Dominion of Melchizedek
Encyclopedia
The Dominion of Melchizedek
(DoM) is a micronation
known for facilitating large scale banking fraud
in many parts of the world. The president was Pearlasia Gamboa
, wife of vice-president David Korem. Their activities were described by the Italian newspaper La Repubblica
as “one of the most diabolical international scams ever devised in recent years.”
known as the Melchizedek Bible. During the 1980s the Pedleys were convicted and imprisoned for multiple various land and share-related frauds.
The current President of the Dominion of Melchizedek is Richard James McDonald
, a lawyer and former law enforcement officer from California. Before becoming President of Dominion of Melchizdek, McDonald served as Governor of the Dominion of Melchizedek Bar Association and an Ambassador at Large. McDonald believes people can claim "state citizenship" thereby giving them rights which differ from those of a US citizen.
Supporters of DoM assert that it is an "ecclesiastical sovereignty," similar to Vatican City
. While its flag incorporates Christian
, Jewish and Islamic symbols, DoM has no established church or formally constituted religion, and most external observers reject the assertion of ecclesiastical sovereignty.
DoM also claims Jerusalem as its "homeland." The claim is based on the Biblical legend of Melchizedek
, who is said to have been priest-king of Salem. However, as no person associated with DoM is known to reside in Jerusalem, and as the DoM apparently has no recognized means of enforcing its claim, this claim is also generally rejected.
During the 1990s DoM began to claim sovereignty over a number of Pacific islands, all of which were already the possessions of recognized states
. DoM's claims include Taongi Atoll (an uninhabited possession of the Marshall Islands
); Malpelo Island
(a possession of Colombia
, inhabited by a military garrison); Karitane Shoal
(a reef submerged under 9 metres of water); Solkope Island
(part of Fiji
); and Clipperton Island
(a possession of France
). DoM also claims a large section of Antarctica. None of these claims are recognized by any established government.
The Dominion of Melchizedek website claims that it is a recognized sovereign entity. However, mainstream media outlets, including Forbes
magazine and The Washington Post
, have characterized it as a "ruse," and it has been described as "non-existent" by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
" by the Central African Republic
, in 1993, but stated, "...you get the feeling that the Central African Republic would recognize the State of Denial if it had a letterhead." An article in the Quatloos online anti-fraud site noted that "Melchizedek has apparently obtained some sort of recognition from some smaller states ... all of which are notable for their corruption. Claims that the DoM has received recognition from any major government are purely lies."
As far as is known, DoM does not maintain a diplomatic mission or any other form of representation in the Central African Republic, nor is there evidence confirming the existence of a formal bilateral relationship of any substance. DoM's web site claims that it has since been "recognised" by Burkina Faso
. No reliable secondary source has published a confirmation or denial of the claim.
issued the following statement:
The Marshall Islands has issued a diplomatic note to other nations, urging nations friendly to it not to recognize claims of DoM in the Marshall Islands. Remios Hermios
, the recognised Iroijlaplap
(chief) of Taongi, was later quoted on an Australian current affairs programme as saying he had granted DoM a 50-year "sovereign lease" over Taongi Atoll. However, as sovereignty over the atoll (as opposed to land title
) belongs to the Marshall Islands and not to private citizens, the Iroijlaplap's action is generally considered to be null and void.
DoM apologists have suggested that there is no link between Melchizedek and the illegal activities conducted by "banks" it has "licensed"; however, in an address to the 4th International Financial Fraud Convention in London, 1999-05-27, John Shockey, a former special assistant in the office of the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency, stated:
In the same address Stockey also stated that: "The Dominion of Melchizedek is a fraud, a major fraud, and not a legitimate sovereign entity. Persons associated with the Dominion of Melchizedek have been indicted and convicted of a variety of crimes."
At one stage in the early 2000s, DoM maintained a post office box address in Canberra
, the capital of Australia
. Coincidentally, one of the individuals identified by Philippine authorities in November 1998 as the ringleader of a series of frauds perpetrated in the name of DoM was John Gillespie, a former Australian felon who was convicted on the basis of his involvement in the Fine Cotton
horse substitution racket during the 1980s. According to a media report originally published in The Nation (Bangkok) on 1999-05-30, "hundreds of Filipinos, Chinese and Bangladeshis paid up to US$3,500 to Gillespie's gang for worthless Melchizedek travel documents," and some had also paid significant amounts of money to obtain "government jobs" on one of the uninhabited Pacific islands claimed by DoM. The total amount defrauded was estimated at one million dollars. While the other gang members were arrested, Gillespie himself eluded capture.
Another fraud involving DoM is tied to Jeffery Thayer, who was the Governor of the Bar Association from 1997 to 1999 and the current General Counsel and Humanitarian Projects Coordinator. Thayer practices law under a license granted by DoM, although he was disbarred in California. He authored the book, The Corporation Sole, Its History, Significance and Creation, which goes into the history of corporate soles
. Thayer also teaches seminars on how to organize and operate a church or ministry as a tax-exempt non-profit religious corporation. As a result of his fraudulent activities, Thayer served time in a US Federal Prison.
's 60 Minutes II
, aired a report critical of the Dominion of Melchizedek. Prior to the program being aired, Mark Pedley claims he had a conversation with 60 Minutes II producer Janet Klein, in which Klein promised Pedley fair coverage of DoM. In the opening of the program, CBS made a claim that Pedley was a prophet. During the interview, Bob Simon
asked Pedley if he was a prophet. Pedley replied, "I try to avoid making any predictions about the future."
After CBS aired the program, DoM demanded a retraction of statements made during the program. As a result of the bad press, DoM filed a lawsuit (in their own judicial system) on 2000-05-09 seeking damages for libel against CBS in the amount of $1 billion. The lawsuit named Klein, Simon, and CBS as the defendants. On 2000-07-25, DoM entered a default judgement against CBS, claiming that the company failed to respond to the lawsuit. Because of the lack of jurisdiction of the lawsuit, CBS has refused to acknowledge the judgement.
, California
) is one of the founders of the Dominion of Melchizedek. He wrote the Melchizedek Bible's preface, translated Genesis, Exodus, Matthew
and parts of Revelation
as his "gift" to the Dominion of Melchizedek according its "Introduction" which was first published in 1986. He also wrote the Glossary, which is called the "Key of David."
Pedley graduated from the University of California
. He attended classes of Dr. Josiah Merriman, a doctor turned Christian Science Practitioner
. Dr. Merriman emphasized the importance of resurrecting the Dominion of Melchizedek from antiquity.
After being convicted of several financial crimes in the 1970s, including stock fraud, Pedley was incarcerated. Pedley claims the charges were false and the result of a "witch-hunt" against him. While incarcerated, he started a cattle business, which Ben David operated for him in Los Angeles
, California
.
Released in 1975, Pedley partnered with his son Ben David in a real estate enterprise in Northern California. Pedley came under repeated grand jury investigations that resulted in further indictments against him. In 1982, he and his son Ben David fled to Mexico
to avoid arrest. Ben David was arrested in January 1983 by Mexican immigration for not renewing his visa. After being deported to the U.S. Ben David was held pending trial. David Pedley surrendered to Mexican authorities. While incarcerated in Mexico, Pedley apparently began work on the Melchizedek Bible which was written over a period of five years by hand and on a computer (which he received from his son Ben David).
While in Mexican custody Pedley apparently died, though the circumstances are not clear. A closed casket funeral was held in Altadena, California
, in 1987. At the funeral, FBI agents approached the Pedley family and requested to fingerprint David Pedley’s body. This request was denied by the family and allegedly some government regulators believe that David Pedley is still alive.
, California
) (also known as "Tzemach Ben David Netzer Korem" and "Branch Vinedresser") is the son of David Evan Pedley. He served as the Head of the House of Elders, Vice President of the Executive Branch, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of DoM until elections on 2006-11-15 when Korem was replaced by Charles Balas. As a result of the elections, no member of the Pedley family any longer holds titles of authority in DoM. Pedley is the co-author of the Melchizedek Bible.
He had his parole revoked by his parole officer in late 1991 due to a violation of his conditions. Pedley was released from his parole in July 1994.
In 1976, Pedley married Janith Marie Wardy. In 1994, Pedley married Pearlasia Gamboa
, a Filipina-American who became the first president of Melchizedek.
was the first president of the Dominion of Melchizedek. She is a Filipina-American business woman with numerous aliases who has been involved in controversial international banking, investment, and financial development
transactions, including alleged bank fraud
and securities fraud
, from 1990 through 2009. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission filed against Gamboa in 2009 to stop her from selling securities of any kind again, and to reimburse victims of her fraudulent activities by which she enriched herself, calling her claimed Philippine gold mines and companies “empty shells”. According to a United States law enforcement official, her “so-called ‘banks’ are involved in serious fraud, and we are watching them close.”
Gamboa’s method of operation is to claim that she is highly religious (a “facade
of religious respectability”), to pretend to have wealth, to create associations with international fame, to use numerous variations of her names and aliases, and to pretend to own physical companies around the world, such as gold mines, biodiesel companies, and banks, which are actually only empty shells. In 1995, after being investigated for fraud, Gamboa claimed a “religious freedom” by which she did not recognized the laws of the State of California, and she declared spiritual warfare
on California’s Deputy Attorney General
. In 2002, the address Gamboa listed with the SEC as an address for two of her businesses was the largest residence in Beverly Hills. Among Gambo's schemes was to defraud hundreds of Filipinos
, Chinese
, and Bengalis
. In 2009, Gamboa’s name was listed as one of the authors of a local newspaper claiming that her son, Hazemach, won a gold medal
in a national Karate
competition. La Republica
describes “a trap of luxury for the victims”.
Gamboa has operated under various aliases and business names, described by the Securities and Exchange Commission as being a “woman with multiple aliases”, and by the Washington Post newspaper, “names that change with kaleidoscopic ease”. Aliases include Bae Catiguman, Bae Katiguman, Princess Bae Katigumen, Bae Cat, B. Cat, pbc, Rebekah Mesaleah, Elvira Katiguman, Elvira Catiguman, Bae Elvira Gamboa, Pearlasia Gamboa, Ming Zhu, Pearlasia Korem, Pearlasia Grace Gamboa, Grace (Pearlasia Gamboa), E. Pearl Asian, Elvie G Gamboa, Elvira G, Elvira Gamboa, Elvie Austin Gamboa, Elvira G. Austin, and Maria Gamboa.
Melchizedek
Melchizedek or Malki Tzedek translated as "my king righteous") is a king and priest mentioned during the Abram narrative in the 14th chapter of the Book of Genesis....
(DoM) is a micronation
Micronation
Micronations, sometimes also referred to as model countries and new country projects, are entities that claim to be independent nations or states but which are not recognized by world governments or major international organizations...
known for facilitating large scale banking fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
in many parts of the world. The president was Pearlasia Gamboa
Pearlasia Gamboa
Pearlasia Gamboa is a Filipino American business woman involved in controversial international banking, investment, and financial development transactions, including bank fraud, securities fraud, and passport fraud, from 1990 through 2010...
, wife of vice-president David Korem. Their activities were described by the Italian newspaper La Repubblica
La Repubblica
la Repubblica is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. Founded in 1976 in Rome by the journalist Eugenio Scalfari, as of 2008 is the second largest circulation newspaper, behind the Corriere della Sera.-Foundation:...
as “one of the most diabolical international scams ever devised in recent years.”
Origin and Status
The DoM was created in 1986 by Evan David Pedley and his son, Mark Logan Pedley. The latter also uses a number of pseudonyms, including "Tzemach Ben David Netzer Korem" and "Branch Vinedresser" (which is a rough English translation of the Hebrew). The Pedleys have published a translation of the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
known as the Melchizedek Bible. During the 1980s the Pedleys were convicted and imprisoned for multiple various land and share-related frauds.
The current President of the Dominion of Melchizedek is Richard James McDonald
Pearlasia Gamboa
Pearlasia Gamboa is a Filipino American business woman involved in controversial international banking, investment, and financial development transactions, including bank fraud, securities fraud, and passport fraud, from 1990 through 2010...
, a lawyer and former law enforcement officer from California. Before becoming President of Dominion of Melchizdek, McDonald served as Governor of the Dominion of Melchizedek Bar Association and an Ambassador at Large. McDonald believes people can claim "state citizenship" thereby giving them rights which differ from those of a US citizen.
Supporters of DoM assert that it is an "ecclesiastical sovereignty," similar to Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
. While its flag incorporates Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, Jewish and Islamic symbols, DoM has no established church or formally constituted religion, and most external observers reject the assertion of ecclesiastical sovereignty.
DoM also claims Jerusalem as its "homeland." The claim is based on the Biblical legend of Melchizedek
Melchizedek
Melchizedek or Malki Tzedek translated as "my king righteous") is a king and priest mentioned during the Abram narrative in the 14th chapter of the Book of Genesis....
, who is said to have been priest-king of Salem. However, as no person associated with DoM is known to reside in Jerusalem, and as the DoM apparently has no recognized means of enforcing its claim, this claim is also generally rejected.
During the 1990s DoM began to claim sovereignty over a number of Pacific islands, all of which were already the possessions of recognized states
Diplomatic recognition
Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral political act with domestic and international legal consequences, whereby a state acknowledges an act or status of another state or government in control of a state...
. DoM's claims include Taongi Atoll (an uninhabited possession of the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
); Malpelo Island
Malpelo Island
Malpelo Island is an island located from Colombia's Pacific coast, and approximately from Panama's coast. It has a land area of . It is uninhabited except for a small military post manned by the Colombian Army, which was established in 1986. Visitors need a written permit from the Colombian...
(a possession of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, inhabited by a military garrison); Karitane Shoal
Karitane Shoal
Karitane Shoal is a shoal located in the Pacific Ocean south of the Cook Islands. Despite the fact that it is submerged under nine metres of water The Dominion of Melchizedek, an unrecognized micronation known for its involvement in large scale fraud, claims sovereignty over it as a "territory"....
(a reef submerged under 9 metres of water); Solkope Island
Solkope
Solkope is a small and densely wooded island off the southern coast of Rotuma in the Fiji Islands, at the edge of the fringing coral reef. It is separated from the main island of Rotuma by a channel that is between 50 and 200 meters wide, and lies immediately southeast of the village of Kalvaka in...
(part of Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
); and Clipperton Island
Clipperton Island
Clipperton Island is an uninhabited nine-square-kilometre coral atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean, southwest of Mexico and west of Central America, at...
(a possession of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
). DoM also claims a large section of Antarctica. None of these claims are recognized by any established government.
The Dominion of Melchizedek website claims that it is a recognized sovereign entity. However, mainstream media outlets, including Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
magazine and The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, have characterized it as a "ruse," and it has been described as "non-existent" by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
Recognition
An article in the Washington Post reported that DoM was "diplomatically recognizedDiplomatic recognition
Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral political act with domestic and international legal consequences, whereby a state acknowledges an act or status of another state or government in control of a state...
" by the Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
, in 1993, but stated, "...you get the feeling that the Central African Republic would recognize the State of Denial if it had a letterhead." An article in the Quatloos online anti-fraud site noted that "Melchizedek has apparently obtained some sort of recognition from some smaller states ... all of which are notable for their corruption. Claims that the DoM has received recognition from any major government are purely lies."
As far as is known, DoM does not maintain a diplomatic mission or any other form of representation in the Central African Republic, nor is there evidence confirming the existence of a formal bilateral relationship of any substance. DoM's web site claims that it has since been "recognised" by Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
. No reliable secondary source has published a confirmation or denial of the claim.
Marshall Islands statement
In response to one of DoM's territorial claims, the government of the Republic of the Marshall IslandsMarshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
issued the following statement:
The Marshall Islands has issued a diplomatic note to other nations, urging nations friendly to it not to recognize claims of DoM in the Marshall Islands. Remios Hermios
Remios Hermios
Remios Hermios is one of two iroijlaplap of the Ratak Chain in the Marshall Islands. His traditional domain includes the atolls of Aur, Maloelap, Erikub, Wotje, Likiep, Ailuk, Utirik and Taongi; he and his predecessors have also laid claim to U.S.-administered Wake Island...
, the recognised Iroijlaplap
Iroijlaplap
Iroijlaplap is the title given to the paramount chiefs in the Marshall Islands. An ordinary chief holds the title of Iroij ....
(chief) of Taongi, was later quoted on an Australian current affairs programme as saying he had granted DoM a 50-year "sovereign lease" over Taongi Atoll. However, as sovereignty over the atoll (as opposed to land title
Title (property)
Title is a legal term for a bundle of rights in a piece of property in which a party may own either a legal interest or an equitable interest. The rights in the bundle may be separated and held by different parties. It may also refer to a formal document that serves as evidence of ownership...
) belongs to the Marshall Islands and not to private citizens, the Iroijlaplap's action is generally considered to be null and void.
Frauds linked to the Dominion of Melchizedek
Over 300 investors in various parts of the world have lost money in purported investment, fantasy passport and employment scams run by several "banks" licensed by Melchizedek, including one operated by a supposed "diplomatic representative".DoM apologists have suggested that there is no link between Melchizedek and the illegal activities conducted by "banks" it has "licensed"; however, in an address to the 4th International Financial Fraud Convention in London, 1999-05-27, John Shockey, a former special assistant in the office of the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency, stated:
Melchizedek first came to my attention in June 1990, a few months after Mark Pedley was paroled from a 1986 conviction. Inquiries were received concerning bank names: Banco de Asia, Guardian Savings & Guaranty and Express Bank among others. Investigations that these entities had bank charters from the DOM and obtained through an entity named Consortium Finance Corporation headquartered in Lake Tahoe, California. Further investigation disclosed a principal alternately named John Hayden and Branch Vinedresser. Shortly thereafter the FBI took Branch Vinedresser into custody and revealed that he was Mark Pedley, who then was charged with violations of his parole.
In the same address Stockey also stated that: "The Dominion of Melchizedek is a fraud, a major fraud, and not a legitimate sovereign entity. Persons associated with the Dominion of Melchizedek have been indicted and convicted of a variety of crimes."
At one stage in the early 2000s, DoM maintained a post office box address in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, the capital of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Coincidentally, one of the individuals identified by Philippine authorities in November 1998 as the ringleader of a series of frauds perpetrated in the name of DoM was John Gillespie, a former Australian felon who was convicted on the basis of his involvement in the Fine Cotton
Fine Cotton
Fine Cotton was a brown Australian Thoroughbred gelding which was at the centre of a substitution scam which occurred on 18 August 1984, in the Commerce Novice Handicap over 1,500 metres at Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane, Queensland...
horse substitution racket during the 1980s. According to a media report originally published in The Nation (Bangkok) on 1999-05-30, "hundreds of Filipinos, Chinese and Bangladeshis paid up to US$3,500 to Gillespie's gang for worthless Melchizedek travel documents," and some had also paid significant amounts of money to obtain "government jobs" on one of the uninhabited Pacific islands claimed by DoM. The total amount defrauded was estimated at one million dollars. While the other gang members were arrested, Gillespie himself eluded capture.
Another fraud involving DoM is tied to Jeffery Thayer, who was the Governor of the Bar Association from 1997 to 1999 and the current General Counsel and Humanitarian Projects Coordinator. Thayer practices law under a license granted by DoM, although he was disbarred in California. He authored the book, The Corporation Sole, Its History, Significance and Creation, which goes into the history of corporate soles
Corporation sole
A corporation sole is a legal entity consisting of a single incorporated office, occupied by a single man or woman. This allows a corporation to pass vertically in time from one office holder to the next successor-in-office, giving the position legal continuity with each subsequent office...
. Thayer also teaches seminars on how to organize and operate a church or ministry as a tax-exempt non-profit religious corporation. As a result of his fraudulent activities, Thayer served time in a US Federal Prison.
Lawsuit against CBS
In April 2000, CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's 60 Minutes II
60 Minutes II
60 Minutes II was a weekly primetime news magazine television program that was intended to replicate the "signature style, journalistic quality and integrity" of the original 60 Minutes series.It aired on CBS on Wednesdays, then later moved to Fridays at 8 p.m...
, aired a report critical of the Dominion of Melchizedek. Prior to the program being aired, Mark Pedley claims he had a conversation with 60 Minutes II producer Janet Klein, in which Klein promised Pedley fair coverage of DoM. In the opening of the program, CBS made a claim that Pedley was a prophet. During the interview, Bob Simon
Bob Simon
Bob Simon is a CBS News television correspondent.From 1964–67, Simon served as an American Foreign Service officer and was a Fulbright Scholar in France and a Woodrow Wilson scholar. From 1969–71, he served a tour in the CBS News London bureau. From 1971–77, he was based in the London and Saigon...
asked Pedley if he was a prophet. Pedley replied, "I try to avoid making any predictions about the future."
After CBS aired the program, DoM demanded a retraction of statements made during the program. As a result of the bad press, DoM filed a lawsuit (in their own judicial system) on 2000-05-09 seeking damages for libel against CBS in the amount of $1 billion. The lawsuit named Klein, Simon, and CBS as the defendants. On 2000-07-25, DoM entered a default judgement against CBS, claiming that the company failed to respond to the lawsuit. Because of the lack of jurisdiction of the lawsuit, CBS has refused to acknowledge the judgement.
David Evan Pedley
David Evan Pedley (born 1929-04-08 in Daly CityDaly City, California
Daly City is the largest city in San Mateo County, California, United States, with a 2010 population of 101,123. Located immediately south of San Francisco, it is named in honor of businessman and landowner John Daly.-History:...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
) is one of the founders of the Dominion of Melchizedek. He wrote the Melchizedek Bible's preface, translated Genesis, Exodus, Matthew
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
and parts of Revelation
Revelation
In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing, through active or passive communication with a supernatural or a divine entity...
as his "gift" to the Dominion of Melchizedek according its "Introduction" which was first published in 1986. He also wrote the Glossary, which is called the "Key of David."
Pedley graduated from the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
. He attended classes of Dr. Josiah Merriman, a doctor turned Christian Science Practitioner
Christian Science practitioner
A Christian Science practitioner is an individual who follows the practice of healing through prayer according to the teachings of Christian Science...
. Dr. Merriman emphasized the importance of resurrecting the Dominion of Melchizedek from antiquity.
After being convicted of several financial crimes in the 1970s, including stock fraud, Pedley was incarcerated. Pedley claims the charges were false and the result of a "witch-hunt" against him. While incarcerated, he started a cattle business, which Ben David operated for him in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Released in 1975, Pedley partnered with his son Ben David in a real estate enterprise in Northern California. Pedley came under repeated grand jury investigations that resulted in further indictments against him. In 1982, he and his son Ben David fled to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to avoid arrest. Ben David was arrested in January 1983 by Mexican immigration for not renewing his visa. After being deported to the U.S. Ben David was held pending trial. David Pedley surrendered to Mexican authorities. While incarcerated in Mexico, Pedley apparently began work on the Melchizedek Bible which was written over a period of five years by hand and on a computer (which he received from his son Ben David).
While in Mexican custody Pedley apparently died, though the circumstances are not clear. A closed casket funeral was held in Altadena, California
Altadena, California
Altadena is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center, and directly north of the city of Pasadena, California...
, in 1987. At the funeral, FBI agents approached the Pedley family and requested to fingerprint David Pedley’s body. This request was denied by the family and allegedly some government regulators believe that David Pedley is still alive.
Mark Logan Pedley
Mark Logan Pedley (born 1953-07-19 in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
) (also known as "Tzemach Ben David Netzer Korem" and "Branch Vinedresser") is the son of David Evan Pedley. He served as the Head of the House of Elders, Vice President of the Executive Branch, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of DoM until elections on 2006-11-15 when Korem was replaced by Charles Balas. As a result of the elections, no member of the Pedley family any longer holds titles of authority in DoM. Pedley is the co-author of the Melchizedek Bible.
He had his parole revoked by his parole officer in late 1991 due to a violation of his conditions. Pedley was released from his parole in July 1994.
In 1976, Pedley married Janith Marie Wardy. In 1994, Pedley married Pearlasia Gamboa
Pearlasia Gamboa
Pearlasia Gamboa is a Filipino American business woman involved in controversial international banking, investment, and financial development transactions, including bank fraud, securities fraud, and passport fraud, from 1990 through 2010...
, a Filipina-American who became the first president of Melchizedek.
Pearlasia Gamboa
Pearlasia GamboaPearlasia Gamboa
Pearlasia Gamboa is a Filipino American business woman involved in controversial international banking, investment, and financial development transactions, including bank fraud, securities fraud, and passport fraud, from 1990 through 2010...
was the first president of the Dominion of Melchizedek. She is a Filipina-American business woman with numerous aliases who has been involved in controversial international banking, investment, and financial development
Financial sector development
Financial sector development in developing countries and emerging markets is part of the private sector development strategy to stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty....
transactions, including alleged bank fraud
Bank fraud
Bank fraud is the use of fraudulent means to obtain money, assets, or other property owned or held by a financial institution, or to obtain money from depositors by fraudulently representing to be a bank or financial institution. In many instances, bank fraud is a criminal offense...
and securities fraud
Securities fraud
Securities fraud, also known as stock fraud and investment fraud, is a practice that induces investors to make purchase or sale decisions on the basis of false information, frequently resulting in losses, in violation of the securities laws....
, from 1990 through 2009. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission filed against Gamboa in 2009 to stop her from selling securities of any kind again, and to reimburse victims of her fraudulent activities by which she enriched herself, calling her claimed Philippine gold mines and companies “empty shells”. According to a United States law enforcement official, her “so-called ‘banks’ are involved in serious fraud, and we are watching them close.”
Gamboa’s method of operation is to claim that she is highly religious (a “facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
of religious respectability”), to pretend to have wealth, to create associations with international fame, to use numerous variations of her names and aliases, and to pretend to own physical companies around the world, such as gold mines, biodiesel companies, and banks, which are actually only empty shells. In 1995, after being investigated for fraud, Gamboa claimed a “religious freedom” by which she did not recognized the laws of the State of California, and she declared spiritual warfare
Spiritual warfare
Spiritual warfare is a range of activity by various Christian groups whereby Satanic demons are combatted, using a variety of methods depending on the group, but typically through prayer.-Range of practice, history, and methodology:...
on California’s Deputy Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
. In 2002, the address Gamboa listed with the SEC as an address for two of her businesses was the largest residence in Beverly Hills. Among Gambo's schemes was to defraud hundreds of Filipinos
Filipinos
Filipinos is the brand name for a series of biscuit snacks made by Kraft Foods. In Spain and Portugal they are produced and sold under the Artiach brand name. Under license to United Biscuits, in the Netherlands they are sold and produced locally under the Verkade brand...
, Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
, and Bengalis
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
. In 2009, Gamboa’s name was listed as one of the authors of a local newspaper claiming that her son, Hazemach, won a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in a national Karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
competition. La Republica
La República
La República is a center-left newspaper published in Lima, Peru. It is one of the two main national dailies sold all over the country since it was founded on May 3, 1981. The paper was founded by Gustavo Mohme Llona, a former member of the Peruvian Congress...
describes “a trap of luxury for the victims”.
Use of aliases, fictitious business names, and corporate shells
The Washington Post newspaper describes Gamboa’s numerous aliases and company names as “names that change with kaleidoscopic ease and a history of more legal proceedings than 'Melchizedek' has syllables… getting to the truth requires a walk down a bizarre labyrinth that includes a home-brew religion…it appears to exist mainly so that money can be whisked through shell banks”. The Indiana Star newspaper described her activities as being “like a novel full of global intrigue and biblical ties”.Gamboa has operated under various aliases and business names, described by the Securities and Exchange Commission as being a “woman with multiple aliases”, and by the Washington Post newspaper, “names that change with kaleidoscopic ease”. Aliases include Bae Catiguman, Bae Katiguman, Princess Bae Katigumen, Bae Cat, B. Cat, pbc, Rebekah Mesaleah, Elvira Katiguman, Elvira Catiguman, Bae Elvira Gamboa, Pearlasia Gamboa, Ming Zhu, Pearlasia Korem, Pearlasia Grace Gamboa, Grace (Pearlasia Gamboa), E. Pearl Asian, Elvie G Gamboa, Elvira G, Elvira Gamboa, Elvie Austin Gamboa, Elvira G. Austin, and Maria Gamboa.
External links
- Official site
- Scamdog - Another article describing Melchizedek's criminal activities.
- Warning from the Comptroller of the US Treasury Department.
- 1999 US Securities and Exchange Commission civil case involving bank licensed by the Dominion of Melchizedek
- "THE RUSE THAT ROARED; It's War! Island Nation Targets France in Ruthenian Missile Crisis", The Washington Post, November 5, 1995
- "No Man Is An Island", Dallas Observer, June 27, 1996
- "The Dominion Of Melchizedek Manipulation", DC Indymedia, January 10, 2008