May 14, 2009
Open Letter to Ben Anthony
[Today the following letter was transmitted by attorney John McCall to Ben Anthony, director of the National Geographic Channel documentary Inside a Cult. In this letter Mr. McCall shares his concerns about the upcoming sequel Inside a Cult: Messiah on Trial, scheduled to be aired this Sunday. -ed]
Mr. Anthony,
I am writing to see if it is possible to discuss the inclusion of the actual trial testimony of the girls in the next documentary. There is no indication that any of the activity involved with Mr. Bent had any sexual nature to it and that is most clearly demonstrated in the trial transcripts. Have you or your crew reviewed the text and descriptions of the encounters that occurred? Is this key central fact included in the production? I think it will be crucial; in the legal proceedings, the fact that there was not a sexual touching of either girl seems to stand out.
Yesterday we had a Fire Captain plead to probation for three misdemeanors after he had sex with a 15 year old girl multiple times at the fire house in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. I am stunned that your compatriots cannot see the injustice of what is happening as a result of your media activities. A man and a church who have harmed nobody, are being dragged around like Jesus through the streets of Jerusalem and another man, who had the trust of a community of 80,000 people as a Fire Captain had sexual intercourse with a young girl multiple times and he never spends a day in jail? And every other case in New Mexico similar to this has the same outcome in communities where the children are exposed to authority figures like teachers, coaches, policemen and firemen who are not like Mr. Bent, someone chosen to be a spiritual leader by the consent of ALL in his community.
I hope there is time to address these issues before you launch the next bomb – the absurdity of what National Geographic has done is clear to all who believe in a rational approach. As the Texas Supreme Court finally condemned the actions of the Child Protective Services in seizing the FLDS children, so too, this case needs a deeper exploration and that could start with you. Please relay this to whoever you need to and open a channel to communicate with my office.
Thank you,
John McCall
Attorney for Wayne Bent
Law Works L.L.C.
823 Gold Ave. SW
Albuquerque NM 87102
(505) 256-1998
