He Told His Followers He Was God All So He Could Rape Teen Girls
He Established An 80 Acre Farm That Was Pretty Sketchy
Photo: Metaweb / GNU Free Documentation LicenseIn 1974, Rinaldo opened Ellogo's farm in Washington, and referred to his religious cult as Eden Farms. In the summer of that year, neighbors in Snohomish, Washington noticed 20 to 30 tents built on the property of Eden Farms. Neighbors saw upward of 50 people working the fields of Eden Farms doing various field tasks. While cult followers were permitted to sell fruits and vegetables at stands on the side of the road, they were not allowed to discuss their religion. The secrecy that seemed to hover around Eden Farms continued to increase the scrutiny of neighbors and other leaders in the Snohomish, Washington community.
One person who grew up on the farm said children were also forced to work in the field, and if you refused, you faced severe punishment.
Rinaldo Forced People To Pledge Allegiance To Him And Had Sex With Underage Girls
Rinaldo used his power and influence to force people to pledge allegiance to him. He also had inappropriate and illegal sexual relationships with underage girls. He also threatened to physically harm people who said they wanted to leave, and crippled people financially so even if they could escape, they couldn't get very far. He told the group he was Michael the Archangel, and he planned to take them to Alabama to ride out the end of the world.
He Tricked The Locals Into Believing He Wasn't Building A Cult By Hosting Bingo Events
By the late '70s, Rinaldo was very much involved in the local community. He joined a local Masonic Lodge, acted as campaign manager for a Republican candidate for the Snohomish County Sheriff, and purchased a building, which later became the location for the Snohomish Chamber of Commerce. He even started hosting a local bingo event, just like "legitimate" church organizations.
The Court Found That Rinaldo Was A Sexual Psychopath
Rinaldo was convicted for his sex crimes, and as a result, the state of Washington evaluated whether he was a "sexual psychopath." This distinction allows offenders who are guilty to serve a portion of their sentence in a therapy program. Rinaldo's lawyers moved for this, and successfully were recognized by the court.
As a result, Rinaldo spent time in a treatment center for sexual psychopaths. The state ultimately concluded he was not open to rehabilitation and instead he received a designation in a general population prison.
Rinaldo Intimidated Witnesses In His First Trial
On July 12, 1979, police arrested Rinaldo. He was charged with statutory rape, indecent liberties, assault, coercion and intimidating a witness. A jury convicted Rinaldo of some of the offenses, which inspired others to come forward. Almost a year after Rinaldo's arrest, witnesses indicated they lied to police and prosecutors regarding Rinaldo's practices on Eden Farms. The witnesses advised that Rinaldo had threatened them if they told the truth.
Because of the new witness testimony, prosecutors also charged the cult leader with perjury, intimidating witnesses, tampering with witnesses and statutory rape.
Rinaldo Told People He Was God To Get Money For His Compound
In Seattle, Rinaldo started to develop a reputation for being a passionate and convincing preacher. The '60s counterculture helped attract a broad range of people to Rinaldo's "services." Followers of Rinaldo called themselves "The Group," and many reported he referred to himself (and others in The Group) as sons of God. By early 1970, Rinaldo started taking donations, so that he could buy land and legitimize the religious group status of The Group, and his followers donated thousands of dollars. By this time, the conman preacher was well on his way to becoming a cult leader.
A Reporter Uncovered The Truth About The Group
Local journalist Gary Larson started noticing the strange new group, and decided to take another look in 1979. In a series of six articles Larson wrote for The Everett Herald, he examined exactly what was happening at Eden Farms. He wrote about the group's cult-like activity, which attracted the attention of the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.
Late that same summer, the Snohomish County prosecutor's office charged Rinaldo with statutory rape, indecent liberties, assault, coercion and intimidating a witness.
He And A Friend Started Holding Services Inside Their Washington Home
According to some sources, Rinaldo claimed he studied at a Bible college for a period of time. It's unclear whether he was ordained, though he told the Everett Herald in a series of interviews he was. In the late 1960s - before he established Eden Farms - he met Paul Goff and the two became fast friends. They ended moving to Seattle together to start a ministry, and began holding religious meetings inside their homes.
Rinaldo Went After The Journalist Who Uncovered His Atrocities
Rinaldo filed a number of appeals after his conviction. His main target? Larson's reporting. His legal team went after Larson's confidential sources who tipped him off to the activity on the farm. However, after many appeals, and a short stint in an institution for sexual psychopaths, Rinaldo exhausted his efforts and remained incarcerated. A judge did, however, rule Larson had to turn over some of his reporting materials over to the criminal defendant - a move that sent a ripple effect through the journalism community.
The IRS Granted Tax Exempt Status To The Group
Photo: Patrick McManus / FlickrBy 1971, with the help of his cult follower's donation, Rinaldo started a non-profit called Ellogos, which means "God" in Hebrew. The United States Internal Revenue Service permitted Ellogos tax-exempt status in the same year. And the cult showed tax return earnings of nearly $230,000. By 1973, Ellogos has purchased almost 80 acres of land in Snohomish, Washington. Rinaldo's group was starting to look like a legitimate religious organization, and would soon begin to gain the attention of journalists and law enforcement.
