Galen Kelly
Encyclopedia
Galen Kelly is a private investigator
and deprogrammer.
In 1988, Kelly investigated the "kidnapping" of Tawana Brawley
and dug up evidence that she had been at parties within the four days of her disappearance. Articles describe him as a "forensic psychologist".
In 1992, Kelly was indicted for allegedly planning to kidnap du Pont heir and Lyndon LaRouche
follower Lewis du Pont Smith. The trial ended with acquittal.
In 1993, Kelly was convicted to a seven-year three-month sentence in federal prison for the 1992 kidnapping of Debra Dobkowski, the head of the Washington cell of a group called "The Circle of Friends". Kelly had mistaken the victim for her roommate Beth Bruckert, who had been the intended target. During the trial it was also established that the Cult Awareness Network
, contrary to its publicly stated policy, in which it dissociated itself from deprogramming, had for many months during the 1990s paid Kelly a monthly stipend for preparing a pamphlet on Lyndon LaRouche
.
Kelly's conviction was overturned in 1994 by the appeals court because of prosecutorial misconduct
: Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Leiser had knowingly allowed Dobkowski to perjure herself, and had withheld evidence useful to Kelly's defense. Dobkowski had claimed that she wasn't a member of the group, while Kelly had claimed that Dobkowski set him up by switching beds with her roommate, changing her hair and entering the van voluntarily and later claiming to have been kidnapped. Dobkowski later pleaded guilty for money laundering crimes and served a 21-month prison sentence. Kelly later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was sentenced to the 16 months he had already served.
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
and deprogrammer.
In 1988, Kelly investigated the "kidnapping" of Tawana Brawley
Tawana Brawley
Tawana Brawley is an African-American woman from Wappinger, New York. In 1987, at the age of 15, she received national media attention in the United States for accusing six white men, some of whom were police officers, of having raped her...
and dug up evidence that she had been at parties within the four days of her disappearance. Articles describe him as a "forensic psychologist".
In 1992, Kelly was indicted for allegedly planning to kidnap du Pont heir and Lyndon LaRouche
Lyndon LaRouche
Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. is an American political activist and founder of a network of political committees, parties, and publications known collectively as the LaRouche movement...
follower Lewis du Pont Smith. The trial ended with acquittal.
In 1993, Kelly was convicted to a seven-year three-month sentence in federal prison for the 1992 kidnapping of Debra Dobkowski, the head of the Washington cell of a group called "The Circle of Friends". Kelly had mistaken the victim for her roommate Beth Bruckert, who had been the intended target. During the trial it was also established that the Cult Awareness Network
Cult Awareness Network
The Cult Awareness Network was founded in the wake of the November 18, 1978 deaths of members of the group Peoples Temple and assassination of Congressman Leo J. Ryan in Jonestown, Guyana. CAN is now owned and operated by associates of the Church of Scientology, an organization that the original...
, contrary to its publicly stated policy, in which it dissociated itself from deprogramming, had for many months during the 1990s paid Kelly a monthly stipend for preparing a pamphlet on Lyndon LaRouche
Lyndon LaRouche
Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. is an American political activist and founder of a network of political committees, parties, and publications known collectively as the LaRouche movement...
.
Kelly's conviction was overturned in 1994 by the appeals court because of prosecutorial misconduct
Prosecutorial misconduct
In jurisprudence, prosecutorial misconduct is a procedural defense; via which, a defendant may argue that they should not be held criminally liable for actions which may have broken the law, because the prosecution acted in an "inappropriate" or "unfair" manner. Such arguments may involve...
: Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Leiser had knowingly allowed Dobkowski to perjure herself, and had withheld evidence useful to Kelly's defense. Dobkowski had claimed that she wasn't a member of the group, while Kelly had claimed that Dobkowski set him up by switching beds with her roommate, changing her hair and entering the van voluntarily and later claiming to have been kidnapped. Dobkowski later pleaded guilty for money laundering crimes and served a 21-month prison sentence. Kelly later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was sentenced to the 16 months he had already served.