A Massachusetts monk claims “insidious lies” about him being a fake cleric and splurging on luxury items led the feds to bring multimillion-dollar COVID relief fraud charges against him — which were later dismissed — but his church and reputation never recovered, new court papers show.
The Rev. Andrew Bushell, an Orthodox Christian monk at St. Nicholas Church, sued the Department of Justice, FBI agents and the town of Marblehead, Mass., after he was arrested under false pretenses in 2022 for allegedly carrying out a $3.6 million fraud scheme — only for the charges to be tossed out a year later, according to a federal lawsuit filed last Friday.
He and his church’s general counsel Tracey Stockton were accused of blowing the funds on $40,000 in antique furniture, $90,000 in audio video system equipment, a $40,000 Swiss watch, a $7,000 Goyard handbag, expensive wine and $2,400 in Hermes and luxury items.
Bushell told The Post in an exclusive interview that the accused parties to the suit should be “in jail” for what they put him through, which has caused donors to lose faith in his ministry, burdened him with legal fees and kept the construction of the monastic shrine and place of worship from being completed.
“[Former Massachusetts US Attorney Rachael] Rollins weaponized the DOJ, FBI and other federal agents to manufacture a pack of lies to destroy St. Nicholas, me and intimidate God-fearing Orthodox Christians,” he said.
Now the monk is suing under claims of violation of religious freedom, conspiracy, retaliation and other related allegations — after the Trump administration acknowledged the extent of other anti-Christian discrimination and “weaponized” prosecutions under the Biden DOJ.
“Armed” federal agents “in tactical gear” busted into St. Nicholas Church in a “military-style,” “pre-dawn raid,” taking him “away in handcuffs” while he was praying on Oct. 13, 2022, the civil suit claims.
“The timing and manner of the arrest were designed to maximize psychological pressure and public humiliation, not to serve any legitimate law enforcement purpose,” added Stockton in the 20-page filing.
He wasn’t provided with his prayer rope, rosary or Bible while he was locked up and he was forced to eat food that violated his “monastic dietary practices,” the filing alleges.
Rollins — who resigned from office after being faulted for an “extraordinary” abuse of power by federal ethics watchdogs in 2023 — claimed when bringing the case that Bushell’s conduct was “brazen, criminal behavior” that took advantage of taxpayer-funded relief. --->READ MORE HERE
Thirteen Los Angeles County employees were charged for allegedly stealing more than $437,000 in state unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, the district attorney's office announced Wednesday.
The defendants allegedly filed unemployment claims while working for the county between 2020 and 2023, purporting to have earned less than $600 per week during each two-week claim period, even though they all earned more than that amount.
They're accused of stealing a combined total of $437,383.
Each defendant was charged with a felony count of grand theft, and a lesser-included misdemeanor offense, the DA's office said in a news release.
"It is shocking that these county employees, who are receiving their county check every single two weeks, are also telling EDD at the same time that they're unemployed and they receive no money," L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at a news conference.
Of those charged, five worked for the Department of Children and Family Services and one worked for the Sheriff's Department.
The amounts allegedly stolen by the defendants range from $9,300 to $57,900. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
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