A Hindu Temple in Atlanta led by a Corrupt person - FOX News report

[tks]

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Has anyone been to this temple in Atlanta referenced in this Fox News report?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MinyJPcY0l0

 

[vgane]

Has anyone been to this temple in Atlanta referenced in this Fox News report?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MinyJPcY0l0

This video is 6 years old..What is the latest on the corrupt in-charge of the temple, Selvam & the main priest?

 

[Naina_Marbus]

When did Fox News report on this video? This video was uploaded on Aug 20, 2008. Here is a comment at the Youtube site:

Seems like a deliberate attempt to rake up anti-Hindu opinions? Any coincidence to what Shri vgane posted about
http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/isi-plans-to-use-us-un-to-tar-modi#.U-btZItUj7c.twitter

 

[prasad1]

Seshadri Kumar • Wed, Nov 20, 2013
Annamalai Annamalai, also known as “Dr. Commander Swamiji Sri Selvam Siddhar,” has been detained by federal authorities, following a criminal indictment in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division.


Annamalai is charged with conspiracy to commit bankruptcy fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice during 2009 and 2010 in Atlanta.


An “immigration detainer” has also been lodged against Annamalai as he is subject to deportation if convicted of the pending charges.


Annamalai’s current residency is in Baytown, Texas.


U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Milloy, after a detention hearing in Houston on Nov. 18 denied bail to Annamalai because “There is a serious risk that the defendant will not appear.”
‘Swami Selvam Siddhar’ lands in federal prison
For several years, Tamil Samiar (godman) Annamalai Annamalai, a.k.a. Dr. Commander Selvam, a.k.a. Swamiji Sri Selvam Siddhar made a lucrative career out of helping fellow Indian-Americans tackle various obstacles – business, personal, legal, family, marriage, lottery numbers etc – by interceding with God (via pujas) for a fee.


Now it looks like 48-year-old Commander Selvam himself might need divine intervention to overcome his legal troubles.

Self-anointed Hindu high priest Annamalai Annamalai arrived in Dayton in the summer 2010 from greater Atlanta, creditors snapping at his heels and his Georgia temple lost to bankruptcy.
Just over two years later, he has vanished from the local scene, leaving in his wake nearly a dozen lawsuits, almost $125,000 in delinquent property taxes and the vacant downtown landmark he bought at auction.Lawsuits, tax bills trail Hindu priest who bought, shuttered... | www.daytondailynews.com

 

[prasad1]

Former Leader Of Hindu Temple Of Georgia Charged With Defrauding His Followers And Temple’s Creditors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2014
ATLANTA – Annamalai Annamalai, a/k/a Dr. Commander Selvam, a/k/a Swamiji Sri Selvam Siddhar, the former leader of the now defunct Hindu Temple of Georgia, has been charged in a superseding indictment with 32 counts of fraud and obstruction-related charges.


“This defendant is charged with using his position in the temple to promote his fraud schemes,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “We urge anyone who believes they may have been defrauded by this defendant to notify law enforcement.”


"Annamalai exploited his position as a leader and spiritual adviser to enrich himself, by fleecing the people who trusted him with their most personal information," stated IRS Criminal Investigation, Special Agent in Charge, Veronica F. Hyman-Pillot. "IRS Criminal Investigation has 'followed the money trail' to ensure that these actions do not go unpunished."


According to United States Attorney Yates, the indictment, and other information presented in court: Annamalai generated income through the Hindu Temple of Georgia (“the Hindu Temple”) by charging fees to his followers in exchange for providing spiritual or related services. In a typical transaction, a follower agreed to purchase a particular service for a communicated price, and provided a credit card number by telephone to guarantee payment. Annamalai allegedly caused the followers’ credit card numbers to be charged on multiple occasions, in excess of the agreed amount and without authorization. If the followers disputed the charges with their respective credit card companies, Annamalai allegedly submitted false documentation to the credit card companies in support of the unauthorized charges.
Former Leader of Hindu Temple of Georgia Charged With Defrauding His Followers and Temple?s Creditors
These kind of Fakes do exist in other religions.
Fools and their money will be separated.

 

[tks]

When did Fox News report on this video? This video was uploaded on Aug 20, 2008. Here is a comment at the Youtube site:
View attachment 3692
Seems like a deliberate attempt to rake up anti-Hindu opinions? Any coincidence to what Shri vgane posted about
ISI plans to use US, UN to tar Modi

I had never heard of this until someone told me. Hence the focus of question was if someone has been to this temple (and if so what is the current status ..)

 

[vgane]

Let us close discussions on this..Law has already taken its course in this case..Like Sri Prasad has pointed out, there are fakes in other religions too..

 

[tks]

Former Leader Of Hindu Temple Of Georgia Charged With Defrauding His Followers And Temple’s Creditors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2014
ATLANTA – Annamalai Annamalai, a/k/a Dr. Commander Selvam, a/k/a Swamiji Sri Selvam Siddhar, the former leader of the now defunct Hindu Temple of Georgia, has been charged in a superseding indictment with 32 counts of fraud and obstruction-related charges.


“This defendant is charged with using his position in the temple to promote his fraud schemes,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “We urge anyone who believes they may have been defrauded by this defendant to notify law enforcement.”


"Annamalai exploited his position as a leader and spiritual adviser to enrich himself, by fleecing the people who trusted him with their most personal information," stated IRS Criminal Investigation, Special Agent in Charge, Veronica F. Hyman-Pillot. "IRS Criminal Investigation has 'followed the money trail' to ensure that these actions do not go unpunished."


According to United States Attorney Yates, the indictment, and other information presented in court: Annamalai generated income through the Hindu Temple of Georgia (“the Hindu Temple”) by charging fees to his followers in exchange for providing spiritual or related services. In a typical transaction, a follower agreed to purchase a particular service for a communicated price, and provided a credit card number by telephone to guarantee payment. Annamalai allegedly caused the followers’ credit card numbers to be charged on multiple occasions, in excess of the agreed amount and without authorization. If the followers disputed the charges with their respective credit card companies, Annamalai allegedly submitted false documentation to the credit card companies in support of the unauthorized charges.
Former Leader of Hindu Temple of Georgia Charged With Defrauding His Followers and Temple?s Creditors
These kind of Fakes do exist in other religions.
Fools and their money will be separated.

Sri Prasad

Thanks for sharing the stories.. I am curious as to how the temple itself is doing and if anyone has been to the location. I hope the bad press did not affect the running of the temple organization.

I know of a temple in PA that did well and went into bankruptcy due to lack of funds & volunteers and eventually had to be bailed out by Indian money. Now it is doing well

 

[tks]

The report is not an indictment against Hindus, or about Hindu religion - it is just about a corrupt person. There is no reason to bring any other religion into the discussion.

The more interesting thing is if a temple is able to survive such stories.

I have not been to Atlanta but was hoping someone who has been there can share how it is doing

Often temples get built without proper thinking about its future. Some temples have started created endowment funds to ensure basic maintenance will happen for a long time.

 

[Iyyarooraan]

A good exposure. Many still must be roaming around us. I am sorry these kind of people popularise god fastest. Nobody visits an unknown temple. Annamalaikku ArOhara!

 

[Naina_Marbus]

tksji: Your OP did serve a useful purpose. That there could be so many gullible NRIs in USA who could be taken for a ride is an eye-opener.

 

[prasad1]

I had never heard of this until someone told me. Hence the focus of question was if someone has been to this temple (and if so what is the current status ..)

To me the original post was for additional information, a harmless query.
I answered to the best of my ability with the latest information available on the net.
To assign non-existing motive is futile. Let us not judge everything with rose colored glasses. Let us accept the members on their face value (even if they are anonymous).

 

[prasad1]

Sri Prasad

Thanks for sharing the stories.. I am curious as to how the temple itself is doing and if anyone has been to the location. I hope the bad press did not affect the running of the temple organization.

I know of a temple in PA that did well and went into bankruptcy due to lack of funds & volunteers and eventually had to be bailed out by Indian money. Now it is doing well

Sir I support your post, at no time I made any accusation about your intentions. I was afraid that people might mistake you intent and tried to clarify your post. I wanted to post that it was about a suspected corrupt person and not against the Religion.


The temple’s $5-million, nine-acre property at 5900 Brook Hollow Parkway in Norcross was slated to be auctioned with foreclosed properties in Gwinnett County on Tuesday. The foreclosure notice said the temple defaulted on a $2.3-million bank loan. However, the foreclosure was put on hold when the temple filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday, according to Greg Brown, a spokesman for the temple.


“Our Norcross property, like many in America recently, is currently in foreclosure,” Brown said. “We are working diligently to remedy the situation and we feel confident that we will.”


Brown said temple activities will not be interrupted by the financial turmoil.


The Hindu Temple of Georgia has been on the skids since its controversial leader, Annamalai Annamalai, who goes by the name of “Dr. Commander Selvam,” was arrested in October on charges of financial transaction card theft and practicing medicine without a license. The temple’s chief priest, Lakshmanan Viswanathan, also was arrested in September for allegedly making false statements to police.


Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter dropped the charges against Annamalai in July, saying there was insufficient evidence to link Annamalai to disputed credit card usages. Porter also said the state law for practicing medicine without a license provides an exception for religious healers. The charge against Viswanathan is pending.


Annamalai told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in July that the controversy surrounding his arrest had put a strain on temple finances and scared away followers. He said about 1,000 people a week frequented the temple last year but that by this summer, the visitors had dwindled to one or two a month.

We tried to visit the that temple in November of 2013, but it was closed and looked abandoned.

 

[prasad1]

Let us also not jump to conclusion that this type of fraud is limited to USA. Similar frauds happens in India, but the enforcement of laws is lax in India, and the crooks are never prosecuted. There are these kind of fake God-person, who advertise from UK, India, etc. If these miracles really worked, these crooks would not be fleecing the common public. But common public is foolish and keeps chasing these crooks to find a non-existing short cut to happiness.
We see it right here in this site. And then there are so called well intentioned but ignorant people on this site who advocate such practices in the name of religion as written in the scriptures. Let us be not gullible, and let us save our friends from such crooks.

 

[tbs]

Has anyone been to this temple in Atlanta referenced in this Fox News report?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MinyJPcY0l0

hi

this story is very old...he is from tamil nadu...from coimbatore....he left atlanta and now started a new temple in Ohio....

he had nice magazine...i saw his magazine.....i think he was in custody for sometime.....even once he was promised give job for

more than 100 priests in USA under his command........finally he was fraud and ended soon....

 

[tks]

Sir I support your post, at no time I made any accusation about your intentions. I was afraid that people might mistake you intent and tried to clarify your post. I wanted to post that it was about a suspected corrupt person and not against the Religion.


The temple’s $5-million, nine-acre property at 5900 Brook Hollow Parkway in Norcross was slated to be auctioned with foreclosed properties in Gwinnett County on Tuesday. The foreclosure notice said the temple defaulted on a $2.3-million bank loan. However, the foreclosure was put on hold when the temple filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday, according to Greg Brown, a spokesman for the temple.


“Our Norcross property, like many in America recently, is currently in foreclosure,” Brown said. “We are working diligently to remedy the situation and we feel confident that we will.”


Brown said temple activities will not be interrupted by the financial turmoil.


The Hindu Temple of Georgia has been on the skids since its controversial leader, Annamalai Annamalai, who goes by the name of “Dr. Commander Selvam,” was arrested in October on charges of financial transaction card theft and practicing medicine without a license. The temple’s chief priest, Lakshmanan Viswanathan, also was arrested in September for allegedly making false statements to police.


Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter dropped the charges against Annamalai in July, saying there was insufficient evidence to link Annamalai to disputed credit card usages. Porter also said the state law for practicing medicine without a license provides an exception for religious healers. The charge against Viswanathan is pending.


Annamalai told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in July that the controversy surrounding his arrest had put a strain on temple finances and scared away followers. He said about 1,000 people a week frequented the temple last year but that by this summer, the visitors had dwindled to one or two a month.

We tried to visit the that temple in November of 2013, but it was closed and looked abandoned.

Sri Prasad

Thanks so much

You provided the most appropriate information answering the question I had in mind.

As you correctly said elsewhere there are crooks everywhere.