The Circle of Friends

Circle of Friends was a cult that operated from the 1970s out of Morristown, New Jersey and Washington D.C.[1][2][3] Its nominal head was George G. Jurscek, who was born in Hungary c.1920 and immigrated to the United States, becoming naturalized around 1953.[1] According to testimony by former members, Jurscek gave millenarianist lectures twice a week about "a great political and economic collapse (that) would occur before 2000."[4]

In 1978 the New York Times reported that it appeared to be actually run by Margaret L. Reinauer, Dianne Deming Desiderio, Mary O'Rourke and Lark Bergwin.[1] The group called themselves a "capitalistic commune" with a mission of making its members "healthy, wealthy, and wise."[1][2] They were headquartered in the former Saltz Hotel at West Hanover Avenue and Sussex Turnpike in Mount Freedom in Randolph Township, which the group purchased in 1978 for US$600,000.[5][6] At the time the group claimed assets of $6 million.[6]

As of 1978 the group owned multiple properties and businesses, including a security guard service and a real‐estate, investment, and construction companies.[1] According to a 1991 article in the journal Security Management, Ideological and Theological Background In the 1970's the Cult drew on Gnostic Christian and Anthroposophical Teachings to inculcate, in the lectures of Mr. Jursek, that the endtime was near and that only the surviving "knowers" would survive. The Circle drew initiates into the Cult with messages of special knowledge and a spiritual/racial theory that seduced members into believing that they would be among the surviving Gnostic elite after the apocalypse that was coming. Jursek drew on the popular spiritual teachings of Hal Lindsey and a variety of Hindu teachings about the Kali-Yuga regarding the end-time. More research might be done into the particular syncretic notions that were particular to Jursek's religious teachings within the Circle. Jews and Blacks were prize initiates but the racialist and Gnostic Christian teachings may have alienated minorities. How these theological and end-time teachings might have been integrated into a "capitalist commune" or into Jursek's economic theories remains unclear.

Members of the lower echelon of the group worked primarily as security officers with many working double shifts. Salaries were sent to the group's post office box. Members were encouraged to enroll in colleges, receive education loans, and then defer payment. When charges were brought against the group for the student loan scam, other frauds surfaced. Members would work for two different private security firms at the same time and have someone else sign in for them at one job while they worked another. Sex was used as a means to keep supervisors from revealing the practice to company heads.[2]

— L. Kahaner

In 1988 Jurscek and O'Rourke were tried for conspiracy and fraud on the student-loan defaults.[4] Six former members of the group, including Bergwin and Desiderio, testified for the prosecution.[4][7] The two were convicted of fraud and conspiracy.[3][8] They faced up to 20 years imprisonment and fines of up to $200,000 each.[8] In September of 1991 Jurscek was sentenced to 7 years.[9]

Deprogrammer activities

Galen Kelly worked as a deprogrammer against the group starting in 1978, by offering "voluntary interventions" during which he would approach a member as they entered or left work and offer them the opportunity to see and talk to a trusted family member.[3] In November 1978 the group filed a suit against Galen, asking for a court order forbidding "kidnappings such as the alleged abduction" of a member.[10] In 1990 he was convicted of kidnapping a member of Washington D.C. cell, Debra Dobkowski, and spent 16 months in prison before his conviction was overturned on appeal.[3] Galen claimed Dobkowski and the cult had set him up by having Dobkowski switch guard shifts with her roommate, Beth Bruckert, the actual target of the intervention, that he'd offered a voluntary intervention, and that Dobkowski had accompanied him willingly.[3][11][12] Dobkowski later pleaded guilty for money laundering crimes associated with her membership in the group and served a 21-month prison sentence.[13]

References
  1. "The Enigma of Morristown's Capitalistic Commune (Published 1978)". The New York Times. December 10, 1978. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  2. Kahaner, L (March 1991). "Guarding Against Cults". Security Management. p. Volume:35 Issue:3 Pages:54–58. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  3. Gray, Lisa (December 16, 1994). "Closing the Circle". Washington City Paper. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  4. "Two Guilty in Scam: Student loans lined pockets of cult leaders". Associated Press. December 8, 1988. p. 783. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  5. "Home of 'Circle of Friends' reportedly to be sold". Bernardsville News. September 8, 1983. p. 12. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  6. Thompson, Janet (November 11, 1978). "Circle of Friends purchases a resort hotel in Randolph". The Courier-News. p. 3. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  7. "Official says former 'Friend' prompted indictment". Daily Record. November 3, 1988. p. 5. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  8. "2 Cult Leaders Guilty In College Loan Case (Published 1988)". The New York Times. December 8, 1988. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  9. Campbell, Carol Ann (1991-10-02). "A trip back to herself". The Record. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  10. "Cult Members Seeking Court Protection". Daily Record. November 7, 1978. p. 5. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  11. U.S. Seeks to Fire Prosecutor in Va. For Alleged Misconduct in Cult Kidnapping Case, Washington Post, October 4, 1994
  12. Discovery violations have made evidence-gathering a shell game Archived May 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 24, 1998
  13. Return of the Cult Snatcher, Washington City Paper, September 23, 1994
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