DOGMAIn December of 1966, Joseph Davis Jeffers and his wife Connie were convicted on multiple counts
DOGMAIn December of 1966, Joseph Davis Jeffers and his wife Connie were convicted on multiple counts of using mail sent or delivered by the way of the U.S. Postal Service in a scheme to defraud. Count 1 of the indictment names Mr. Jeffers as the “originator, president, director, and operating head of the Kingdom of Yahweh, Inc.” Mr. Jeffers opened a bank account, obtained a post office box, and established a place to print letters and bulletins soliciting contributions and donations for religious purposes of the Kingdom of Yahweh. Count 1 continues by saying “whereas in fact a large portion of said contributions were used by the defendants in placing bets at para-mutual [sic] dog and horse tracks.” The Jeffers, in the name of The Kingdom of Yahweh, claimed to be betting at the tracks in order to further their study of extrasensory perception and that their criminal convictions violated their religious freedoms. Mr. and Mrs. Jeffers filed an appeal in the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1968 and, based on the court’s conclusion that the case was highly prejudicial and therefore could not be determined whether or not the trial was fair, were acquitted.Shortly after they were acquitted, the Jeffers relocated to St. James, Missouri, where they established a commune and constructed the Pyramid Temple of Yehoshua at Yahweh City. Additional images courtesy of Missouri State University Digital Collections. Series: Criminal Case Files, 1912-2004. Record Group 21: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009. (National Archives Identifier: 562807) -- source link
#betting#extrasensory perception#yahweh city