together with minors and the mentally ill. The 1973 Indigenous Peoples' Statute exerted more control over their property, income and land, to include mineral rights. This changed in 1988 with a new Brazilian constitution as they abandoned military regime in favor of democracy.

Today, indigenous rights groups continue to fight for citizenship rights that protect all of Brazil's first peoples.

So, in the end, what does this all mean?

Richard W. Schair is in a lot of trouble, especially if the extradition treaty between Brazil and the United States is enforced. His attempt to clear his name in Brazil blew up in his face. His attempt to proclaim his innocence made public evidence that, indeed, he'd been indicted and, if the police report and judge's denials stand up in court, he'd probably be found guilty as charged for luring underage Indian girls into prostitution for his customers in addition to having sex with one under the age of 14.

As this was unfolding in Brazil, Schair attempted to clear his name in the United States by suing Newsvine for defamation and libel. His complaint focused on my articles, especially the one that reported he’d been indicted in Brazil.

This was his second such lawsuit after Schair sued a competitor for alleging that he was involved with prostitution. Mounting evidence substantiated the defendant’s claims so Schair settled out of court by paying him $15K.

Likewise, Schair withdrew his lawsuit against Newsvine after his complaint was moved to federal court.

None of this bodes well for the Royal Order of Jesters, especially since the last of three who pleaded guilty to violating the Mann Act was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. The three, a former New York state Supreme Court judge, his law clerk and a retired police captain, were caught in a FBI human trafficking sting out of Buffalo, NY for taking illegal aliens to weekend parties in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Florida so their Jester brothers could have sex with them. The judge’s plea agreement states that he worked with national court officers to coordinate prostitutes for a national meeting in Ontario, Canada.

The Jester's constitution and bylaws state that members must first obtain a letter of approval from the national court before taking trips overseas, so logically, somewhere exists such a document sanctioning these fishing trips to Brazil.

Then there are other issues such the violation of Indian rights and nonprofit abuse, since the Jesters, the Shriners and their Masonic parent groups are all classified by the IRS as tax exempt or nonprofit.

Above all else, these guys are Master Masons, sworn to defend and protect each other in the name of charity, love and brotherhood except in the cases of murder and treason. One of the depositions from Schair’s first lawsuit was from a fishing guide who stated that the Jesters asked to be called Masons and asked for girls over 13.

Things could get a little messy once federal investigators identify Jesters who are supposed to enforce the law instead of using their positions of influence to protect those who break it.

I suspect that in this case, the cover up will be worse than the crime since these guys think they are above the law.

In fact, Shriner bylaws state that their law does not include the law of the land.

At this point, it’s just a waiting game to see if there is a convergence between the investigation, prosecution and conviction of those Jesters busted in Buffalo for the prostitution of illegal aliens and those Jesters associated with Schair, especially since the denial of his habeas corpus application makes possible his extradition to Brazil for the prosecution of prostituting of underage Indian girls to attract more business.

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.

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.