1985 legal declaration of Patricia Masters, a highly placed member in the Adidam community, describing Adi Da's abuses relating to his tax-free non-profit entity, as well as the procurement of gifts and luxury items for him and his entourage using money from the membership. Filed as an exhibit in the 1985 lawsuit of Beverly O'Mahony vs. Adi Da (aka Da Free John or Franklin Jones).
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF MARIN
BEVERLY JACOBS O'MAHONY, an individual, Plaintiff,
v. FRANKLIN JONES, aka DA FREE JOHN, an individual, et al, Defendants
Case No. 121 999
DECLARATION OF PATRICIA MASTERS
I, Patricia Masters, say:
1. The facts stated herein are made on personal knowledge and, if sworn as a witness, I am competent to testify to the matters stated herein.
2. I was a member of the Johannine Daist Communion ("JDC") continuously from approximately 1974 until November, 1984 when I left JDC. Prior to February, 1985, I was married to Dennis Duff, a member of JDC and head of a division of JDC known as Renunciate Order Services. The primary purpose of Renunciate Order Services was to provide money, property and services for Franklin Jones, aka Da Free John and the entourage surrounding him living in the Fiji Islands. During the period of February, 1984 to November, 1984 I was the person within JDC charged with responsibility for, among other things, the raising of funds for and purchase of jewelry, clothing, food, including caviar and imported champagne for Franklin Jones and his immediate entourage living with him in Fiji.
3. All of the materials referred to in paragraph 2, which included an expensive persian rug, designer jewelry, expensive fabrics, womens' lingerie and other items, I prepared for shipment to and were thereafter shipped from Marin County, California to the Fiji Islands.
4. The goods referred to above were purchased with funds raised from the members of JDC in Marin County, California. Such funds were raised by soliciting the membership for money to be donated to JDC and thereafter used for the purchase of the property referred to above.
5. The particular items of property that Franklin Jones wanted shipped from California to Fiji were ordered through persons on Fiji who spoke at the direction of Jones. The primary person who communicated such demands was Patricia Tsikinas, the wife of William Tsikinas, and the person charged wit communicating Jones' demands to me.
6. In addition to the items of property referred to above, Franklin Jones, through Craig Wolfe, then head of Renunciate Order Services, directed me to obtain up to $2,000 each time one of the nine ladies known as one of the wives was to have a birthday. In addition, Patricia Tsikinas called me on behalf of Jones and told me the specific items he wished to give each such wife on the occasion of her birthday. These items often would cost nearly the entire $2,000. I know that Jones gave such directions because on one occasion, shortly before I left JDC, I was called in the middle of the night and told that a pink body suit was missing from the shipment to Fiji and Jones wanted it sent immediately. Thereafter, the membership would be solicited for such funds and I, or another member of JDC under my direction, would purchase various gifts for such wives, which gifts were directed and ordered by Franklin Jones as stated above.
7. In addition to the gifts solicited and directed above, Franklin Jones celebrated a religious holiday every other month during the period he was on Fiji and I, and other members of JDC in Marin County, California, were directed to solicit money for the purchase of gifts to be made to Franklin Jones on each of such celebrations.
8. During the period I had the responsibilities outlined above, JDC maintained a petty cash fund at its headquarters at 750 Adrian Way, San Rafael, California which kept an average balance of $1,000 which was used for shopping for miscellaneous items for the benefit of Franklin Jones and his personal household on Fiji.
9. I observed beginning in approximately 1978 that Franklin Jones was attempting to disassociate himself from the activities of JDC so as not to be held responsible for any actions taken against JDC. These efforts, included among other things, the following:
A) The rewriting of the minutes of the board of directors of JDC.
B) Concealment of all records and references to the personal habits of Franklin Jones including particularly his participation in unusual and bizarre sexual activities and use of drugs.
C) An attempt to form a secret and separate corporation for Franklin Jones' benefit for which separate funds would be solicited independent of the solicitations for the general purposes of JDC.
D) The destruction of all notes, records, and memoranda that would tend to indicate that Franklin Jones was in control of the affairs of JDC. This effort also included the erasure of audio tapes recordings of Jones, transcripts of directions by Jones and the purchase and use of a shredder for the destruction of the aforementioned. In addition, I was told to change references to direction by Jones to read as directions by Elizabeth Brown, a member of his household and generally referred to as one of his wives.
10. It is my belief, based upon the facts I personally observed while a member of JDC and a person working in the Renunciate Order Services that all significant activities of JDC are accomplished at the direction of Franklin Jones and that Brian O'Mahoney, Vincent Goddard, John Andrews and Larry Hastings, the purported board of directors of JDC, exercise no independent judgement with respect to the activities of JDC and must do nothing to displease the spiritual master. The bases for this belief include, among other things, the fact that such persons obey all directions and suggestions of Franklin Jones and have never refused any direction from him. In addition, Franklin Jones is constantly known as and referred to as the spiritual master of all members of JDC. In order to reach a purported leadership position, such as a membership on the board of directors of JDC, a person must have demonstrated the complete submission of his or her will to that of Jones and willing obedience to all suggestions and directions by Jones. Any deviation from this total submission, would, in effect, constitute a renunciation of the spiritual master and render the person unfit to continue as a member of the board of JDC.
11. Franklin Jones also directed that his Renunciate Order Agreement Vows be changed so that a provision giving the board of directors of JDC the power to review his renunciate status was deleted so that Jones would be the sole arbiter of his renunciate status.
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on this 26th day of June, 1985 at San Francisco, California.
Patricia Masters