by Karen Jonson
119
How a Guru Disappears
It Takes a Village of Aiders and Abettors
AMONG THE WAYS THAT LAW enforcement captures convicted felons is to follow people’s common patterns of behavior—the crew that helped Prakash escape justice followed none of them.
As the U.S. Marshal in charge of the case of my fugitive ex-guru told me, “I’ve never seen anything like this.” As soon as Prakash ran for the border, a long list of devotees from all over the world was recruited into a makeshift “Guru Escape Crew.” Together they helped Prakash escape into central Mexico, travel to western Mexico, and then fly to India on a private plane. Most of them played minor, but critical, roles in the caper. Only a handful of people were brought in to lead the mission. But together the Escape Crew succeeded it keeping him one step ahead of the law at all times. However, it wasn’t brilliance or some grand scheme that worked in their favor. It was a combination of their non-normal actions, dumb luck, a corrupt mindset, and piles of cash.
The tactics employed by the Guru Escape Crew, included using multiple email addresses, using multiple disposable “dump” telephones, giving small jobs to a lot of people located around the world, designating a central “call center” person to field communications, securing false documents such as passports, and lying to authorities. I had told the U.S. Marshal from the beginning that these people are not normal in any sense of the word. I tried to impress upon him the strangeness I experienced while living in the cult’s ashram. But until you experience it yourself, it’s almost impossible to fully comprehend. It’s that abnormal.
In September 2012, the State of Texas issued a Search Warrant to access a particular Yahoo! Inc. email account—which they believed to be a source of communication among the Guru Escape Crew. The report stated that authorities believed the email account to be a source of “suspected place and premises property concealed and kept in violation of the laws of Texas.”
An article in the Austin American-Statesman reported the news:
“The email account is related to an individual or individuals involved with Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat. The U.S. Marshals researching the whereabouts of the convicted felon and fugitive from justice, Prakashanand Saraswati (long-time devotee of Kripalu Maharaj), have requested access to this account in their ongoing search for the missing pedophile.”
The Affidavit that accompanied the warrant detailed the activities of some—but not all—of the members of the Guru Escape Crew. For example, one male devotee in Philadelphia was employed as a central call center operation of sorts, fielding calls from the rest of the crew. One male devotee who lived in the ashram was responsible for obtaining and returning one of the getaway cars from a doctor in Corpus Christi. One woman who lived in the ashram regularly drove supplies for Prakash, and likely cash, over the border to Nuevo Laredo.
Along with a huge crew of willing aiders and abettors, dumb luck also played a roll. One of the early breaks he caught was thanks to the drug war raging in Mexico. The Federals near Nuevo Laredo were hot on his trail soon after he arrived. However, at the same time, drug gang members killed two Mexican officers. All of the officers hunting for Prakash were diverted to finding the killers.
As if to bookend this stroke of dumb luck, when the U.S. Marshals had located Prakash in his hiding spot near Tijuana, they worked with U.S. Marshals in San Diego to plan his capture, had to be executed by Mexican law enforcement. The San Diego team picked a trusted Mexican officer to oversee the job. However, he never showed up for the appointed meeting to plan the capture. The only conclusion to be drawn from this is that the Guru Escape Crew found him and paid him off. This scenario makes sense when you consider the reports of corruption rampant in Mexico, combined with JKP’s history of paying off officials in India to keep Kripalu out of jail for raping two young girls. In my opinion, if there’s one thing my ex-cult knows, it’s how to maneuver at the corrupt levels of society.
The Affidavit provides an overview of some of the Escape Crew’s illegal activities—and several, but definitely not all, of the people who aided and abetted the escape of the convicted child sex offender.
On the evening of March 6, 2011, followers of Saraswati held a meeting at the residence of Marsha Kent in Driftwood, Texas. Followers of Saraswati discussed details of a plan at this meeting to take Saraswati to Mexico before his sentencing hearing the following day.
On March 10, 2011, three days following Saraswati’s failure to appear, U.S. Marshals Service personnel interviewed a known follower of Saraswati named Ethan DeMitchell in Greenacres, FL. DeMitchell stated that he had spoken to a known follower of Saraswati named Allison Conn-Caffaro (alias Chitra Devi) on the phone four times that week from two Nuevo Laredo phone numbers. DeMitchell advised Conn-Caffaro called him from Mexico pleading for him to come to Mexico to assist her in helping Saraswati evade law enforcement. DeMitchell stated that a follower of Saraswati named Vishwambhari Devi (formerly Ranjana) was also present with Conn-Caffaro in Mexico. DeMitchell stated that he spoke with Saraswati on the phone after speaking with Conn-Caffaro. DeMitchell stated Saraswati re-iterated the statements made by Conn-Caffaro.
DeMitchell was discovered to be in possession of $5,000 during the interview. DeMitchell stated that he was instructed to use this money to purchase a fake passport so that Saraswati could flee Mexico to India. DeMitchell stated he was working with others in Radha Madhav Dham to assist Saraswati in his flight from law enforcement. DeMitchell further stated that he was attempting to contact two private charter jets companies for the purpose of flying Saraswati out of Mexico and into India. The names of those two companies provided by DeMitchell are ElleJet Aviation Services and Blue Star Jets, LLC. DeMitchell stated that he was under instruction to continuously use more that one “dump” phone to switch SIM cards in order to evade detection by law enforcement. DeMitchell provided Deputy U.S. Marshals with two T-Mobile SIM cards to be used for this purpose.
At the end of the interview with DeMitchell, a known follower of Saraswati named Adolf Tonnessen arrived at the location. Tonnessen verified the statements made by DeMitchell regarding Conn-Caffaro as well as the plan to secure a fake passport for Saraswati. Tonnessen was also found to be in possession of $5,000 and several pre-paid phones. Tonnessen is a father of two of the victims in the Indecency with a Child by Sexual Contact case. Tonnessen stated that he thought his daughters were “lying whores” and he hoped Saraswati would escape detection by law enforcement.
Information received from Customs and Border Patrol indicates Conn-Caffaro traveled from Nuevo Laredo to the United States on the following dates: March 17, 2011 (twice); April 18, 2011; and June 2, 2011. Conn-Caffaro traveled from Tijuana to the United States on November 30, 2011. Information obtained from this investigation indicates that Conn-Caffaro was in the Tamaulipas area of Mexico from March 07, 2011, to June 2, 2011. Conn-Caffaro made brief trips to the United States during that time period on the above referenced dates. Conn-Caffaro spent August 3, 2011, to November 30, 11 in the Rosarito Beach area of Mexico.
On April 14, 2011, Affiant and other U.S. Marshals Service personnel interviewed a known follower of Saraswati named Sylvia Ustoy… a resident of Radha Madhav Dham. Ustoy was captured on video at the United States Port of Entry in Laredo, TX driving a 2001 Toyota, Texas license plate (number blacked out) on March 18, 2011. When approached by investigators, Ustoy stated that she “hoped Swamiji would never be arrested.” Ustoy refused to answer any questions during the interview. Information received from Customs and Border Patrol indicates that Ustoy traveled from Nuevo Laredo into the United States on March 18, 2011, and March 24, 2011. Additionally, Ustoy traveled from Tijuana to the United States on June 23, 2011.
Information received from Customs and Border Patrol indicates that a known follower of Saraswati named Carla Roberts traveled from Nuevo Laredo to the United States on March 18, 2011, with followers Sylvia Ustoy and Jenifer Deutsch. Additionally, Roberts traveled from Tijuana to the United States on
the following dates: May 27, 2011, and November 7, 2011. Information provided to the U.S. Marshals Service personnel indicates the follower Marsha Kent sent Roberts the following email message on May 26, 2011:
“I thought you might find it interesting that SJ (short for “Swamiji,” meaning Saraswati) strategically kept me out of things, not that I could not be trusted, but to be doubly sure I was protected from what was to occur. I mention this because if some information does come to me, please call me if you have any thoughts. All I can say is if I can ever support, assist, or help you in any way, especially on this side, I am here for you.” Kent was in India at the time of the email.
On August 25, 2011, Affiant, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum and other U.S. Marshals Service personnel conducted a series of interview with followers of Saraswati at Radha Madhav Dham… During the interviews all of the members expressed a strong loyalty to Saraswati. The members who were interviewed stated that they did not believe Saraswati was guilty of the convicted offenses, and they hoped he would evade capture and never go to prison. All members interviewed stated they did not have any knowledge of Saraswati since he failed to show up for the sentencing phase of the trial. The following people were interviewed: Jenifer Deutsch, Mary Maskell, Ram Persaud, Beatrice Sarnow, and Peter Melody.
Jenifer Deutsch (aka Vrinda Devi) is the public relations point of contact for Radha Madhav Dham… Information received from Customs and Border Patrol indicates Deutsch traveled from Nuevo Laredo to the United States on March 18, 2011 with Sylvia Ustoy. Additionally, Deutsch traveled from Tijuana to the United States on the following dates: June 2, 2011; June 22, 2011; August 4, 2011; October 23, 2011; and November 15, 2011. With the exception of the August 4, 2011 date, Deutsch traveled with fellow devotee Dennis Wagner from Tijuana on all of those dates.
The cell phone of Deutsch was found to be in contact with numerous Nuevo Laredo and Tijuana phone numbers during those corresponding time periods. Travel documentation obtained by the U.S. Marshals Service indicates that Deutsch traveled to San Diego on… October 4, 2011, and stayed in the Rosarito Beach area of Mexico until October 23, 2011. Dennis Wagner was present with Deutsch in Mexico during that time period and during the November 15, 2011 trip.
Prior to leaving on October 8, 2011, Deutsch told other followers in Austin that she was going to Connecticut to visit her sick mother, and Wagner told other followers that he was traveling to Colorado. U.S. Marshals Service personnel received information containing emails from the account of (info blacked out) dated October 23, 2011 and October 24, 2011, in which Deutsch describes her trip with other followers. Deutsch stated in separate emails that her mother was dealing with “legal problems, miscommunication, anger, and grief.” Due to the fact Deutsch was in Mexico during this time and not in Connecticut to visit her mother, investigators in this case believe that Deutsch was referring to Saraswati when writing about her mother.
On August 26, 2011, a confidential source informed Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum that Sudhakari Devi is a preacher at an ashram located in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India. The confidential source advised that Sudhakari was one of the first preachers who worked under Saraswati when he became a leader for JKP. The confidential source further advised that the relationship with Saraswati occurred over a long period of time, and Sudhakari and Saraswati maintained a close bond as a result.
On August 30, 2011, United States Magistrate Judge Andrew Austin signed a search warrant for the email address of (name blackened out). Correspondence contained in this email account revealed two scanned, hand written letters from Kripalu Maharaj to Saraswati. Correspondence also revealed bank statements for Saraswati’s account with Axis Bank in India. The bank statements were sent by Sudhakari to Peter Spiegel, a known follower of Saraswati who signed a bond agreement for $10 million with the Hays County District Court that presided over Saraswati’s case. Additionally, an Axis bank statement for Saraswati was sent by Brenda Becker to Sudhakari on June 07, 2011. Becker is known to this investigation as being a financial officer at Radha Madhav Dham.
Further email correspondence revealed that Sudhakari sent a number of medical documents from Saraswati’s doctors in India to Radha Madhav Dham devotees during the weekend Saraswati fled to Mexico. These documents listed extensive details about Saraswati’s medical conditions and summarized medical advice for those conditions. Additionally, Sudhakari used an email address of (address blacked out) to subscribe for this Gmail account. Activity in the Gmail account indicates that (address blacked out) is an active email address in use by Sudhakari.
On August 31, 2011, U.S. Marshals Service personnel interviewed a known follower of Saraswati named John Ancker at this residence in Phoenixville, PA. Information received from Customs and Border Patrol indicated that Ancker traveled from Nuevo Laredo to the United States on April 30, 2011. U.S. Marshals Service personnel who interviewed Ancker stated he was uncooperative and not forthcoming. Ancker stated he had not seen Saraswati since October 2010.
On September 16, 2011, U.S. Marshals Service personnel attempted to interview the mother of Allison Conn-Caffaro, Maureen Williams, in San Diego, CA. Williams immediately stated she knew where her daughter was and that she did not want to speak with investigators about the case. Williams stated she would have an attorney contact U.S. Marshals Service personnel regarding this matter.
On September 28, 2011, U.S. Marshals Service personnel interviewed a known follower of Saraswati named Dr. Divyang Ayar in Corpus Christi, TX. Dr. Ayar was uncooperative regarding his involvement in the case at the beginning of the interview. Dr. Ayar was advised of his Miranda rights, and at that time he voluntarily gave the following information. Dr. Ayar stated that he donated a 2001 Ford Escort Texas license plate (number blacked out) to the JKP organization in February 2011. This vehicle was driven by Conn-Caffaro at the previous referenced border crossings on March 17, 2011; April 18, 2011; and June 2, 2011. Dr. Ayar stated that he was contacted by a known follower of Saraswati named Michael Roberts in June 2011, and Roberts informed him that Radha Madhav Dham no longer needed the vehicle for use. Dr. Ayar stated that he knew a woman named Chitra (Conn-Caffaro) was driving this vehicle. Dr. Ayar stated he was then instructed by Roberts to pick up the vehicle from a parking lot at the San Antonio International Airport. Dr. Ayar retrieved the vehicle and subsequently sold it shortly after that.
On October 12, 2011, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum received a telephone call from a California based attorney identified as Angelyn Gates. Gates stated she was the attorney for Maureen Williams and gave no indication of a previous relationship she had with Saraswati. Gates asked a number of questions regarding the status of the Saraswati investigation. Gates stated she would agree to have a meeting take place between U.S. Marshal Service personnel and Williams. Gates stated the daughter of Williams, Conn-Caffaro, was not with Saraswati and had not assisted Saraswati in his flight to Mexico. After being informed of this conversation Affiant informed Deputy U.S. Marshal that Gates was a defense attorney for Saraswati during the child molestation trial in Hays County. It was decided at that time to cancel any further plans to discuss this case with Gates and Williams.
On December 1, 2011, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum learned that Gates and Williams were in contact with the same Tijuana, Mexico telephone number during the week of November 22, 2011. Conn-Caffaro returned from Tijuana on November 30, 2011. On November 29, 2011, communication with Mexico ceased for Gates and Williams. On November 29, 2011, Gates received a telephone call from India.
On December 21, 2011, U.S. Marshals Service personnel learned that the follower traveling with Saraswati, Vishwambhari Devi, had recently activated a life insurance policy in India with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company LTD.
On March 5, 2012, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum interviewed a known follower of Saraswati named Dennis Wagner at his real estate business, United Country Real Estate in Driftwood, Hays County, TX. Wagner initially agreed to proceed with the interview. Wagner stated he did not believe Saraswati wa
s guilty of the convicted offenses and that he had not seen Saraswati since the day of the sentencing on March 7, 2011. Information received from Customs and Border Patrol indicates Wagner traveled from Tijuana to the United States with Jenifer Deutsch on June 20, 2011; October 23, 2011; and November 2011, Wagner refused to answer any further questions and terminated the interview.
During the month of May 2012, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum received information from two separate confidential sources who stated that Saraswati was located in India.
On June 12, 2012, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum received information from a separate confidential source who recently visited the Bhakti Mandir temple in Mangarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. Mangarh is the birthplace of Kripalu Maharaj. The confidential source advised that he/she spoke in private with an ashramvasi at the temple who told him that Saraswati is safe under the protection of Kripalu, but that the location was secret due to concerns about law enforcement arresting Saraswati as well as negative media exposure JKP would receive in the event Saraswati was taken into custody.
On July 17, 2012, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum received information from a confidential source who advised that Saraswati was currently in India. The confidential source further advised that Saraswati was able to obtain a fake passport while in Mexico and JKP handlers from India traveled with him from Mexico to India in 2011. This confidential source stated that Saraswati was living in close proximity to Kripalu Maharaj under security. This source further stated that while in Mexico, Saraswati changed his appearance by cutting his hair.
Based on Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum’s experience as a fugitive investigator and both his and Affiants familiarity with computer records maintained by Yahoo! Inc. and other internet service providers, it is belief of both that records associated with this active e-mail account will provide valuable clues as to the current location of Saraswati.
