Forbes Magazine On Ron Weinland's Prophecy Failure and Conviction

Forbes Magazine is running an short article about the epic failure of Ron Weinland's end of the world prediction and his conviction for tax evasion.  Click on the article headline for the entire story.

Taxes

6/21/2012 @ 12:07PM |415 views

Man Who Touted 'End of the World' Guilty of Tax Evasion

Apparently, Weinland wasn’t completely convinced that he was going to heaven. In 2002, he announced that he would begin preparing for the second coming of Christ. And by preparing, he meant redirecting church funds to a Swiss bank account and carrying jewels and precious metals with him, since he would need liquid assets for bartering when the financial system crashed (I guess that was the back-up plan if the Swiss didn’t come through).

And all the time that he’s been preparing, the IRS and the Departmnet of Justice were watching with interest. On November 10, 2011, Weiland was indicted by a federal grand jury on five charges of tax evasion. The allegations included that he had understated his income on federal tax returns, used church funds for personal use and failed to report that Swiss bank account.

Despite the fact that he believed the world would end, Weinland set himself up pretty well. He lived in a nearly $400,000 home, where he used church money to pay for security. He wore expensive suits and went shopping at Nordstrom, allegedly on the church’s tab. On his taxes, he deducted stays at Las Vegas casinos and other tony venues, defending them as meetings with his followers.

My favorite lines from the story are:

Not surprisingly, the jury – who were all still on earth when Weinland’s trial arrived – didn’t buy his excuses.

The feds didn’t buy it. And more importantly, the jury didn’t buy it. Let’s hope God is more understanding when it comes to tax evasion.

Apostle Malm: Sept 16, Abomination of Desolation To Be Set Up - Well, Maybe...

Apostle Malm, who considers himself as God's greatest gift to the wayward Church of God, is laying out again just how the end time events will soon unfold. The sad part in all of this is watching his acolytes believe his tripe.  They have learned nothing of the massive failures in prophecy from HWA, Waterhouse, Blackwell, Meredith, Pack and Weinland.

1)   The abomination MUST be set up in Rome and he will have ONLY a total of 1,335 days from the time he is set up.  For at the end of the days we “shall stand in our lot” and receive our inheritance as the Kingdom of god is established.  Dan 12:11-13.

2)   Subtracting the 1,260 days of the tribulation from the 1,335 days means that the tribulation will begin 75 days after this abominable false prophet is set up in Rome.  75 days after he is set up in Rome he will go to the Holy Place and Jesus warns us that when he does those in Judea should flee for their lives not even stopping to take their coats.  mat 24:15.

3)   As soon as this abomination is set up in Rome he will call for and bring about  the rise of Babylon [the King of the North] in Europe.  The New Europe must be set up and ready to make war by the time the abomination goes to the Holy Place. Rev 13:11-15.

4)   A comprehensive Middle East peace deal MUST be agreed and when it is proclaimed as achieved the tribulation will be at the door.  1 Thess 5:3.

5)   About four weeks after the abomination is set up in Rome, God will empower his two prophets and they will warn and take his faithful to the pl;ace that God has prepared.  All that is written of them shall be fulfilled and they shall have the sign of the power of God and shall be zealous for God and his commandments. Rev 11.6)   At this time there shall also be a great falling away from zeal for God and his commandments,  into a great laxity and lukewarmness for obeying God’s commandments and much compromising with the way of life, as men begin to do what is right in their own eyes instead of having a zeal for what is right in God’s eyes.

This is called the Laodicean attitude of loving and the exalting men and organizations above any zeal for the things of God.  USING the name of God to exalt themselves OVER the law of God, and rejecting those scriptures that they fo not want to obey, in order to maintain their traditions; making the law of God, of NO effect. Rev 3.

This great falling away has been going on for decades and is now reaching its climax.

Those with eyes to see can see that this is one sign that is already obvious.

In 2016 the count of 45 days between the sixth day of ULB and the day before Pentecost will occur.  This is the ONLY year up before 2020 that this count will occur.

If we remember that it is ”at the end of the days”; it is as the days end that the Kingdom of God will be set up and the resurrected saints will receive their inheritance and responsibilities; we should count back from the day before Pentecost 1,335 days to the setting up of the abomination in Rome.

That date would fall on 16 Sep [if my count is accurate] of 2012.

However, the Apostle covers his righteous posterior with this:  

I am NOT saying that this will happen!  I AM saying that this is the earliest possibility, and with the current world situation it is certainly possible!

Only when the above signs are present and God’s two prophets appear in power to deliver the faithful to the place prepared; will we know for sure!

Study these signs; KNOW them; WATCH for them; do not be swept away by false declarations that the tribulation has come;  or by statements by false prophets,  contrary to God’s two prophets and contrary to these signs.

Brethren, it is not enough to see the signs!  We must be prepared for the REALITIES that these signs herald.  We MUST be worthy to escape all these things.

Escape what?  Three and half years in Petra with the Apostle and his law goons making life a living hell?  No thanks.

Ron Weinland Money Issues

Mike, on the Ron Weinland False Prophet: Don't Drink the Flavor Aid Served By False Prophets, has calculated the estimated financial fines Weinland may have to pay because of his felony charges.    Perhaps the wife, The Second Witness, can hock her massive jewelry collection.

The jurors did not determine a tax loss figure, only that there was a tax loss during each of the years charged and Weinland willfully attempted to evade paying those taxes.  During the sentencing phase, the defense lawyers will be looking to reduce the tax deficiency, but the prosecution may be looking to increase it.  The burden of proof is not “beyond a reasonable doubt” but rather a less burdensome “preponderance of the evidence”.

To the base offense level of 18, another 2 levels for “sophisticated means”, the Swiss bank accounts, could be added for a total level of 20.  For someone like Ron with no prior criminal history, offense level 20 aligned with a sentencing range of 33 to 41 months.  Each change of two levels changes the prison term by 6 to 8 months.  Since this prison term is longer than one year, Ron cannot get probation or serve his sentence at home or in a halfway house.  He’ll have to go to “the big house”.  Well actually he’ll probably go to a minimum security camp.

Within a sentencing guideline of 33 to 41 months, 40 months is the most appropriate judgement for a scamming tax cheat who claims to be a prophet of the God of Abraham and an end-time witness of Revelation 11.  But with time off for good behavior, only 85% would need to be served.  When you consider the length of time for the investigation and obtain the indictment, hardly balances out.  The investigation began before the IRS confronted the Two Witnesses on July 2, 2008  and the indictment was returned on Nov 10, 2011, just about 40 months.

Next the fine.  An offense level of 20 results in a fine ranging from $7500 to $75000.  The government will look at the cost of incarcerating him to determine the fine.  For 3 years in prison the cost will probably be closer to $75,000.

Additionally, Weinland will be assessed $100 for each of the 5 counts for which he was found guilty.  And he may be required to pay the cost of the trial.  Each juror is paid a paltry $40/day.  But the first day, there were 50 candidate jurors called.  $2000.  Then an additional 7 days for 12 jurors and 2 alternates is around another $4000.  Then each witness is paid $40/day so Ron will have to pay the fees for his daughter and all his church members to testify.  Plus all the other witnesses.  Federal courts also pay mileage to their jurors and witnesses.

Then there’s the cost of Ron’s defense.  For Ron’s 3 lawyers just to sit through the 8-day trial at say $500/hour is $100,000.  And several times that for trial preparation.  And the cost of his expert witnesses, such as the forensic accountant who couldn’t stay awake during the trial.  In his blog posting of November 26 discussing the indictment, Ron stated: “The Church has a great team of lawyers and an investigator who are vigorously working to defend the Church and myself.” Wait a minute, Ron.  The Church was not in legal difficulty, you personally were.  Just as you aren’t supposed to wear the $1700 threads paid for by the Church to court on a personal matter, you don’t get to charge your defense to the Church either.  Ron, you’re going to have to treat that as income.  Your $200,000 annual salary from the Church probably won’t cover the taxes on the cost of your legal defense.

In addition to prison term and fines, Ron will have to pay his back taxes.  And probably the usual civil penalties.  Indications from the jurors were that Ron continued operating pretty much as before two IRS Special Agents showed up on his doorstep on July 2, 2008 (in the following sermon he talked about attacks by Satan).  So Ron is probably way, way behind on his taxes for 2009, 2010, and 2011.  I hope that part of the process is to bring him fully in compliance with his taxes including whatever withholding is needed for the legal expenses paid by the church = income.

But PKG members will buy his lame excuses about being persecuted for taking the Silent Witness along or whatever other lame excuses he comes up with.  This will be regarded as persecution of the church, never mind that it was really prosecution of a scamming tax cheat.