Edward Morrissey
Encyclopedia
Edward Morrissey is the second ex-husband of Rev. Mary Manin Morrissey
. He pled guilty to money laundering
and using funds from his wife's New Thought
church, Living Enrichment Center
, for personal expenses. Edward Morrissey was sentenced to federal prison for his crimes. He was released on February 2, 2007.
In a 2004 e-mail
to Willamette Week
, Steve Unger, Mary Manin Morrissey's attorney, wrote that Mary Manin Morrissey and Edward Morrissey had committed commingling
, and that "the finances of [the] LEC, New Thought Broadcasting, Mary Morrissey and Ed Morrissey were treated not separately, but as a kind of 'financial family.'" In 2005, Edward Morrissey, a CPA
and the former CFO of Living Enrichment Center, pled guilty to money laundering
and using church funds for the personal expenses of himself and his wife. After a year in prison at Terminal Island
, in August, 2006, Edward Morrissey was transferred to a Portland, Oregon halfway house. Edward Morrissey was released from the Portland halfway house on February 2, 2007. Both Mary Manin Morrissey and Edward Morrissey have injunction
s against them, prohibiting them from heading or being agents in non-profit organizations. Both are also prohibited from selling securities.
, a New Thought
"mega-church" in Wilsonville, Oregon
with a congregation estimated at 2,000 to 5,000 members. Edward Morrissey married Mary Manin Boggs (thereafter known as Mary Manin Morrissey) in the mid-1990s, and shortly after the marriage Edward Morrissey became the CFO of the church. In the October 16, 2006, Oregonian
article "Forgiveness, for minister, starts with self", staff writer S. Renee Mitchell indicated that Mary Morrissey and Ed Morrissey have divorced. Mitchell wrote, "When the smoke cleared, Morrissey — who had once cozied up to the Dalai Lama and other world spiritual leaders — was divorced, houseless and in debt for more than $10 million."
Mary Manin Morrissey
Mary Manin Morrissey is a New Thought minister from Oregon, U.S.A. She was a founding minister of Living Enrichment Center in the 1970s. By the mid-1990s, the church's congregation was variously estimated at numbering between 2,000 and 5,000, making it the biggest New Thought church in the state...
. He pled guilty to money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
and using funds from his wife's New Thought
New Thought
New Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.Although New Thought is neither...
church, Living Enrichment Center
Living Enrichment Center
Living Enrichment Center, often referred to as LEC, was a New Thought megachurch and retreat center in the U.S. state of Oregon. Originally founded in the Scholls, Oregon farmhouse of senior minister Mary Manin Morrissey in the mid-1970s, the church grew so exponentially that it moved to a 94,500...
, for personal expenses. Edward Morrissey was sentenced to federal prison for his crimes. He was released on February 2, 2007.
In a 2004 e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
to Willamette Week
Willamette Week
Willamette Week is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon, United States. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business and culture....
, Steve Unger, Mary Manin Morrissey's attorney, wrote that Mary Manin Morrissey and Edward Morrissey had committed commingling
Commingling
Commingling literally means "mixing together". Used in a legal context it is a breach of trust in which a fiduciary mixes funds that he holds in the care of a client with his own funds, making it difficult to determine which funds belong to the fiduciary and which belong to the client...
, and that "the finances of [the] LEC, New Thought Broadcasting, Mary Morrissey and Ed Morrissey were treated not separately, but as a kind of 'financial family.'" In 2005, Edward Morrissey, a CPA
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
and the former CFO of Living Enrichment Center, pled guilty to money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
and using church funds for the personal expenses of himself and his wife. After a year in prison at Terminal Island
Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island
Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island is a low-security prison for men located on Reservation Point on Terminal Island and in San Pedro, Los Angeles. The other Federal prison in the Los Angeles area is the Metropolitan Detention Center in Downtown Los Angeles...
, in August, 2006, Edward Morrissey was transferred to a Portland, Oregon halfway house. Edward Morrissey was released from the Portland halfway house on February 2, 2007. Both Mary Manin Morrissey and Edward Morrissey have injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
s against them, prohibiting them from heading or being agents in non-profit organizations. Both are also prohibited from selling securities.
Marriage to Mary Manin
Mary Manin Boggs Morrissey Dickey was the founder (along with her then-husband Haven Boggs) and senior minister of Living Enrichment CenterLiving Enrichment Center
Living Enrichment Center, often referred to as LEC, was a New Thought megachurch and retreat center in the U.S. state of Oregon. Originally founded in the Scholls, Oregon farmhouse of senior minister Mary Manin Morrissey in the mid-1970s, the church grew so exponentially that it moved to a 94,500...
, a New Thought
New Thought
New Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.Although New Thought is neither...
"mega-church" in Wilsonville, Oregon
Wilsonville, Oregon
Wilsonville is a city primarily in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A portion of the northern section of the city is in Washington County. Originally founded as Boones Landing due to the Boones Ferry which crossed the Willamette River at the location, the community became Wilsonville in...
with a congregation estimated at 2,000 to 5,000 members. Edward Morrissey married Mary Manin Boggs (thereafter known as Mary Manin Morrissey) in the mid-1990s, and shortly after the marriage Edward Morrissey became the CFO of the church. In the October 16, 2006, Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
article "Forgiveness, for minister, starts with self", staff writer S. Renee Mitchell indicated that Mary Morrissey and Ed Morrissey have divorced. Mitchell wrote, "When the smoke cleared, Morrissey — who had once cozied up to the Dalai Lama and other world spiritual leaders — was divorced, houseless and in debt for more than $10 million."
External links
- Edward Morrissey's entry at California Bureau of Prisons website
- Religion News Blog index of articles regarding Edward Morrissey
- "Intersection of Spirituality and Fleecing" blog entry by Jeff Bull regarding the plea bargain struck with Ed and Mary Morrissey wherein Mary Morrissey did not serve time in prison.
Corporate Securities findings regarding Morrissey investigation
Willamette Week articles about Living Enrichment Center
- Forgive Us Our Debts? A local megachurch finds itself in mega-trouble.
- The Prophet Margin (cover story). Mary Morrissey's megachurch is $20 million in debt. Can she pull off a resurrection?
- Praise the Lord and Pass the popcorn
- Forgive Us Our Debts ... and lead us into bankruptcy
- The Enriching Quiz: Megachurch finances still puzzling.
- Nostradamus-Style Reporting