Scientologists
claim adversary had $2 million check forged
Riverside Press-Enterprise
July 26, 1984
By RONNIE D. SMITH
Press-Enterprise Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES — Church of Scientology
officials
Tuesday accused a top church adversary of conspiring with organized
crime figures
to steal $2 million from Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard two years
ago.
[...]
The allegations against Flynn were outlined
Tuesday
at a Los Angeles press conference attended by Scientology president
Heber Jentzsch,
church attorney John Peterson, church spokesman Vaughan Young and a
private investigator,
Eugene Ingram.
[...]
Ingram, a Los Angeles private detective hired
by the
church, said two brothers -- Ala and Akil
Tamimi -- and a third person who he said was a member of organized crime
in Boston,
have identified Flynn as being involved in the scam.
[...]
Ingram is a former Los Angeles Police
Department sergeant
who was fired in 1981
[...]
Akil's brother Ala
Tamimi contended in court papers filed Monday in district court in
Los Angeles
in a separate case that he had the Hubbard check forged after Flynn gave
him sample
checks and offered him $400,000 -- Tamimi's share of the $2 million.
Ala
Tamimi, who Ingram says is a forger, is in jail in Naples, Italy,
pending
extradition to the United States in a separate fraud case. Ingram said
Tamimi,
[ ] will be paid $25,000 for his information by the church
[...]
"This is outrageous," said Flynn.
"They
are manufacturing evidence to smear me because I exposed them. The
allegations
are a joke. I plan to file a criminal complaint against Ingram, Peterson
and the
others. This is a criminal conspiracy to frame me of a crime.. I am
going to try
to get them indicted."
Church attorney Peterson countered: "He
will claim
this is frame-up by the Church of Scientology. Mr. Flynn cannot
withstand scrutiny
on this because we have the facts . . . and they show clearly without a
doubt
that Mr. Flynn . . . and others conspired to counterfeit a check, they
forged
a check and they tried to steal $2 million from Mr. Hubbard."
[...]
Other than the statements by the two
brothers, Ingram,
the private detective, refused to provide detailed evidence that he
claims shows
Flynn's involvement in the check scheme and with organized crime. He
also refused
to identify others involved.
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