Hear 4: Angela Cargill

Content note: This episode discusses abuse, exploitation, and systemic failures. Listener discretion is advised.

For more than a decade, a group operating under the appearance of a religious organization moved across multiple states, changing names and identities while avoiding sustained scrutiny. Behind those shifting fronts was a tightly controlled network spanning the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii.

Drawing on court records, survivor accounts, and investigative materials, this episode examines allegations of widespread harm connected to the group—including the abuse of minors, coercive labor practices, financial misconduct, and the manipulation of vulnerable individuals through control and fear. It also explores how legal and institutional gaps allowed key aspects of the case to go unresolved for years.

At the center of the story is a leader who was ultimately convicted in Hawaii in 2009, even as questions remain about the broader network and others who may have been involved. Despite documented reports and a multi-year investigation, not all avenues of accountability were fully pursued.

This episode is based on a confidential investigative briefing and firsthand testimony from someone directly impacted. It focuses not only on what happened, but on what was missed—and what that means for communities today.

Some individuals connected to this case have never been fully identified or located. Others continue to live in communities where their past is not widely known.

This is the story of Angela Cargill.

If you or someone you know needs support, help is available:

•  National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 800-656-HOPE or online at rainn.org 
•  National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888 or humantraffickinghotline.org 
•  Child help National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD or childhelphotline.org 

If you believe you are in immediate danger, please call 911 or your local emergency number.

And if you want to hear how the story is unfolding, follow Squirrel Brain Stories wherever you get your podcasts.

Transcript

0:05

Hey, I'm Eric and I'm here for you. This episode contains sensitive material involving abuse, coercion, and systematic failure. For over a decade, a criminal enterprise operated in plain sight. It called itself a church. Internally. It was known as the preach house publicly. It went by names like back to the Cross, the Last Hope, our Daily Bread and messengers of the cross. Consistently shifting identities, staying just ahead of scrutiny behind those names was a tightly controlled multi-state network spanning Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii. This was not a single offender. This was an organized system, a system that according to court records, survivor testimony and federal case documentation facilitated. The sexual abuse of children, some as young as eight years old, the smuggling of undocumented immigrants across borders who were then forced into labor and required to pay monthly tides under threat and coercion. The forced marriage of minor girls used to shield perpetrators from charges. Financial fraud, including the continued solicitation of donations through a nonprofit that had already been legally dissolved, and a real estate operation involving more than nine properties and over$10 million in assets used investigators believe to move and conceal money. At the center of it all was a man named Manuel Guillermo known within the group as mimo. He was eventually convicted in Hawaii in 2009 for multiple counts of sexual assault, but the abuse linked to this network began years earlier in Portland. And despite documented victims, police reports and a multi-year investigation, no comprehensive prosecution ever took place in Oregon. The system fractured people, scattered, and key parts of the network were never held accountable. Today, some individuals connected to this case are still unaccounted for. Some are free, some are still under investigation, and some are living in communities near schools, near neighborhoods where their past remains largely unknown. This episode is based on a confidential investigated. This episode is based on a confidential investigative briefing, compiled from court records, law enforcement case files, property recordings, and survivor testimony. It also comes from somebody who's not just telling the story but lived it. This is the story of Angela Cargill. I.

Eric 2:53

let me, start off by asking. this is a story about a network that operated in plain sight for over a decade. So what is the Peach House network?

Angela 3:02

you know, externally it was called Back to the Cross for a while there we were messengers of the cross. We were great commission ministries. The names kept changing our daily bread. last Chance Ministry. So you know, the names kept changing. we called one house, the peach house, and we called the other house, the blue house, and we called the house where the leader lived. that house was the king's house.

Eric 3:28

And for a little more backstory to this, why is this still an act of concern today?

Angela 3:35

Because when the investigation started in Portland, the cult leader fled to Hawaii with a portion of the the cult. When he did that, it obviously obstructed investigation. but it also created splinters. So my husband at the time was the protege of the leader and he began a splinter that we were in charge of, and then there was another. leader I'm gonna say his name because he's been indicted, so it's all on record. was a sub leader under memo and he began his own. following in his own cult, and I was speaking with a survivor. I've been trying to reach out to all of the survivors from this cult to let them know statute of limitations have changed. I have a platform if you're ready to share your testimony, and she told me that she knew that his. was still operating. It sounds like there is a portion of it that is still operating in Portland right there by 56th and Gleason Street, the same place the old Colt was.

Eric 4:43

So one thing. That is, I feel grounded for the investigation here is you're not just reporting this, you survived it. So how does this shape the work that you're doing and kind of yourself moving ahead in this.

Angela 4:58

at first it started just as a way for me to share my story, because I realized over the years that talking about it lifted a little bit of the weight. And so I told my husband, I had like this mental breakdown last summer and then. dam broke and all of these memories came flooding back and I realized the extent of what I was involved in. And I told my husband, I'm like, I don't know how, but you need to figure out how to start a podcast and do the logo and all that stuff. So he's been a trooper doing everything for me. we're not perfect, but we try. So, as I started telling my story, other victims. Have started coming forward. So far, we've had two other victims tell their testimony on the podcast and there's a list of others that wanna tell their story. Some not ready yet, but do want to share, you know, so we're kind of taking it in strides After each podcast episode that we have and some of the other testimonies on other podcasts that are out there, I take the transcripts and I have AI look at them and say, okay. You know, I go through everything and start compiling it and documenting it with me, and I'm reviewing it, and I started realizing how far this cult expanded. We had a nonprofit that we operated under because we went and solicited donations from fans, trader Joe's, Safeway, Albertsons, pasta Works, Northwest. You know, there were all these companies that we would go and get donations from, but then I found out that the nonprofit was dissolved barely a year after it was opened. And then I start finding all this other stuff and all these articles and I'm just like plugging it all in. And then, you know, documenting what I remember and. then the other indictments, you know, that followed.'cause like I was a confidential informant for immigration, there was an indictment on my husband, my prearranged husband that came out of that. so there was like four indictments that came out of this, but no one ever connected the dots to see the full picture. And once I started connecting the dots, I started seeing the gaps. And those gaps are what kind of have put me on a mission. I want to solutions to fix those gaps, propose new bills, give a platform to the survivors that are out there, you know, so that when they're ready they have somewhere they can go and share their stories. And it's kind of given it's turned my pain and my trauma I don't wanna keep all of that experience and stuff for myself, like to just become a better person and be more empathetic and more caring because you know, like, yeah, I learned a lot of good stuff that have made me a better person through all of my bad experiences, but I'd rather use my pain and trauma for a purpose. You know, if I can save one person, then I'm saving one person. If I can change bills, then I'm changing bills,

Eric 7:55

Exactly,

Angela 7:55

know?

Eric 7:56

I think that's a very noble and it's a difficult thing to do to put the weight of that all on your shoulder. one thing I wanted to, understand a little further is how did this network organize itself across the areas that they were in?

Angela 8:08

so the main leader memo, then there was sub leaders there was one sub leader up at the Washington house. We had a house in Seattle, so that was the fourth house. So he had a sub leader up there, and the three houses here in Portland, he managed, he ran like a machine, like, we didn't have access to the outside world. We had no TVs, you know, there were a few radios, It was only music or if you were allowed one. I was never allowed to touch the phone there was forced labor. so. I was assigned a job that I had to do, then I was allowed to touch the phone because the job included, you know, being on the phone and receiving donation calls. And then I would dispatch on the radio and send out our drivers with the vans to go pick up the loads of bread or whatever it was. And so, memo, he did a really good job. I mean, there was so much control and fear Ice drills, we would have to hide in the attics or be sent to the park all day because he would tell everyone that immigration was coming. Even us white people, we would be sent away all day because, you know, ice was coming and no one could be there except for the few people, he let stay behind.

Eric 9:22

with that fear, how did it sustain itself financially and socially? it seems like the construct could have been, faulty at any point.

Angela 9:30

there were mandatory tithes, so each working member roughly paid around 400,$500. So we're talking about$60,000, a million dollars a year. Just on mandatory tides for all of the members that lived inside. And then we have all the external visitors that would come and give tithes as well. So, I mean, he was making a lot of, you know, there was a lot of money flow that was allowing him to, build his$10 million real estate empire. He had nine houses.

Eric 9:59

do you believe that the religious front played a massive role in maintaining control? I mean, this is a cult structure, of course, but was it based on fear or was it more of a push to like a religious bias?

Angela 10:11

Oh it was religious fear, apparently what he would tell everyone was that he was a graduate from Multnomah Bible College and that gave him a lot of credit and gave him a place of authority and then the trust. And then once he established a following, then he turned that following and that trust into. he knew the Bible like the back of his hand. if you asked him anything, he would say scriptures nonstop, one after the next, he would use the Bible to put fear on us. And he would bring little kids, seven, eight years old up that we're being touched by adult men in the cult and he would. Talk about them in front of everyone in the middle of a Bible study, calling them a whore and a Jezebel because it was their fault. These men were touching them.

Eric 11:04

what were the common tactics used to control victims outside of maybe fear and just religious pressures?

Angela 11:11

exhaustion, we woke up at five, between 5, 5 30 every morning. We had bible study. we had bible studies probably about 12. The only, probably only had four hours of the day besides our sleeping time that were not Bible studies. The rest of it was mandatory Bible studies. So we, you know, the women that were married and had their private rooms with their family,'cause each family was allowed one room. So it didn't matter if you had one kid, 10 kids, you were in one room with everyone. So the women that had kids would go back to their room after Bible studies and they would, some of them would do homeschooling, some of them would just be there with their kids. But all of the other single people and the men that did not work were required to be at these bible studies. it was from, first one started about six and went to about 8, 8 30. And then we had a little break for breakfast or chores And then we came back about 10 o'clock and we'd do Bible study until 12 for probably around one. And then we'd have a break for lunch and then. Bible and then we, there would be Bible study. Anyways, there would be dinner, and then after dinner there would be another Bible study that would start about 7, 7 30, and this one would go sometimes till 12, one o'clock in the morning.

Eric 12:24

So just exhaustion was the main controller there. and they just filled up your time.

Angela 12:29

They

Eric 12:29

Yeah.

Angela 12:30

And then also food control. the only food that we ate were half rotten food that came through donations and all of the breads and pastries. Like when I got there, I gained like 50 pounds within three months because all there was was cupcakes and muffins and rolls and croissants and rucker buns. I mean, that was what we ate.

Eric 12:55

outside of ice, I know you had talked about the movement, kind of putting that fear into like, immigration was coming. Were there any other movements or relocation tactics used to avoid detection? Maybe they were kind of getting into some sticky waters, possibly getting found out. did you ever notice that?

Angela 13:10

I know from some of the victim testimony when a victim would come forward. this one instance, my friend that actually finished his podcast testimony on my podcast when he came forward with his sex abuse and he was only 10 years old. Memo took him in a van with. Multiple of his abusers took him on a drive and told him that if you don't change, this is gonna continue to happen. And he would place the person, whoever the victim was, if you came forward at all, you were placed directly nearly near that person that was committing the abuse.

Eric 13:45

So is this just ridiculous psychological warfare of, continuing this trauma and this pressure to say basically state. Quiet or this will continue on.

Angela 13:55

Yeah, and he separated families. fathers were not allowed to have contact with their, like memo wanted to be in charge of everything, and the only times, mainly that they would have contact with their parent was be beaten. But like, parents stopped parenting except for, you know, the little kids. But if you were over. Eight, 10 years old, you know, you were just roaming around and everyone was telling you what to do or taking advantage of you, and there were so many girls, just it, it was bad. On one of the, investigations that Portland Police was involved on, the detective is his name, he's named in the papers, mace Winters, and one of his police reports that he was investigating before Memo fled to Hawaii. They had identified 16 victims and those victims disappeared like they lost contact with them or they re were relocated.

Eric 14:49

how did forced labor, the financial fraud and the exploitation connect with the coordinated enterprise structure of what they were doing in the broader criminal system?

Angela 15:00

So, you know, after, you know, with the stuff that I'm discovering, I found the nonprofit stuff and you know, I'm really pushing for a RICO investigation because he was, you know, there was the mon money laundering through the nonprofit, then the nonprofit, you know, didn't exist. And this money's funneled into personal bank accounts and then build a real estate empire if a. You know, the abuse is reported. Leaders come to the parents and silence the parents and tell'em not to report it to the police or DHS is gonna take their children, just front possible. We had a human smuggling and trafficking operation, it was just, it's just wild man.

Eric 15:42

you mentioned, in the documents there was some statements about the role of forced marriages in protecting, perpetrators. Can you elaborate a little bit more on those two?

Angela 15:52

Yeah, so when I was about 15, I had started trying to talk to this one guy'cause he was flirting with me and I got in so much trouble and I said that I was not allowed to talk to him. And the only person I was allowed to talk to was My prearranged husband. So then my prearranged husband started talking to me and you know, with the young girls, these men that were undocumented to gain favor and to be assigned to these young girls who then they were going to get their citizenship.'cause back then they gave citizen citizenship. the more tithing you gave, if you gave beyond your mandatory, then you were granted favor in the eyes of God and you would get extra blessings. And those extra blessings often would involve a marriage to a child, like for me. So when they started grooming me and connected me with the prearranged husband told me that that was who I had to marry. then when I was 16, You know, didn't love this guy. I didn't even like this guy. my mom and my stepdad and him took me to Idaho for, to marry me. was 16 years old and the man was 21 years old.

Eric 17:06

Obviously you didn't like this guy, didn't care for this guy. What were you feeling through all of this? I can only think that obviously you don't want to do this at any point. Did it reach out to you to say, maybe I tell my parents, let's call this off. Let's call it a day. let's get outta here.

Angela 17:22

I didn't feel like I had a choice. I knew that I was being told that if I have to do this, so that I can be released of my parents' grasp and I can follow the God the way that is purposed for me. So that was a factor. And then I didn't think that I even had an option, I just was so naive, living there from starting so young. There was so much I didn't know, like, you know, the day that we got married, he strangled me after we had sex. I mean, I, now I know what I sh, I sh I would do, but like at 16 years old, you know? Yeah. My husband always tells me, don't say what ifs, because you're gonna just. Pain yourself, you know, just, but, know, it's just crazy. So he never loved me at any point. He, I, he doesn't even like girls.

Eric 18:18

So he was just doing it to grant favor, that's all this was. Yeah.

Angela 18:22

he needed papers. I didn't,

Eric 18:24

Yeah.

Angela 18:24

the one that initiated the immigration. He told me to get in the car. We're going somewhere and the next thing I know we're at the immigration office So he had already started, the citizenship paperwork. We were there for his intake interview

Eric 18:35

Hmm. I see. But I do wanna go back to that. I feel like there's a systematic issue that the institutional needs to take accountability for here. But, how old were you when you were actually. Introduced to this call.

Angela 18:49

I was about 12 years old, 13. I was in middle school.

Eric 18:53

Okay, so 12, 13 years old, you've only been indoctrinated into this for about, three years. And then you find yourself with a husband being abused and in a situation that no teenager should ever be involved in.

Angela 19:06

Yep.

Eric 19:07

and to that, I have to ask, where do you feel the systems fail most significantly in response to something like this?

Angela 19:16

So one of the areas I've, you know, I know there's been changes since all of this has occurred to me, but back then one of the huge failures that happened to me was when I went to go give birth of my first son at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital. I arrived with. Multiple bruises up and down both of my arms. I gave them some bullshit story of what happened to me, but it was apparent that they were fingerprints and they asked me what happened. A nurse and a doctor asked me what happened, you know, if I was okay, if I was safe, my husband was right there. Then the following day before my discharge, as someone comes back, I don't know if they're a nurse, if they're a social worker or if they're DHS, I don't remember. I have requested those medical records. but don't recall who they are, but they started asking me the questions, you know, am I safe at home? Is anyone hurting me? No one asked him to leave. If someone would've asked him to leave. I might have felt okay enough to say, you know, I might have said something that would give them a little piece of, we need to probe more because there's something suspicious here. Instead, letting a 17-year-old go home with a newborn, with bruises all over her body. No follow up. Nothing. or even. Confidential questioning at the hospital and privacy, so that's definitely a failure that they did. but I know that they've changed things a lot since then, so I'm hoping I, I believe this issue has been changed. another area I have identified that I'm actually working on a bill proposal for, is that when you have a child that is born at the hospital, their birth certificate's generated, and then their social security number is generated. They're never picked up on the radar. I mean, yeah, they'll go to their doctor's appointments and stuff, but they're not picked up on the radar in the system again until they are registered for kindergarten. What happens if they don't register for kindergarten? Who knows? There is no link between the Social Security Administration and the Department of Education, and I personally work in a profession where I Work on reports from the Social Security Administration and I pull the data and plug it into my database. So I know that this is possible and this is a huge failure because if these children are never registered for school, they could be in any state, you know, and no one knows where they are.

Eric 21:32

That is a huge gap in this and I'm so glad that you brought that up and that you're working on that because that seems like a massive fault in our system.

Angela 21:42

It, it's huge. It is. I, I can't even believe that that's possible, but I know from experience, because there were so many children born in the cult, never showed up to school when I was pulled out of school, I dropped off a radar. No one came looking, no one came asking questions. I just disappeared and no one cared.

Eric 22:01

to that point, do you think that maybe that was one of the biggest missed opportunities for the institutional, accountability? To kind of jump in and intervene, or was there something larger that was just such a big red flag that somebody should have noticed that and said, Hey, this is a problem. We need to step in.

Angela 22:19

I mean that, you know, there is supposed to be truancy laws and there's supposed to be enforcers. Now if people are understaffed and that's not being enforced, then yeah, there's definitely a failure there. but there's, there were definitely larger failures. One, you know, my issue with the hospital giving birth, letting a minor go home with, physical evidence, harm, that's, that seems like a pretty big failure. but I think the gap between the birth and the school might be a huger failure. I mean, there's just so many failures. So another thing, I've actually spoken with the original detective that worked this case of the Miss Missing 16, he's now retired, and I asked Can you tell me what your biggest frustration with this case was? And he also said that it is in his top three cases that he will never forget. But I said, what was your biggest frustration? And he said, oh gosh, it's definitely the jurisdictions, how they're siloed and how a lot of it. There's no communication. A lot of it is missed. There's a lot of gaps. And I started talking with him and I said, well, how can this be fixed? Because my whole mission on this project is identifying and proposing. Things to put in place to make our system better. You know, let's care about our children, you know? and he, talked about, there used to be some sort of database or something that Portland Police Bureau was testing out, that there was some kind of inter-agency communication or something. and he started talking about this and I was like, okay, what we need is a national database. I know everyone's gonna be, oh, but privacy and security and blah, blah, blah. But listen, okay. We need a national database. And in that database there needs to be every person that is on a police report as a suspect or a victim name. Date of birth and the jurisdiction that that case resides in. That way, if they pop up in a different jurisdiction in whatever state, then that name will pop up and it will show who is the home jurisdiction for whatever case. Then they can contact that other jurisdiction and say, okay, Pulled up a report. I just filed a report for him on this. And then we can start identifying connections. And this is gonna help a lot with the human smuggling. And the same for children. You know, if a children is a victim, some in one state, they should be put in the database with whatever jurisdiction they have a link to. That way, no matter where they're transported or trafficked to other states and jurisdictions, know what cold cases may be out there, you know?

Eric 25:05

I think that's a genius system to kind of push through. I back that 110%. I know that there are people that sit there and say that there are, rules and legislations to security and ensuring safety in that form. But, when it comes to children, I think there are steps that need to be taken in to protect them moving ahead. And I think that is a solid possibility. I think it's a good system you could push there. This one might be a, a bit of a pullback, but you had mentioned the missing 16. Could you go into a little more detail for them?

Angela 25:34

Yeah, so the Mystic 16 were on a police report investigation that was started by Detective Mace Winters. He was a detective for the Portland Police, sex Crimes Unit. And this investigation started on reported abuse in the colds, by other members who had left the colt one the abuse of memo. On this minor girl was discovered in Portland. That's when the courts, the members were splintering off. so people that splintered off did file reports and investigations did start. There were some people that got prosecuted, but in one of the cases Mace was working on there were identified 16 victims that were victims of abuse, sex abuse in the cult. And they had started the investigations. I actually went to go interview as a witness with Mace. they were bringing in a lot of witnesses that were giving them, good details, but then the witnesses either backed out, relocated. and there was a lot of intimidation that was going on. Messages were being relayed to victims to shut them up. And so that's who the missing 16 are. These are 16 victims. There is more, though. I have about 24 victims that I was aware of in the cult. but these 16 victims never got to see justice, you know, because they were relocated or intimidated in silence or they didn't have any resources. And, you know, like my one friend, he struggled a lot with, mental health issues because. Of the intimidation of not having any support while you're trying to stand up against 15 men. I mean, can you imagine how hard that is? You know, I can't even imagine.

Eric 27:23

No.

Angela 27:23

goosebumps.

Eric 27:25

Yeah, I couldn't fathom, the thought process, the emotions, the fear that, coincides with something like that. So it's difficult, to say the least But I, I wanted to bring it back to kind of the urgency in the present. Like what, what threats or risks are still active today

Angela 27:45

So, well, the splinter cult that is potentially still operating, I mean, his own daughters were sexually abused and he did not believe them, and his daughters never saw justice. While his cult was operating, and there is a high probability that this cult, his sector is still operating. I believe that memo does still have some connections and still operating. He now resides in Seattle. I believe there is a high risk of him operated because when he was released from jail after his 10 years, he went back to Hawaii to visit my brother. He tried to buy a condo for my brother to continue a Hawaii sector while he continued, while he was in Seattle But when he went to go visit my brother in Hawaii, he brought with him a new minion, a new follower. So it shows that he's already gaining followers. only assume that he's very manipulative. He doesn't like to work. He won't work. he about being a millionaire. so, that's all going on. Then there's all of the victims that are coming forward with unreported abuses, Now that the statute of limitations of Oregon has changed and whether they have recognized what's happened to them, There's the discovery window. If, statute of limitations don't apply. So that's what I've been telling the victims that are coming forward. you still have a right to get justice for what happened to you. Statute of limitations have changed in Oregon and there's also the discovery window, that can apply to a lot of things. it's just crazy. I filed a report with the FBI. It was really interesting'cause when I called them. they take so long to take all of your information. And then once we get ready to talk, the only thing I told them was, I'm a victim of, what did I say? I was a child, Bri Bri bride, and I am a victim of human trafficking and smuggling. I was track kid across state lines for sex acts, and then they said, we can neither deny nor confirm an agent will be reaching out to you. And then the call hung up. It was like, click. And I was like, damn, that was weird. They didn't ask me who the leader was, if the colt still operated, what was the name, what was the location? So I'm like, yeah, I'm definitely getting a callback. But you know, I don't know. We'll see. And then I also have, the Multnomah County DA that actually formed the Portland Police Bureau Human Trafficking Division or task force. He has looked at my packet and he has referred it on to the human trafficking division. then I filed a police report today about the doxing because the doxing is legit concerns. I have already had my apartment shot up once because I was a confidential informant for immigration and my real name was released in the Oregon Indian newspaper. And then my ex-husband is a wanted felon on the Marshall's wanted list. he has a history of. Lighting his ex-wife on fire with a Molotov cocktail. he has been released two times in Portland or in Clackamas on a half a million dollar bail and flood to Mexico both times. can someone explain to me how a immigrant that is known extensive criminal history, they had the translated Mexican arrest warrant. That stated attempted murder, third, fourth degree burns over whatever percent of her body, like they had all that. so why did he get out of jail? the first time, but then he fled. He was coming back from Mexico, border patrol, caught him, extradited him back to Oregon, and then Oregon decides to give him another half a million dollar bail so that he can flee to Mexico again, and then continue to threaten me and harass me whenever he feels like it.

Eric 31:49

To that point, you're in a constant state of. I mean, it seems like fear. I mean, I don't want to classify it as fear. I don't want to put you in that category of somebody who is scared of these things, but if it were me, I would be in a constant state of fear because my life is literally on the line with. Where the investigation currently stands. You have, constant investigations in process. You have people who are being investigated still out and about is there anything that I'm missing within the investigation that is currently pending?

Angela 32:21

I don't think so right now. I'm just trying to get attention. Reach out to people. I did do some, I filed some reports on the credit card fraud. Did I tell you about the credit card fraud?

Eric 32:32

Uh, no, please.

Angela 32:33

Okay. So before my divorce and my escape from the cult with the prearranged husband, once I was allowed to work, the nurses at work, I was a CNA, and the nurses at work were like, and I had just started working. I, I was just working for a few months. This was my first time working. It was all. Still very new. The nurses are talking about this credit report thing and that blah blah, blah, and you know how good your credit is and number, and I'm like, what is this credit report thing that you guys are talking about? And they're like, oh, it's, you know, the free credit report thing. And I'm like. Well, no, I don't know. Like how do I get this? Who do I call? Or where do I have to go? And they're like, no, you can do it from the computer. And I was still just learning how a computer worked, you know, because when you're in this cult, you're isolated from the outside world. You're all ties with family are cut every, you have to tear up, you get rid of anything that connects you to the outside world. Like families had to tear up their family pictures when they arrived to the cold anyways, so, Anyways, so the nurses tell me about this credit report thing, and they show me where to go. And so I go and they help me fill it out and, make sure I know what I'm doing. And so I get it and then I get my credit report and I'm like, this is weird. what's all this? And they're like. a lot of money and, I start looking through and I have almost$20,000 of credit card debt that I don't even know exists. So then I confront my husband. There's a big fight and then I was like, that was like the last straw. I was so tired and done with this crap that I was suffering in this house because I was the pastor's wife, you know? You know what kind of burden that is. And then in a shitty cult on top of that, it was so overwhelming. 24 hours a day. so I was like, you know what, I'm done. So when I told, when I decide I was done, I called and filed a police report with the Gresham Police Department. while they were at my house doing their report, they took a photocopy of a credit card application that had a forged signature that I was able to get from the creditor. So they included that in their police report and I'm like, what do I do with all this credit card stuff? And he's like, well, it, it's a civil matter and it will be handled in your divorce. And I was like, oh, okay. Cool. And then that was that, and then I called immigration to report that he was using my children's birth certificates to bring children from Mexico on the airplane. And then I filed a report with the IRS because he was forwarding my signature on our tax papers, I never went with him when we did taxes. I think maybe one time I went with him when we did taxes and that was it. So like he used to go to h and r Block. how are they letting him get away with doing my signature there? I don't, there's so much shady shit, you know? so I realized, so I call all these people and then I tell him, he calls me at home, he's like. So-and-so picked up the phone and heard you talking on the phone to the police, and I'm like, yep. I called. The police reported this. I called immigration, reported this, and I called the IRS and I reported this, and he never stepped foot in that house again. He sent his friends to go and then I filed for divorce So after the divorce. The debt. The lawyer told me that I had to take half of the debt because it was my responsibility. And I was like, okay, I guess that's what I have to do. And then now I'm like, okay, well he has some of the debts, but he tried pushing more of them onto me. And I even had some that were supposed to be his, that ended up on my bankruptcy because I've compared both documents and they don't coincide. But, And bet after the divorce, before my bankruptcy, I was told last week by my friend that her husband told her that Luis, or that my pre-arranged husband was bragging to her husband that he made me pay because he used one of those credit cards to go and buy a brand new Kia Rio. And I looked at my bankruptcy report after I discovered this. Actually, I went and bought my bankruptcy filings on Pacer. To be able to look at all the creditors and the amounts and stuff, and there is one credit card company that would match this description, and it had a balance of almost$8,000.

Eric 36:54

I see so easy to say that this is, it costs you personally very massively. Yeah. And to that point, can I ask what has the investigation cost you personally, pushing forward with this and kind of coming out to not only speak your truth, but to speak out for those who have experienced this and are solely coming out to tell their story.

Angela 37:20

I, I've taken a bit of time off of work, but I have a nice little pad of vacation time and things have cost. we're building a website, A conference next month that the disruptors are putting on this conference next month and, or they're part of it. I purchased the attendance and I'm gonna get a hotel there and I'm gonna be at that conference and I'm gonna make as many connections as I need to happen. This story needs to come out. There needs to be a RICO investigation that happens out of this because this man is living happily. His life in Seattle and there are victims. we had a survivor that just passed away about two months ago from an OD because of all of her demons that followed her after the cold. there was at least one other victim that had passed away from the splinter in Portland that potentially still exists. I don't know how they passed away. One of the other victims, that on her podcast, they had their podcast on,'cause I wanna know with Tony Myers. so she reported that was the generation that was born there or that arrived there when they were two and three years old. So I really didn't have a com connection to them because I help babysit them sometimes and watch them and play with them. But, you know, I really Don't know exactly how the experience was for them.

Eric 38:41

Yeah, I see. If in in your mindset, what does justice look like for the survivors?

Angela 38:50

Keeping memo from doing this again. He live, if his address is correct, what is showing online? He is 0.1 miles away from a middle school or a high school. Now, if that's not concerning to someone out there, then there's something wrong with society, you know? and then one of the other guys he. abused a relative of mine in the cult. She was eight and it happened between eight and 10. The man got, he was an undocumented immigrant. The man got 15 months in jail released with no sex offender registry requirements. How are these people supposed to move on with their lives? If there's no closure? If there's no justice, if Memo Tabata is not prosecuted under Rico. This,

Eric 39:40

Agreed.

Angela 39:41

these abuses will just be labeled as trauma. Accept it and move on with your life. How can we, when they the outcome of years of your life? My life was so controlled by the traumas. I lived in that cult until I met my current husband. That I started to shed. All of those things, those ways that I thought, like my mind started actually becoming mine again. You know?

Eric 40:11

Yeah. And I will say, I'm thankful that you were able to find somebody that were able to kind of help you heal and grow a bit more and get you to a place where you're comfortable to fight for these people, to fight for yourself, to fight for these survivors, and really get the justice that you all deserve. as we're. getting into time here, I think it would behoove me to ask if someone is listening that feels like they're experiencing something like this. Maybe they're trapped in, whether it be a cult, a religious structure, or maybe they truly feel like they are a survivor looking for justice as well. what words of advice would you have for them?

Angela 40:52

don't lose hope. Don't do anything that you can't come from. I was in this a situation where I almost tried to commit suicidal. I was pregnant with my first son. there's hope. there's other victims out there that are willing to support you. There's people out there that can help. There's shelters. get to someone that you feel is that you can say something to, and hard. That first step is hard because you feel like it's the world against you and that it's impossible, and they make you believe that it's impossible, but you deserve to be happy and free. Your children deserve to be happy and free. And, we need to break the cycle of violence. if your children ever come to you to report any kind of abuse, Do not question them. is the worst thing any parent can do. Your first right as a parent is to contact, help, reach out and do whatever you can until there's an investigation and a forensic investigation and all of that. Do not make that. That decision is not you for you to make whether your child is true or not. You have to believe your child 100%.

42:13

What you've heard today is not just a story about the past, it's an ongoing investigation. According to the latest briefing, multiple threads of this case remain active. There are open questions, unresolved prosecutions and individuals who have not yet been held accountable. This case spans jurisdictions, agencies, and decades touching failures in the system that were meant to protect children, vulnerable communities, and survivors. But it also reflects something else. Persistence because this investigation exists today largely due to the network of survivors, people who were told to stay silent, who were moved, discredited, or ignored, and who are now choosing to speak carefully, deliberately, and on record. If you are listening and any part of this story feels familiar, whether through personal experience or information you may have, there are ways to come forward safely. You can contact your local law enforcement agency or submit tips to federal authorities if you are a survivor, support resources are available and you do not have to navigate that process alone. This is an ongoing story and accountability, if it comes, will come because people refuse to let disappear For updates on this investigation and hear directly from Survivor Voices, you can follow the squirrel brain stories. Links to their podcast and information pertaining to the case in the show notes. I wanna take a moment to truly thank Angela for having the courage to come on and share something so deeply personal, painful, and important. What she's doing goes far beyond telling her story. She's fighting for justice for those who are still living in fear. For those who carry trauma that hasn't been acknowledged or addressed by the system's meant to protect them. Angela hasn't given up, not on herself, and not on the countless survivors who deserve to be heard. She's standing in that pain and refusing to let it be ignored, pushing forward with strength and determination until real justice is served. This was not an easy story to hear, but it was a necessary one. We talk so often about mental health, about healing, growing, and learning to live alongside our struggles. But what happens when the trauma doesn't feel like it's in the past, when the fear is still real, when the people responsible and the systems that allowed it are still out there? Moving forward isn't simple. Healing isn't linear, and for many it feels impossible. That's why Angela's voice matters so much. She's not only fighting for accountability, she's fighting to create a safer world and a path towards healing for others who feel trapped in their experiences. That's why this story needed to be shared and. Thank you so much for listening, for Holding Space, and for being open to hearing these stories. I truly encourage you to take the time to listen to Angela's podcast, to hear not just her perspective, but the voices of other survivors as well. And as always, if you have a story you wanna share, or if you're just looking for someone to listen, you're not alone. I'm here. You can reach out anytime here for you. pod@gmail.com. That's HEAR, the number four Y-O-U-P-O-D. Thank you again for being here, and I'll talk to you soon.