I received the following notice by email at 3:34 a.m. ADT:
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From: G. Arthur Joy
To:
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2007 3:45 AM
Subject: Amazing Facts to acquire 3ABN???
Just one week following Linda Shelton firing of Atty Brian Drew and retaining new and very aggressive Counsel to represent her interests relating to the division of marital assets, Danny Lee Shelton boarded the Cessna Citation III twin jet and headed west arriving at McClellan Airfield in Central Sacramento, California at noontime; In time to join Doug Batchelor and the officers and directors of Amazing Facts for lunch. The North American Division Spanish Coordinator who serves as Chairman of the Board of Amazing Facts, is is reportedly directing final negotiations in Sacramento, California.
Following the meeting, Staffers, past and present, from Amazing Facts began to leak quietly that 3ABN had been taken over by Amazing Facts. The terms and conditions have not been disclosed and everyone is waiting with baited breathe for the 3ABN Live for Thursday, April 19, 2007. It is anticipated that there will be a major announcement at that time, perhaps confirming the takeover by Amazing Facts of the reportedly severely wounded media giant.
The co-founders of 3ABN, Danny Lee Shelton, President, and Linda Sue Shelton, Vice President and Secretary, worked together for nearly twenty years, the entire time of their marriage together, to build 3ABN from a dream into a world-wide televangelist supporting ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Many have argued that it was, in fact, the media face of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for many years. Suddenly, in 2004, Danny Lee Shelton allegedly lead a three month campaign, privately and publicly, to eliminate Linda Sue Shelton from her role as Vice President and as Director of Production at 3ABN. She was fired in May of 2004, the record seems to reveal as many as three different times in one of the worst bunglings in SDA employment history. In June of the same year, just two weeks after the third firing, Danny Lee Shelton filed divorce papers in Guam to end the marriage to the Vice President he clearly wanted to get rid of. His public relationship with Brandy began shortly after the divorce when Brandy took up residence on the campus as early as July, 2004 and became permanently employed in October, 2004.
Rumors from various sources claim that 3ABN has been running an operating deficit of nearly $3.0 Million during the first quarter of 2007. This large hole developed following disclosure of certain unacceptable practices, certain staffing concerns and the alleged mis-management of 3ABN under Danny Lee Sheltons administration following the elimination of Linda Shelton in May of 2004. Some claim the downward spiral began in earnest with the remarriage of Danny Lee Shelton to his third wife, 20 years younger, in March of 2006. Since most Seventh-day Adventists believe there has never been a biblical basis for the Danny Lee Shelton divorce from Linda Shelton in June of 2004, the remarriage to Brandy is viewed by most contributors as adultery under the biblical standard. Contributions have been rumored to have substantially declined since December of 2006 as disclosures by both sides became public debate on forums and e-mail campaigns.
Linda Shelton also recently demanded that 3ABN produce and make available for authentication the evidence that was purportedly the basis for her being caste aside in 2004 and lead to Danny Lee Shelton divorcing her and remarrying Brandy. Linda has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, however, officers and directors of 3ABN have utilized the bully pulpit of 3ABN to regularly assert that Linda had conducted an inappropriate telephone relationship with a Dr in Norway that was treating her son from a prior marriage, Nathan Moore. They have further variously claimed that she had committed what was variously defined as a spiritual adultery against Danny Lee Shelton. This reporter reviewed and tested many of the allegations leveled by Danny Lee Shelton in a myriad of e-mails and came to the conclusion after a review of various statements that the alleged evidence is unlikely to constitute any provable case against Linda Shelton. This reporter actively participated in an effort to get an ASI panel to hear the case and review the evidence. When the panel failed, a website was constructed to make the real evidence available for contributors referred to as the stockholders in the pews to look for themselves and self-determine where they felt the evidence really pointed. Much of this is documented at
http://www.Save3ABN.com.
Danny and the Chairman of the Board have repeatedly warned of pending litigation against those responsible for having exposed various issues relating to violations of SDA Standards as well as alleged financial Exigency issues, including non-disclosure of certain conflicts within the records of 3ABN and some of its officers. Danny and the Chairman are reported to have flown to Minnesota on March 15, 2007 and there was an assumption that litigation would be forthcoming shortly after that visit since this reporter and AToday received warning letters from counsel in Minnesota, closely aligned over the years with Garwin McNeilus, a Danny supporter and the alleged contractor with a detective agency that spent time spying on Linda Sue Shelton in 2004. Danny is alleged to have claimed that Mr McNeilus is even paying for Danny's attorney.
While rumors of negotiations and that Doug Batchelor was actively wanting a media platform to expand the Amazing Facts, Inc Ministry have been active for the entire six months of our investigative reporting, the sudden breakthrough and conclusion was clearly unanticipated by anyone this reporter spoke to at this time.
The sudden conclusion to negotiations came just days after Linda Shelton hired new counsel with clear instructions that he was to conduct vigorous litigation and discovery to determine just where the assets from the marriage were and what belonged to whom. Several recent allegations have arisen regarding a host of financial non-disclosures by respondent, Danny Lee Shelton, suggesting that he had actively undertaken steps to hide or deliberately mis-state income, assets and royalties arising from 3ABN business activities, including sales of books, records, cd’s and dvd’s and other assets. It is alleged that in several cases Danny Lee Shelton would author or co-author books, a publisher would produce several hundred thousand at a time and these would actually be sold to 3ABN and inventoried, purportedly netting instant royalties to Danny Lee Shelton. An inspection of the 990’s filed with the Internal Revenue Service appears to have faile d to disclose any such arrangements, despite the fact it is a clear conflict to have an officer or employee have such a business arrangement without disclosure under IRS Rules for Non-profit entities. In fact, 3ABN employees are required to sign a conflict of interest statement annually.
Did the officers and directors not feel these rules applied to Danny Lee Shelton???
According to legal sources, these allegations and others relating to real estate transactions and allegedly secret arrangement by the President to compensate certain family members and a fiance’ without the full knowledge of the 3ABN Board may have clearly jeopardized the 501-c-3 status of 3ABN, already the subject of a case under appeal in the State of Illinois where an administrative Law Judge clearly determined that most of the 3ABN campus would not be tax exempt from real estate taxes in Franklin County.
At press time, we have not had a chance to get an official statement from Amazing Facts, Inc officers or Directors, and a number of contacts that this reporter had known within the Amazing Facts management team have recently left Amazing facts for various reasons.
Amazing Facts, Inc is commonly considered to be an independent supporting ministry of the SDA Church but insiders have made it clear that Amazing Facts is in fact a ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This allegation is supported by the following notice on the AmazingFact.org website which this reporter has posted below:
{News Release: 4/17/2007 Employment Opportunities
All applicants must be cleared or approved to work in the United States.
Although Amazing Facts, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate in its employment policies and practices on the basis of race, national origin, gender, color, age, marital status, disability, or any other basis prohibited by law, it is a religious association and a part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The employment practices reflect religious preferences in harmony with the U.S. Constitution and controlling law, and it therefore hires only Seventh-day Adventist Church members in good standing.
Employees of Amazing Facts are extended the same benefit package as NAD denominational employees. Employee transfers from other NAD denominational institutions are seamlessly accomplished.}
It would appear that rather belatedly, Elder Folkenburgs desire to see 3ABN a part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is about to become a reality. But how will the new management view the need to compensate the various alleged victims of the Shelton Administration?
Stay Tuned!!!
Gailon Arthur Joy
AUReporter
Save3ABN.com
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