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Vice Blog

DEAR VICE - YET MORE KWAZY KULT KAPERS

About a week ago we received a feverish call from someone who read our blog on Michael Travesser (aka Wayne Bent aka Jesus II) and claimed to be a former member of The Lord Our Righteousness Church in New Mexico. She told us about her estranged family who are still believers, called Travesser a "shithead" a bunch of times, and claimed that the photo we posted of him with his "followers" was actually a shot of the seven "virgins" who sleep with him in the nude. Last week she went to New Mexico to help rescue one of the underage girls. Here's an excerpt from the email she sent after her trip…

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Dear Vice,
Your blog stirred Michael Travesser's anger. He is such a liar. One of the virgins' parents (who are former members) just went down to the compound to save their daughter. Michael wanted them to send $1,000 for her to keep and $250 on the first of every month because they didn't send him tithe anymore. The other option was to sign custody over to God (by which he meant himself). After hearing her parents were coming, she asked them to release her to Michael so they could marry (she is 15). She told her father, "Michael told me that when I am 16 I can live wherever I want." This would be true if she was choosing between parents, but you can't just be signed over to some guy if you're under 18 even if he claims to be God. [How about especially if he claims to be God?--ed.] I made an appointment with the sheriff. We gave them all the testimonies of Travesser lying nude with his virgins. When her parents arrived with the police, the daughter refused to go. Eventually the sheriff said she had two choices: go with her parents or be sent to state-approved foster care. Her grandmother offered to take her but she wasn't eligible. Her dad told Jeff (Michael's son) that there was to be absolutely no contact with his daughter at all. Jeff protested, but the sheriff said that he would put anyone who tried to communicate with her in jail. What gets me is Michael always acts so innocent, but he is such a control freak. I have a friend whose husband still thinks he is God. He told her that he didn't know why the father had to get the sheriff involved. "Michael would have just given her to him," he said. EVERYONE out there believes in Michael and thinks that we were terrible to try and force the girl to come home… They never know the whole story, and they don't want to know. Michael always talks about being on a "sea of glass" and says nothing he does is hidden. He says he publishes everything he does on the internet, even what he eats. I could care less about what he eats, but whatever. He says that everything hidden will be revealed and shouted from the rooftops. I am making sure that he isn't hiding anything… I guess you could say I am shouting from the rooftops. Thanks for listening,
JEZEBEL JOHNSON

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