Theodore Anthony Rinaldo (March 11, 1944[1] – February 13, 2000[2]) was an American religious leader, entrepreneur, and child sex offender whose life was marked by a complex blend of charismatic leadership and legal controversies. Born in Oneida, New York, Rinaldo initially pursued a religious path, even contemplating becoming a priest after a tragic car accident that claimed the lives of his friends. However, his journey took him in various directions, including attending a Bible college and exploring different churches.
In 1969, Rinaldo arrived in Seattle, Washington, where he began hosting religious meetings with a broad spectrum of followers, ranging from disillusioned youth to older individuals. He founded a non-profit organization called Ellogos, which acquired land in Snohomish, Washington, and established numerous business ventures, including Eden Farms, Cascadian Publishing, and Golden Gallery.[3] Rinaldo's leadership created an atmosphere of devotion within "The Group," a secretive religious organization that he led. The group's activities encompassed both spiritual discussions and a range of businesses.
The darker aspects of Rinaldo's leadership emerged in the late 1970s when investigations shed light on disturbing practices within the organization. Former members reported loyalty ceremonies, allegations of sexual misconduct involving minors, and control tactics. These revelations culminated in Rinaldo's arrest in 1979 on felony charges of statutory rape, indecent liberties, and witness intimidation. After a trial marked by testimonies from victims and witnesses, Rinaldo was convicted on charges of third-degree statutory rape for having sexual intercourse with one minor girl and of taking indecent liberties with another.
Rinaldo's life and activities, a blend of religious fervor, business ventures, and criminal charges, stand as a testament to the complexities of charismatic leadership and the potential for abuse within closed groups. His story serves as a cautionary tale about the potential dangers posed by leaders who exploit their followers' trust for personal gain and perpetrate harm under the guise of spiritual guidance.
Rinaldo was born in 1944 in Oneida, New York into a Catholic family. He attended Oneida High School (class of 1963),[4] but being a borderline juvenile delinquent, never earned a high school diploma. After some friends were killed in an automobile accident, he resolved to study to become a priest. However, he also explored a number of other churches, and ended up becoming the "black sheep in a Catholic family."[5]
He attended a Bible college in New York state, but dropped out after about a year. After leaving Oneida, he worked at a variety of odd jobs, never spending more than a year in one place.[5] In an interview with the Everett Herald, Rinaldo said that he had been an ordained minister "for a brief time", but later declined to identify the church which had ordained him.[5]
Rinaldo eventually ended up in Tucson, Arizona, where he spoke at a religious meeting attended by Paul Goff. Goff invited Rinaldo and his family to live in his Tucson guest house, where they resided for three months.[5]
In 1969, Rinaldo moved to Seattle, Washington, accompanied by Goff. Together, they started having nightly meetings in a Seattle-area home. Rinaldo also started a leather importing business. Eventually, Goff moved back to Tucson, while Rinaldo remained in Seattle.[5]
Rinaldo had been invited to the Seattle area by people who had heard him preach elsewhere. He arrived with a couple of suitcases and little in the way of funds. He attracted a broad range of followers, ranging from young people disillusioned with the 1960s counterculture to senior citizens.[6]
Rinaldo began holding religious meetings in a Bellevue home. Followers reported that he told them they were a group of special people who were actually sons of God. With his guidance, they were to lead the world to a better life, attracting other people through the simple goodness of their nature. They referred to their association simply as "The Group".[6]
In the early 1970s, Rinaldo began to bring up the subject of buying property at the meetings. His followers began to donate money. One estimated that over the years, he contributed $30,000.[6] A couple reported that they had made a $20,000 donation to Rinaldo, believing they were donating to a religious organization.[7] A woman estimated that over 5.5 years she had contributed around $10,000, despite the fact that she had a low income and was in fact unemployed for 20 months during that period.[7]
In 1971, Rinaldo formed a non-profit corporation called Ellogos with three associates, Howard Morse, Gerald Schindler, and Craig Reynolds. Together, they sought a location where the business climate seemed right for their future plans, eventually deciding on Snohomish, Washington. In 1973, Ellogos started buying land there,[5] accumulating 60 to 80 acres of adjacent property.[3]
Ellogos was granted tax-exempt status by the US Internal Revenue Service in 1971, listing in its application five purposes for which it was organized: religious, educational, charitable, scientific, and literary. Between 1971 and 1976, Ellogos tax returns listed over $229,000 in contributions, gifts, and grants.[7]
The word Ellogos combined the Hebrew word El meaning 'God', and the Greek word logos meaning 'word': thus, 'Word of God'.
In 1974, townspeople began to observe unusual activity on the Snohomish property. Twenty-five or thirty tents were erected in a pasture that summer. Group meetings were seen taking place on the lawns. Workers, sometimes as many as 50, were seen in the fields hoeing and picking up rocks. A sign was erected designating the enterprise as "Eden Farms". Vegetables were grown and sold at a produce stand near the road.[3] Followers were instructed not to mention the religious aspect of the organization to outsiders.[7]
Over the next few years, improvements and construction took place. By 1978, there were stables and a new horse arena. A fence was erected around Rinaldo's residence, and two German Shepherds were seen on guard inside the fence.[3]
Rinaldo also became involved in business and community activities in Snohomish. He joined the local Masonic Lodge. He and his partners purchased a building which came to house the Snohomish Chamber of Commerce, and Rinaldo became a member of its board of directors. From 1974 through 1978, Ellogos ran a Bingo game in the basement of the American Legion hall. In 1978, Rinaldo was campaign manager for the Republican candidate for Snohomish County Sheriff.[3]
Other businesses were established, the most notable being Cascadian Publishing, which published three weekly newspapers: the Monroe Chronicle, the Lake Stevens Lookout, and the Duvall Cascadian. In addition, an art gallery (Golden Gallery), a florist (The Green House), and a carpet store (A-1 Carpet and Floor Covering) were owned or controlled by Rinaldo and his associates.[3] Ellogos also operated the state-licensed Snohomish Preschool and Daycare.[3]
In August 1978, Ellogos purchased a recreational property on the Stillaguamish River, sporting a three-story A-frame house with at least seven bedrooms, a bar, and a heated indoor swimming pool.[3]
Sometime during the spring of 1979, Eden Farms became the subject of two independent investigations, one conducted by the Snohomish County Sheriff's Department, the other led by investigative reporter Gary Larson of the Everett Herald.[3] During the course of his investigation, Larson interviewed 14 former members of Rinaldo's organizations, only one of whom would allow his name to be used in the paper.[8] As a result of these interviews, Larson reported the following facts:
On July 12, 1979, Rinaldo was arrested by Snohomish County sheriff's deputies on seven charges, including felony counts of statutory rape, indecent liberties, and intimidating a witness.[10] Immediately following his arrest, his business and religious activities were the subject of a six article series by investigative reporter Gary Larson of the Everett Herald, running from July 13 through July 19.
During his trial, prosecutors alleged that Ellogos was a secret religious organization dominated by Rinaldo by means of fear and isolation.[11] During the first four days of testimony, five women testified that Rinaldo had touched them indecently or had sexual intercourse with them when they were young teenagers.[12] Rinaldo's wife, Anne Sundberg Rinaldo,[2] testified in his defense that she never saw or heard anything to suggest that he was engaging in any form of sexual misconduct.[13] Rinaldo also testified in his own defense.[14] Several defense witnesses, all members of Ellogos, testified that based on the opinions of six Snohomish businessmen, three of Rinaldo's accusers had "bad" reputations for telling the truth. However, the State called the businessmen as witnesses, and each of them testified that they had never formed or expressed opinions on the truthfulness of the prosecution witnesses.[15]
On December 3, 1979, Rinaldo was convicted of third-degree statutory rape for having sexual intercourse with one minor girl and of taking indecent liberties with another.[15] The State petitioned for a determination of sexual psychopathy, and Rinaldo was committed for a 90-day observation period to Western State Hospital. After the completion of the observation period, the trial court determined that Rinaldo was indeed a sexual psychopath and committed him for treatment at the same facility. Several months later, the Superintendent of Western State Hospital notified the court that while he agreed with the determination, the patient was not amenable to treatment, and the trial court ordered the execution of the original prison sentence.[16]
The conviction was the subject of several notable appeals. In March 1983, The Everett Herald lost an appellate court case in the State of Washington in which it sought to quash a subpoena allowing a judicial review of confidential material gathered for articles it had published in 1979 on the cult activities of Rinaldo, who had since been convicted on charges of rape, indecent liberties, and assault.[17][18] The New York Times reported that the court had ruled that "criminal defendants could force reporters to reveal confidential sources if the information was crucial to the case" and characterized the loss as "a major defeat for the news media".[19] The Herald took the Appeals Court decision to the Washington Supreme Court[17] in State v. Rinaldo 102 Wn.2d 749 (1984), which was heard en banc with the result that the subpoena itself was quashed on the basis that Rinaldo had not met the threshold requirements to compel such an inspection,[20] while upholding the Court of Appeals ruling in general.[21]
Rinaldo married[when?] Anne Sundberg. They had one son.[2]
Rinaldo died on February 13, 2000, in Springdale, Arkansas. He was buried in St. Patrick's cemetery in Oneida, New York.[2]
Yakima Valley College speech and communications instructor Dan Erickson recounted his experiences as a victim of the Eden Farms cult in an April 2012 lecture, Cults and Blogs: From Childhood Trauma to Healing Therapy. His 2012 novel, A Train Called Forgiveness,[22] is a fictionalized account of his coming to terms with this traumatic past.[23]