Police Investigating Alleged Online Threat Against COJ

ORLEANS – Police are investigating whether there is probable cause to charge an Eastham man in connection with an alleged online threat made against the Community of Jesus.

 According to a police report, Orleans police on March 13 responded to a report of an online threat made against the Community. According to the report, the author, identified as an Eastham resident, made the alleged threat in a comment on the Rock Harbor Truth Facebook page.

“The post stated ‘I know if I ever find out I’m terminal, which will probably happen soon because I abuse my body horribly, I will definitely make it worth it and burn that place to the ground with myself inside it,’” the report reads.

Rock Harbor Truth is an Orleans-based nonprofit dedicated to advocating for and providing resources to victims and survivors of  “spiritual abuse, coercive control and institutional exploitation.” Shawn DeLude, the nonprofit’s president, said in an email that Rock Harbor Truth “does not condone or tolerate threats, harassment, or any form of unlawful behavior—whether online or in person.”

“As a community-focused organization, our mission is rooted in truth, accountability, and constructive dialogue,” he said. “We take concerns about safety seriously and would fully support appropriate investigation and response by law enforcement into any credible threats, regardless of their source.”

At the same time,” he continued, “we believe it is important to distinguish between the actions of unaffiliated individuals on public platforms and the values or conduct of our organization. RHT does not direct, endorse, or engage in any behavior that would jeopardize the safety or well-being of others.”

The police report states that the comment was taken down as of April 2, but Orleans Police Chief Scott MacDonald said last week that police are investigating the alleged threat to see if there is probable cause to bring charges.

In an open letter published as a paid advertisement in the April 9 edition of The Chronicle, the Community expressed concern over instances of “vandalism, of desecration, of harassment, of bullying, of threats, and even of assaults” that it has endured, including on social media.

“This is not the Cape Cod community that we know and love, and we know that the vast majority of the community at large reject the hatred and the venom,” the letter reads in part.

In the letter, the Community describes its mission as putting into practice “the universally recognized teachings of Christ,” namely “love of God and neighbor.”

“All I can tell you is they are peaceful, gentle, warm, thoughtful people,” said the Community’s attorney, Jeffrey Robbins. “And I have met dozens and dozens of them, but they go about their lives quietly. The decisions they’ve made to live the way they do are private decisions.”

The Chronicle filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Orleans Police Department seeking police reports corroborating the offenses claimed in the Community’s open letter dating back to July 1 of last year, just before the filing of a lawsuit by former member Oliver Ortolani. Through that request, the paper received nine police reports, including one concerning the online threat.

 In another report dated March 28, a Community member reported that someone was allegedly pulling into people’s driveways and taking photos of houses in the Community. Most recently on April 6, police responded to a report of vehicles parked at Rock Harbor that had been hit with eggs.

In another report dated Nov. 26, police responded to a report of “malicious destruction” involving severed extension cords that were used to illuminate Christmas lights, as well as two “bamboo reindeer” that were knocked over, causing $150 worth of damage.

“These are religious brothers and sisters who go about their lives with smiles on their faces trying to do what they believe is what Christian values teach them,” Robbins said. “To have their payoff for that to be threats against them and vandalism, it’s heinous, to be honest with you.”

But the Community’s tenure in Orleans, which dates back to 1970, has not been without controversy. Most recently in July, Ortolani filed suit against the Community and two nonprofit organizations, Arts Empowering Life Inc. and Performing Arts Building Inc., in U.S. District Court claiming that, when they were younger, he and other children in the Community were subjected to unpaid child labor and trafficking through the construction of the Community’s performing arts center in Brewster. The suit also alleges violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) and the state’s labor trafficking statute. It’s also alleged that the defendants were unjustly enriched by the alleged unpaid labor.  

The suit more specifically alleges that children, including Ortolani and his siblings, worked “nine to 16 hours a day without proper safety gear, training or breaks,” and that child workers were “assaulted” or “shunned by the Community” if they complained or showed “even mild frustration with the harsh regime.” It is also alleged that children were kept out of school under the pretense that work on the building constituted “educational coursework,” and that child workers were hidden from government officials who came to inspect the project worksite. 

The Chronicle in recent months has also interviewed former Community members who said that their experiences echo those alleged in the Ortolani suit. Former members discussed how they were forced to work in the compound, verbally abused as participants in music groups in the Community and separated from their parents to live with other members of the community.

While the Community acknowledged in its open letter its reputation among some as being “mysterious”, “secretive”, and “suspicious,” it has firmly denied the allegations in the suit. In November, the defendants filed their own suit in U.S. District Court against Oliver’s parents, Ellen and David Ortolani, alleging that they were instrumentally involved in coordinating the child work program alleged in their son’s suit. 

Asked if there was any connection between the claims made in the Community’s letter and the ongoing litigation, Robbins said the alleged offenses against the Community long predate the Ortolani case. He said children in the Community have long been subject to bullying in school, while other members, including “religious sisters,” have been harassed at past town meetings. Members have had the tires on their cars slashed, he said, adding that the Community’s switchboard “constantly” receives threats. 

“This is a constant,” said Robbins, who has represented the Community for the past 33 years. “It’s ugly, it’s profoundly un-American. It’s vicious. It’s hate-filled. It’s just God awful, no pun intended.”

Meanwhile, Robbins said that there have been no new developments in the cases filed in U.S. District Court.