Old news, but I just though it would be interesting to explore articles and opinions on the case as his second wife and widow gets ready for her own trial about not completely unrelated matters: The Moon's use of money donated by followers.
Included below are articles about Moon's criminal trial and conviction as well as a civil case brought by a member over an attempted deprogramming which is related as the case happened around the same time and was dropped to avoid further testimony by Moon after he invoked the 5th Ammendment 9 times and was threatened with a contempt charge.
1981:Oct. 23: Criminal Case: Bigotry Charge Raised at Rally For Rev. Moon (https://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/23/nyregion/bigotry-charge-raised-at-rally-for-rev-moon.html) (The New York Times)
QuoteMost of the speeches at the three-hour rally took up the religious persecution theme, with the president of the Unification Church, Dr. Mose Durst, declaring that Mr. Moon was being harassed because he was ''the most moral man in America.'' ...
He said the 40,000-member Unification Church was ''the only church in America which has been forced to pay taxes on church property.'' He was referring to a New York court decision that several of the church's properties were primarily used for political purposes and could not be tax-exempt. State laws vary, but in New York, church-owned property not used for religious purposes is taxable. A spokesman for Trinity Parish said the Wall Street Episcopal church paid about $4 million a year in taxes on its properties.
Unification Church officials say the funds challenged in the Federal indictment were church monies and did not represent personal income for Mr. Moon. Dr. Durst said he did not know how much Mr. Moon earned, nor who paid him.
1982:March 1: Criminal Case: United States v. Sun Myung Moon, 532 F. Supp. 1360 (https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/532/1360/2145970/) (Justia US Law)
QuoteThus, with the exception of Kamiyama's motion regarding the accuracy of the translations during the grand jury proceedings, see note 4 supra, the defendants' motions are denied. Trial will commence on March 22, 1982.
SO ORDERED.
April 4: Singapore Government Bans Rev. Moon's Religious Group (https://www.nytimes.com/1982/04/04/world/singapore-government-bans-rev-moon-s-religious-group.html) (The New York Times)
QuoteSingapore has banned the religious sect headed by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, who is on trial in New York on charges of tax fraud.
A Home Affairs Ministry statement issued Friday night said that the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, set up here two years ago, had been dissolved because its activities were ''prejudicial to public welfare and good order.''
April 9: Criminal Case: Defense Asserts Moon's Church Owns Mansion (https://www.nytimes.com/1982/04/09/nyregion/defense-asserts-moon-s-church-owns-mansion.html) (The New York Times)
QuoteThe prosecution and the defense presented contrasting views of the real-estate transaction, although there was no dispute that Mr. Moon lives on the estate with his family and staff.
In the prosecution's view, the arrangements to buy the expensive estate showed that large amounts of money from Mr. Moon's bank accounts were regarded by the church as his personal funds to be used for his personal needs.
According to the defense, Mr. Moon had merely provided money from church funds held in his name and had used the money for church purposes.
May 19: Criminal Case: Rev. Moon Convicted of Tax Fraud (https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/19/nyregion/rev-moon-is-convicted-of-income-tax-fraud.html) (The New York Times)
Quote...They sought to prove that Mr. Moon had deliberately failed to report more than $100,000 of bank-account interest and $50,000 of stock on his tax returns....
The jury of two men and 10 women also convicted one of Mr. Moon's top aides, Takeru Kamiyama, of conspiracy, perjury and obstructing the investigation that led to the trial. ...
Moments after the verdict, a Unification Church official issued a statement expressing confidence that Mr. Moon would be ''fully vindicated.'' It described him as ''the most abused and misunderstood religious leader of the 20th century.''
The 62-year-old Korean evangelist, who lives on an estate in Irvington, N.Y., had asserted after his indictment last year that he was being prosecuted because of prejudice against him and his church members.
Many prosecution witnesses were church officials who testified reluctantly under subpoenas. A prosecutor muttered, ''Getting their testimony is like pulling hens' teeth.''
The main question was whether the bank accounts and stock held in Mr. Moon's name belonged to him personally or to the international Unification Church movement, the judge explained. He said, ''This is the crucial issue of fact for you to decide.''
Key evidence included backdated documents about loans and finances in the church's records. Watermarks provided evidence that some documents had been created long after the transactions they purportedly recorded had taken place, and that the documents had been backdated as if signed at the time of the transactions.
The judge had told the lawyers in an earlier discussion, when the jury was not present, that evidence of an ''attempt to cover up'' had turned the initial failure to report income into a ''criminal tax case.''
The prosecution presented immigration documents contending that Mr. Moon and his wife, Hak Ja Han, had fraudulently obtained permanentresident status with a false statement that she worked for a Korean foundation here. They could face immigration hearings.
May 19: Criminal Case: Moon Found Guilty of Filing False Income Tax Returns (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/05/19/moon-found-guilty-of-filing-false-income-tax-returns/c0a9de51-712d-4bac-8759-9a7f26930347/) (The Washington Post)
QuoteCodefendant Takeru Kamiyama, a close aide to Moon, was found guilty of conspiracy, aiding in the filing of false returns, obstruction, submitting false documents and perjury. He faces a maximum prison sentence of 51 years and a fine of up to $95,000.
May 26: Civil Case: Judge Refuses to Dismiss 'Moonie' Suit (https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/05/26/Judge-refuses-to-dismiss-Moonie-suit/1833391233600/) (UPI)
QuoteA judge hearing evidence in a trial of a $9 million complaint brought by a member of the Unification Church against a professional deprogrammer Wednesday rejected a motion to dismiss the complaint to spare the Rev. Sun Myung Moon from testifying under subpoena.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Owen ordered Moon, the church founder and leader to testify at the trial in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Moon's lawyer, Charles Stillman, advised the judge that the 62-year old Korean evangelist would refuse to answer questions on his Fifth Amendment rights against possible self-incrimination. Moon could be cited for contempt of court.
In rejecting the motion to dismiss, Owen said he had doubts whether the proposal represented the wishes of Anthony Columbrito, the plaintiff in the case. 'The Unification Church has been running this trial from beginning to end,' he said. 'It has called all the shots.'
May 27: Civil Case: Moon Invokes 5th Amendment In US Civil Trial (https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/27/nyregion/moon-invokes-5th-amendment-in-us-civil-trial.html) (The New York Times)
QuoteUnder the threat of jail or a fine, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon answered scores of questions about the Unification Church yesterday, but invoked the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination nine times on questions about his yacht, residences and commercial ventures and some of the sexual doctrines of his church.
Much of the testimony dealt with the marriage doctrine of the church as the defendant, a church deprogrammer, sought to show that Mr. Moon's church was a sham operation. There had been earlier testimony that sexual relations after marriage were often delayed for years to permit ''fund-raising teams'' to remain on the streets selling flowers.
Mr. Moon conceded under questioning that he decided when a married couple could have sexual intercourse based on ''divine revelation of God and the theology of the Church.''
At one point, Judge Richard Owen became visibly annoyed when Mr. Moon refused to answer a question about his role in the church and was apparently concerned that his lawyer was prompting him. Judge Issues Warning. He peered down at the witness and said: ''Rev. Moon, look at me. Do you understand that the Court has directed you to answer the question and if you refuse, that could result in a finding of contempt? Do you understand I can take certain steps to compel the answers?''
May 27: Civil Case: The Rev. Sun Myung Moon Testified Today That He.. (https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/05/27/The-Rev-Sun-Myung-Moon-testified-today-that-he/3542391320000/) (UPI)
QuoteThe Rev. Sun Myung Moon testified today that he has frequent conversations with Jesus, Moses and Buddha and believes he 'has the possibility of becoming the real Messiah.' ...
Moon said he could not recall when he first talked to Moses and Buddha, but it was after the Pusan revelation, he said. About Buddha, he testified, 'He talked about the antagonisms among churches and he urged me to help in the unification of all churches to save the universe.'
Moon's testimony was frequently interrupted by his lawyer, Charles Stillman, who vigorously objected to what he considered an unconstitutional intrusion into Moon's personal religious beliefs.
'This is an American court,' he implored. 'It's inappropriate to ask these questions of this witness.'
But Judge Richard Owen allowed the examination to continue, saying previous trial testimony by former Moon followers related 'to incredible acts of almost self-slavery' performed on Moon's behalf as a religious leader.
In his testimony Wednesday, Moon spoke of his control of such matters as who and when church members marry. 'I act on the divine revelation of God and the theology of the Unification Church,' he said.
He invoked the Fifth Amendment nine times in responding to about 60 questions about the policies and practices of his Unification Church. His testimony came in the trial of a $9 million suit brought by a Unification Church member against a professional deprogrammer.
Judge Owen advised the witness that he could be jailed if he refused to answer questions the court decided were not self-incriminating.
May 28: Civil Case: Moon, On Stand, Tells Of His Religious Beliefs (https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/28/nyregion/moon-on-stand-tells-of-his-religious-beliefs.html) (The New York Times)
QuoteA hearing was scheduled for this morning on Mr. Moon's contention that he is being subjected to a ''Federal judicial inquisition'' and a request that the case be dropped.
Mr. Stillman says he is concerned that the testimony could jeopardize Mr. Moon's appeal of his criminal conviction last week on Federal tax-evasion charges. Mr. Moon did not testify at his own trial, and his testimony yesterday was monitored by the United States Attorney's office.
Mr. Moon's lawyer also said that significant constitutional questions had been raised by Judge Owen's decision this week to allow the trial to continue. The plaintiff, Anthony Colombrito, had sought to dismiss the case when he learned that Mr. Moon would be forced to testify.
Judge Owen declined to drop the case, saying he was not convinced Mr. Colombrito had arrived at the decision on his own. Mr. Colombrito has pressed his case for more than three years. He asserts that he was abducted from a church center in Barrytown, N.Y., in an effort by his parents to make him renounce the church. The effort was unsuccessful....
At one point yesterday, John DeGraff, Jr., the lawyer for the defendant, Galen Kelly of Kingston, N.Y., sought to question Mr. Moon about what he said was his first conversation with Jesus on Easter morning when he was 16.
Mr. Stillman leaped to his feet, protesting the line of questioning. ''This is an American courtroom,'' he said. ''I must protect my client's rights.''
Judge Owen interjected: ''I have heard testimony during this trial from college graduates who said they spent two to three years fundraising on the streets, who have been told that the witness here is their personal Messiah and that he is responsible for their wellbeing on this earth and the hereafter.
''It is on the basis of this that these young people follow him, doing incredible acts of almost self-slavery, selling flowers from buckets from 8 A.M. to 11 P.M. year after year. Mr. Galen has been charged with trying to interrupt this life. And so we want to know whether this is a bona fide religion or not.''
Judge Owen said that one reason so many young people had joined the Unification Church was that they believed in Mr. Moon's conversations with Moses, Jesus and Buddha. If these conversations did not take place, the judge said, that was important to know.
Mr. Moon said: ''I'm ready to answer. I met Jesus Christ.'' ''How did you know it was Jesus Christ?'' Mr. DeGraff asked. ''I remember Him from his holy picture,'' Mr. Moon answered. ''He said He was the Jesus Christ.'' Mr. Moon said he still spoke with Jesus ''whenever I pray.''
July 17: Criminal Case: Moon Is Sentenced To 18-Month Term (https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/17/nyregion/moon-is-sentenced-to-18-month-term.html) (The New York Times)
QuoteThe Rev. Sun Myung Moon was sentenced to an 18-month prison term yesterday for tax fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice, but he remained free pending an appeal. ...
Mr. Moon, who would be eligible for parole after serving one-third of the sentence, was also fined the maximum of $25,000 plus the costs of prosecution. And he could face deportation proceedings. The maximum sentence for Mr. Moon could have been five years for conspiracy and three years on each of three tax charges involved in his failure to report $150,000 in income from bank accounts and securities. ...
The judge imposed a six-month sentence and a $5,000 fine on a codefendant, Takeru Kamiyama, one of Mr. Moon's top aides. Mr. Kamiyama was convicted of the conspiracy charge, of assisting in the tax fraud and of lying to the grand jury. Mr. Moon was extolled as a man of unique qualities by his lawyers, Charles A. Stillman and Prof. Laurence H. Tribe of Harvard Law School. They contended that he had merely held church funds in his name as a religious trust and that he had been prosecuted because of widespread public hostility toward the Unification Church.
"The man has been punished by our system," Mr. Stillman said, asserting that imprisonment would merely "satisfy a public bloodlust for Sun Myung Moon." ...
In the crowded courtroom, filled with somber supporters of Mr. Moon, Judge Goettel declared that "general deterrence" called for a prison term. He said it would be unfair to free someone who could afford top lawyers when "poor people who get caught" go to jail for relatively minor crimes. ...
If Mr. Moon received a suspended sentence, the judge went on, millions of people would believe that "the rich and the powerful go free." Judge Goettel said he had received "several thousand letters" in Mr. Moon's behalf, some from scientists, political leaders and officials of other churches expressing "fear that freedom of religion was being threatened."
"I think these fears are totally unwarranted in this case," he continued, saying the letters indicated a misunderstanding of the issues. He added, "It is the crime that dictates the sentence more than anything else."
The case was not limited to tax-fraud charges involving the failure to report income from bank accounts and securities, Judge Goettel said. He stressed that Mr. Moon had also been convicted of a conspiracy involving false documents, perjured testimony and obstruction of justice.
If the failure to report the income had been the only charge, a suspended sentence could be appropriate for Mr. Moon under the circumstances, the judge said. He suggested that the "the cover-up scheme" was more serious than the original offense.
Sept. 13: Criminal Case Appeal: USA, Appellee, v. Sun Myung Moon & Takeru Kamiyama, Defendants-Appellants (https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/718/1210/416820/) (Justia - US Law)
1984:July 4: Civil Case: Unification Church Told to Pay Fees (https://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/04/nyregion/the-city-unificationchurch-told-to-pay-fees.html) (the New York Times)
QuoteA Federal judge ruled in Manhattan yesterday that the Unification Church and one of its members must pay $79,000 in attorneys' fees and legal expenses from a lawsuit.
The suit was brought by the church member, Anthony Colombrito, against Galen G. Kelly, who had sought to ''deprogram'' Mr. Colombrito and persuade him to leave the church.
The suit was dropped during the trial when the Rev. Sun Myung Moon was required to testify as head of the church.
Judge Richard Owen of Federal District Court awarded the costs ''incurred in defending against this vexatious, meritless action.''
The judge said the evidence had portrayed the church as ''an organization raising substantial funds at great personal cost to its members.'' Much of the money, he added, was spent on costly conferences and ''the lavish personal expenses of Reverend Moon and certain high officials of his various organizations.''
July 19: Criminal Case: Moon Ordered to Start Serving Term Tomorrow (https://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/19/nyregion/moon-is-ordered-to-start-serving-term-tomorrow.html) (The New York Times)
QuoteJudge Goettel said there was nothing in the record to indicate that Mr. Moon had been persecuted because of his religious activities. Justice Dept. Praised. ''On the contrary, to avoid prosecution would have been highly suspect,'' the judge said from the bench. He praised the Justice Department for pursuing the case, which he said had been ''politically unpopular.''
Mr. Moon, who lives on an estate in Westchester County, N.Y., was not in the courtroom as the judge heard motions by Mr. Moon's lawyers to reduce the sentence or allow Mr. Moon to leave the United States for a period of ''temporary exile'' instead of going to prison.
Michael J. McAllister, a defense lawyer, said Mr. Moon had been ''sufficiently punished'' by his conviction. Mr. McAllister said a prison term would have a ''tragic impact'' on Mr. Moon's family of 12 children and on the direction and work of his three-million- member church.
Brad M. Schwartz, chief of the criminal division of the United States Attorney's office in New York, said Mr. Moon had been convicted of ''serious crimes and serious activities.'' Mr. McAllister declined comment on whether other legal steps would be taken to postpone the start of the prison term.
July 24: Civil Case - Judge's Opinion & Order: Anthony COLOMBRITO, Plaintiff, v. Galen G. KELLY, et al., Defendants. (https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914c327add7b049347c44a8) (Case Mine)
QuoteDuring the course of the extensive trial I heard much uncontradicted testimony as to other young men and women being induced by an escalating and eventually heavy indoctrination to become followers of Reverend Moon. These followers were then placed in teams and sent out in vans to various sites throughout the United States to sell flowers and solicit money on the same approximate schedule as had Anthony. At the trial, Kelly flew deprogrammed young men and certain of their parents to New York from all over the country to testify to this, and to the fact that they had been questionably fed and housed. I heard little contradiction of the foregoing by anyone affiliated with the Holy Spirit Association. I also heard uncontradicted evidence of callousness by members of the Association in thwarting parents' efforts to meet with their children when it was believed a parent wanted to talk to the child about leaving. ...
The evidence regarding Anthony and other similarly situated Association members presented a picture of an organization raising substantial funds at great personal cost to its members. The great bulk of these funds were expended on such things as an annual multi-million dollar international conference and the lavish personal expenses of Reverend Moon and certain high officials of his various organizations, with but modest expenditure on works more traditionally regarded as that of a religious group. As plaintiff's claims involved allegations that defendant Kelly abducted him with a "class-based animus" of hostility to his religion, I concluded that, in light of evidence such as that referred to above, Kelly was justified in raising the question of whether or not the Holy Spirit Association was a bona fide religion. ...
Turning to an award of fees, I find from all the evidence that the Holy Spirit Association was using this action to harass Kelly. This is demonstrated by the fact that it was financing and controlling this — the Colombrito case — hard on the heels of the Vogel case against Kelly, which was also dropped. From Church of Scientology internal documents, which were obtained by the F.B.I. and were before me on this motion, it also appears that there was an "organized movement against Kelly by cultists," to drive him from the deprogramming scene. One of Colombrito's lawyers on this trial, who was earlier a lawyer for the Hari Krishnas, is prominently mentioned in those documents as a member of this "organized movement" with the intention to "get [Galen Kelly] and all others involved."
1985: August 21: Criminal Case: US Releases Moon, Ending Prison Term On Tax Fraud Count (https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/21/nyregion/us-releases-moon-ending-prison-term-on-tax-fraud-count.html) (The New York Times)
From the above article (this deserves its own thread!, and it's news to me)- and I spotted a 40-year-old typo:
QuoteIn another action involving the church, a South Korean national who admitted kidnapping a top assistant of Mr. Moon last year was sentenced to 15 years in prison yesterday after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy and attempted extortion charges.
The man, Yung Soo Suh, 49, admitted in Federal District Court in Manhattan that he led a group that kidnapped the church official, Col. Bo Hi Pak, in Manhattan last September and held him in upstate Orange County.
Colonel Pak, who served as acting head of the church during the imprisonment of its leader, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, on tax-evasion charges, was held for two days. He was rleased when he agreed to transfer $500,000 in church funds to his kidnappers' secret Swiss bank account.
Six men, all Korean natives, were arrested two months after the kidnapping. Charges were dropped against three and another was acquitted of kidnapping charges. The last defendant, a retired South Korean Marine general, Sang Whi Nam, is to go on trial Nov. 18.