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Australian Court Expands Asset Freeze In Suit By Donors To Fraudulent Religious Group

By Howard M. Friedman

In the Australian city of Adelaide, a district court has expanded a freeze on the assets of three leaders of Agape Ministries. ABC News reports that the court has frozen all the assets in Australia of Agape's leaders, Rocco Leo, and Joseph and Marieantoinette Veneziano. The freeze comes in a lawsuit by two plaintiffs who claim they gave $400,000 and over $1 million, respectively, to Agape based on false promises. According to the lawsuit, Agape told its members they needed to contribute funds to relocate all members to a South Pacific island to protect them from microchips the government was planning to implant in all humans. Members were told they would go to hell if the chips were implanted, but that if they refused the government would put them in concentration camps and gas or behead them.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on June 16, 2010 (boomark / email).