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Group brings advanced directives to the fore
Chorus will perform Handel's `Messiah'
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The question is: Where did the money go? |
A local man who loaned Living Enrichment Center
$100,000 is disappointed that church leader will not serve jail time
for misappropriating funds |
By Schellene Clendenin, Newberg
Graphic reporter
E-mail Schellene at sclendenin@eaglenewspapers.com
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John Trudel just wants to know what
happened to his money.
A Newberg resident, Trudel’s name is one of a congregation of 4,100
people in the Portland area who loaned the Living Enrichment Center
(LEC) in Wilsonville a total of $10.7 million to help pay off loans
to purchase property. The LEC was affiliated with the New Thought
Church.
On Wednesday, Edward Morrissey, husband of New Thought Church
leader Mary Morrissey, pled guilty to a felony money laundering
charge that could earn him three years in prison. A U.S. district
court determined the couple raised the money, some of which was used
for the couple’s personal expenses, through unsecured loans and that
that information was not supplied to the people who lent them money.
Trudel loaned the couple $100,000, money that was part of his
90-year-old mother-in-law’s estate. Where his and others’ money went
was the lingering question in Trudel’s mind after months of
investigation into the case and subsequent charges brought against
Edward Morrissey.
“That’s a good question,” said Victoria Cox, public information
officer for the Oregon Department of Justice’s charitable activities
section. Cox said the department had little to do with the issue.
“It was a charitable organization, but the things that were going on
were more financial.”
The investigation was taken over by the Department of Consumer and
Business Services (DCBS).
Steve Corson, spokesman for the DCBS, said typically in cases like
these little documentation is kept on what was done with the funds.
In this case some money went back into the organization and some was
used to build the New Thought Broadcasting Company, a failed
business dealing of the LEC, Corson said.
“If we knew where it all was we would be in a better position to
get to it all now,” he said.
Corson said part of a settlement included in Edward Morrissey’s
plea agreement would return $3 million to investors. But he has yet
to receive documentation that the repayments have been made.
“The total amount that needs to be repaid may be less than $10
million and there may be some that will be forgiven,” he said. “And
some of the money was used (by the Morrisseys).”
Trudel said the Morrisseys borrowed the money to help pay off a
bank loan used to purchase around 100 acres of property located in
Wilsonville. He said the property was purchased by the church more
than a decade ago for $3 million to $4 million and the church
financed the purchase of the property.
“Then something happened,” he said.
The couple could never close on the bank loan and started actively
looking for financial help from members of the congregation.
Like many other church members he’s talked to, Trudel is
disappointed that Mary Morrissey will not be charged with a crime, a
stipulation of her husband’s plea agreement. Nonetheless, Trudel
understood the power of Mary Morrissey’s evangelical gift.
“Mary was and is an inspiring person,” Trudel said. He added that
Mary Morrissey was a friend and performed the ceremony when Trudel
married his wife. “She’s a very credible person with an extremely
inspirational message.”
Although Trudel said he and his wife will emerge financially sound
from the loss, there are others who donated funds who will not.
“Betrayal isn’t pleasant,” he said. “I don’t want vengeance, I
don’t even know if justice is possible. But there had to be enough
people diddling the financials to find out where it went and who got
it.”
Trudel said the Morisseys were nice people with a wonderful
message. “But something went badly wrong. All I want at this point
is the truth to be known.” |
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From
April 16,
2005, Newberg Graphic
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