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A young woman from a polygamous and incestuous Mormon sect speaks for the first time after exposing what the government claims is a multi-million dollar fraud of ripping off taxpayers.
Mary Nelson, 23, tells the "Whistleblower" host, Alex Ferrer, how she escaped from the Kingston clan, also known as The Order, with the help of his boyfriend Bryan. They got married and contacted the IRS and the FBI, helping them discover the alleged $ 511 million scam.
The episode "Polygamy, power and profits: the case against the Kington" is broadcast Friday, May 31 at 8 am / 7c on CBS.
"Mary, who are these people?" Ferrer asked Mary Nelson, holding a photo of her parents' family.
"They are all my brothers and sisters," she replied.
"Do they miss you?"
"Yes, I miss them a lot," she says,
"When I discovered that Mary's father had … over 200 children, I knew something was really wrong," said Nelson Bryan.
"My father has 18 women," said Mary Nelson, who tells how she became an unlikely whistleblower against prominent members of her own family, the Kingston Clan.
"They would give you instructions, and they would say, 'Do not ask questions,'" she told Ferrer.
On February 10, 2016, after spending for the federal government, a series of events that Mary Nelson helped set in motion exploded.
As reported by KUTV in February 2016, "A major event in several companies belonging to the polygamous group of Kingston".
The raids were part of an investigation into an alleged money-laundering scheme funding the lavish lifestyle of some of the king's personalities, ranging from mansions to exotic cars, while other members live near the poverty line. .
"It looked more like an organized crime family," said Mary Nelson.
Mary might never have become a whistleblower if she had not met Bryan Nelson, another student at Salt Lake Community College, who helped her escape from the clan after she had been in school. she was ordered to marry her cousin, 17 years old.
After the escape, the couple got married and finally had two children.
Mary told Bryan what she had seen while working at the Kingston Private Bank.
"Did you falsify documents when you worked there?" Ferrer asked Mary.
"Yes," she said. "So we were just given piles and stacks of checks, and just signing them, signing them … and they would just drop that and … just the account they would need."
Washakie Renewable Energy appears to be the most profitable company owned by members of the group.
"So, when Mary told me: it's the biggest company in the Order, I immediately suspected a fraud," explained Nelson Bryan.
According to the government, the founders of Washakie, brothers Jacob and Isaiah Kingston, falsified the company's tax returns for a massive $ 511 million tax credit.
"Just then, I said," We have them, "said Bryan Nelson," it's the beginning of the end. "
"There was nothing that could hinder my way of stopping that, "he added.
"What made you decide to become a whistleblower?" Ferrer asked the couple.
"We did not know it was who we were, we knew something had to change," said Mary Nelson.
"What kind of harassment did you receive with Mary?" Ferrer asked.
"So it all started like cars parked in the street, watching us," said Nelson. "Then all of a sudden, there was vandalism, and then a brick was thrown through our window."
"Have you ever been afraid that the Kingston group will find out that you and Bryan were the informants who went to the FBI?" Ferrer asked.
"It scares me a lot," said Mary Nelson.
"You were afraid that they would hunt you down," said Ferrer.
"Yes," she replied.
The two Kingston brothers and their business partner, Lev Dermen, are in jail pending their trial, which is scheduled to begin in July and last six weeks. Sally Kingston, the wife of one of the brothers, and Rachel Kingston, the brothers' mother, are not in jail, but they have also been indicted and must join the brothers at trial.
Mary and Bryan were and are still very worried about retaliation. Court documents reveal text messages from Jacob Kingston regarding a "performer" that he allegedly hired, where he would ask questions about "wholesale discounts" and a "2 for 1", as well as about "bad news". Other comments seem to point Bryan and Mary. The government alleges that the brothers hired the law enforcement official to intimidate and harm potential witnesses – and these witnesses could most likely be those whistleblowers.
In response to a request for comment and an interview with the CSB, the Kingston group said it "condemns in the strongest terms the fraudulent business practices and stresses that this behavior is totally at odds. against our convictions and our principles ". In addition, they say "business owners members of the [the group] have the autonomy to make their own decisions. "
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