Sugarleaf Victim of Church Scam steps forward publicly
Total Herbal Care, who was scheduled to officially launch their church later this month, released the following public statement on August 1st 2017 at 4:52pm
·
"Hello, everyone. As you all know, for the last several months, my husband and I have been aligning ourselves with the ONA Sugarleaf Rastafarian Church, namely Eddy and Heidi Lepp. I am here today to formally state how very wrong we were, and for that, we can't apologize enough for this lapse in judgement. Over the course of the last month, our attorney and business partner has been diving into this 17 year scheme that is equally as large as Ponzi. What we have been uncovering is nothing short of mind blowing, and we feel like absolute fools for believing a second of this. However, we are not ego driven, and have no qualms admitting that we were wrong to trust these people. We come forward now to warn our cannabis community, and everyone who thinks they will protect you. They will not, not because they don't want to, but because they cannot.
"Our first red flag arose two months ago, when we went to open a bank account using church paperwork. The paperwork came back as an invalid tax identification number, which led to further digging." This is concerning and a bit puzzling as if they were establishing their church as a "Branch" they would automatically be entitled to use their "Mother Churches Tax Identification Numbers, meaning both their EIN and also their 501c3 If they had so. From the sounds of this, they were either given a wrong number, or their mother church was invalid, that would be our guess from the sounds of it.
Now, If they were establishing as an Independent "Free Church", they would have to contact the IRS and go through the application process and obtain their Own EIN number and from there establish their 501c3 If it was something they wanted for their church, so is why our initial response is what it is for that reason. They MAY have been duped into thinking they needed someone Else to do it, rumors are floating saying that Sugarleaf was Selling that as part of their "consultation" but beings we don't know it would only be speculation on ONAC's part, hence why we Hope to converse with these folks and get more details as to what's gone on and try to get to the bottom of it hopefully with a beneficial outcome for all.
ONAC KM leaders point out "As we learned there were concerns regarding Sugarleaf "selling churches" as well as too, multitudes of Cannabis Churches rising up and coming out across the nation, we made it a personal point to attempt to reach out and ensure they Were legally protected as best as was possible to be, out of concern for their safety legally. Though we only established contact with a small handfull, among those we found a few who didn't even Know they needed a federal identification number and so we Personally assisted them in attaining that from the IRS even-though they weren't even affiliated with ONAC because ultimately we were concerned and wanted to make sure they didn't get into a legal problem without at Least that much validation as it Would ultimately backlash upon all cannabis practitioning churches in a bad way if they did and we felt it was the right thing for us to do to ensure they had that set in their foundational stone."
The next statement alerting to us is "This "church" was first opened and developed in 2000 using a legal and legit tax identification number from a church out of Colorado." We as ONAC are Very Interested to find out what church exactly it is that they are speaking about from Colorado and in the year 2010. We Hope to have an opportunity to speak with them or to see more detailed information on this relayed so we can research and hopefully Confirm that this church was Not an ONAC church that was involved in this.
They point out that "The church victims are linked with the continuous raids occurring in California" so we continue to presume that they are maintaining their focus on Sugarleaf Rastafarian Church, at least thus far.
This next quote from them to us remains an Extremely alarming statement made to ONAC and we Seriously hope to learn more detail from them in time to come as this is a Seriously Strong allegation, one to which we will need undeniable PROOF before we can confidently jump in and tackle is as being a problem obviously needing major correction IF IT IS THE CASE, and we Think all will Agree to our position, take a look: "Every major cannabis attorney and law enforcement eradication teams are working with these people to profit from the continuous misery brought down on the cannabis farmers."
Now, this next statement Really captures our attention for Obvious reasons because now we are getting back to the situation ONAC was in almost Exactly the same as we found ourselves in with Sugarleaf one year ago, that involved the people they are about to mention: "Matthew Pappas, Charnel James, Patrick D. McNeal, Abdallah Law Group PC, and countless other law offices are in on this scam and are directly profiting from this continued raiding efforts." ONAC Completely AGREES with their conclusion being "The ripple effect extends beyond measure" if in fact we can confirm that this allegation is in fact true and provable!
As many well know, we had a very in-depth investigation going on as a result of the situation last year caused by Pappas and his people, one of which we ultimately were left needing to find more direct victims in order to tie the whose to the whats they did and gear toward attaining legal accountability. Again this is why we remain Thankful to them for coming forward with such necessary key information needed so that we Can proceed forward in pursuing legal action and accountability upon them.
Of the victims we found from last year, NONE were WILLING to file any kind of legal action against ANY of them, and ultimately we only attained Enough information to affirmatively conclude that Matthew Pappas and Patrick McNeil were directly involved with their hand in the cookie jar scam they were running. Oklevueha HAVE been attempting legal action upon Mr. Pappas but thus far, do to our lacking in proof and direct victim witnesses, ultimately all that has been filed has been thus far dismissed. We HOPE that these folks will be willing to stand with us as we do stand in support of their actions in this situation now against Sugarleaf, and Hopefully then we will be given some legal justice and these criminals will attain the brand "Thief" as they so obviously Deserve.
Those who have question or concern about this are Welcomed as well as Highly Encouraged to visit the archives of our news site here and review the articles posted back during the time of the investigation, and you will see how ultimately it fizzled as we lacked the proof and witnesses. As we say again, hopefully NOW together we can produce Enough to attain some legal justice and ensure they get accountability deserved us, and by us i mean ALL victims of these people, including ONAC!
For the record so it is known, we had only recently become aware of an attorney group "Abdallah Law Group PC" as mentioned above was an office questionably involved and are still awaiting communication from them explaining how it is and by whose authority they became associated with ONAC, but as of this time we ourselves are unsure of them or how it is they're tying into ONAC as of this time, just so everyone is aware of the current disposition regarding them, otherwise the rest named were under suspicions during the investigation one year ago encompassing Matt Pappas.
"Photographs quickly surfaced with Mrs. Lepp attending police events, and has been photographed with every major player in the Northern California raids. They find small gardener's seeking help, hand their names and locations to law enforcement so they can be raided days before harvest, so as to take the entirety of the finished medicine, and then they then give you names of the top attorneys to fight your case, even offering court support so you aren't alone." Though this does sound very plausible, we will need physical PROOF if we are to step forward publicly and legally on the grounds of this claim. ONAC IS WILLING TO, but we will need proof in hand showing it's truth before we can or will do so. We HOPE that they have such proof and are willing to share it and rise with us against these people as they need to be stopped and too, they deserve being the example for future scammers who look and consider using our or ANY church in attempt to guise their selfish greed.
"Little did we know at the time, but our attorney for our criminal case, Charnel James, owns several churches herself, profiting from us as clients, from Heidi and Eddy as a church, and from the police force for helping in their raids." ONAC had concerns of suspicion as to the involvement on the part of Ms James BUT back during the investigation, we were unable to conclusively confirm that she was a Knowing participant in the what we deemed "Pappas Scam". Our investigation revealed only ONE CHURCH being officiated in Ms. James name, which we Did announce publicly both in print as well as in a radio broadcast announcement. At that time, as you will see should you review our archives, we presented the reason for suspicion, and ultimately gave Ms. James the "Benefit of the Doubt" in her claim to ONAC that Pappas had Gifted her the one church we had found as a form of payment for her agreeing to assist with then current and too, future ONAC legal cases within the state of California.
Because we had no evidence to suggest otherwise, ultimately as a result, we declared her an innocent victim of the "Pappas Scam" as well and continued investigating in different directions. IF this claim is true and Ms. James in fact Was more directly involved, and has "Multiple Churches" then we NEED and Appreciate it being brought to our attention, and Highly Encourage and request that ANY Information PROVING this be Please shared with ONAC immediately so that we can re-review our position regarding Ms James.
"September 29th, 2015 was the darkest day of our lives, as it was the day we were illegally raided and bankrupted as a company and as individuals. Little did we understand that our raid was orchestrated by Heidi and the church to get us to fall victim to their larger ploy. Our attorney at the time was in on it, they were in on it, and then offered us fake federal protection so we would become part of their scam." ONAC would REALLY like tangable proof to this claim as If we can prove it we can then proceed with affirmative action and accountability upon them for such!
"And I would bet our bottom dollar that if every raid victim looks through the details of their case with a very good attorney, you can link your raid back to these people, especially if they have approached you with this false federal protection following your raid. In the past, when people find out how deep their con runs, they hand over those names to the IRS or local law enforcement, which is why we are coming forward in this manor." ONAC Completely AGREES with the suggestion of victims looking back and seeing whether or not there is such a timeline in existence, and if there is, to PLEASE contact us so that we can address and investigate into it, Please... this is a SERIOUS situation which endangers us ALL if it's true!
"We have a team of attorneys protecting us now, and we have spent the last few weeks ensuring we remain legal so as to not fall victim to the second half of their con; federal raiding and investigations. We are legal caregivers with the state of Oregon, and are also a registered LLC. We have patient cards and have continued submitting our inventory to the state's medical registry. We are legal and compliant and will never stop helping as many people as possible. This will never change." ONAC are EXTREMELY GRATEFUL to hear this news as we wish for Everyone whether ONAC or Not to be as protected as is possible, Especially if they're aiding in the protection of the plant and the healing of our people for heaven's sake!
"In addition, we never took a single penny from a single person, either for memberships or branch development, and we never will. I assure you that this has caused immense financial hardship for both us and those we have worked with, and we anticipate these hardships to deepen as we have to now hire a federal prosecuting attorney, and continue to fight back against the slanderous claims that are inevitably to follow." ONAC KM Personally can absolutely 100% relate and stand with them in this honorable position as we too have never taken a cent and as all know, continue to financially struggle while we do all we can to help heal our people.
"The biggest piece of knowledge I would like to pass along is that we are not individuals jumping on a bandwagon. We are victims of these people stating facts about what we have discovered on our own by doing our own research. Since day one, we were urged to think for ourselves and question things that don't make sense, and we did just that! You don't have to agree with us. Facts are facts and cannot be disputed. So I urge everyone hearing my heart, please question things that don't make sense." We as ONAC Absolutely agree and respect them for this position 100%.
"Stay legal and compliant based off what your state and local legislators have dictated," Now Here is where we cannot completely agree to unless we note that we Do strive to maintain a level of respect between the government and our church, we must maintain the insistance that they too Honor and Respect our rights and position in regards to they and their laws and attempted dictation. ONAC does work with the government as honorably as is possible, but as many of you know well, they do not always allow that approach to ensure an honorable and just outcome. As a church we have a special standing with our government, as all churches do, and as ONAC we have an even more-so unique position of standing among them. Negotiating and round-tabling with them from within the position of a Church is a very serious and delicate matter as ultimately it could well impact ALL Churches and so it has to be done so very intricately.
"...and have your attorney look into everything you're told. It could save your life! If you have any further questions or concerns, please message Matt, myself or Marissa Mathews privately and we will address your concerns." Again ONAC Absolutely Agrees and also extend Our hand and ask that you also consider contacting consider networking and sharing your information with us as well as we continue Eager to get Both situations forever honorably resolved as Quickly as is possible.
"In addition, if you would like to help us stop these people, please report them to the attorney general's office of Oregon and California and file a complaint stating you were also a victim. With a dramatic influx of complaints, they will have no choice but to investigate these claims. Due to the lack of outlets to turn to to get justice, we are begging our community to help bring this to an end." ONAC would like it known that we too have already made such and even more official notification contacts with the agencies listed above in regards to Both these situations and are working productively with they and all additional state and federal agencies looking into these matters.
Though it is a sad and traumatic situation for them indeed, we are Very Grateful that they have stepped forward and now have their story told and known because that is the Only way that ONAC as well as other officials with interest are ever going to know there is a situation going on that needs to be addressed and dealt with.
We are Thankful that they have finally revealed to us information we suspected there was to be found when this situation first came to light a year ago by the acts of Mr. Pappas and his "team" that we were unable to confirm until now and we cannot Thank them Enough for providing such crucial information as now we will hopefully be able to make swifter positive progress to ensure that ONAC never gets tangled in situations like these again.
Please aid us in ensuring our article and position is known to them by sharing this article with them, and Please also express that we would like to speak directly with them, and offer them Sachem Graves direct email address with a request for their communication as soon as they are able to do, here is that email contact : joy.m.graves@gmail.com
And they, along with we both conclude this article and announcement by saying "Thank you for your love and time! We appreciate you all!"
