California Testimonial #1:
I have been reluctant to post anything on the blog about my experience with JT because I was able to figure him out and to neutralize him before he was able to do any harm to me or my friends.
My own investigation while in process with him, however, did lead me to your blog and there I found a profile of behavior that was identical to what I was in the process of experiencing.
I can report what he did to set me up.
He had overheard me “coaching” clients in spiritual matters. At a propitious time, he introduced himself to me as a videographer and documentarian. He said he was in the business of helping people with noble ideas and intentions to get a start. This, he said, was his calling.
He suggested that he could make a video program of me – a kind of infomercial – that he would personally “place” in five major west coast markets.
What started as a “makeshift” project soon became a full blown commercial production, requiring pro optics, gear, sound systems, mixers, etc., from Ventura. I became suspicious.
We’d gotten pretty far down the road in the planning process when he started to hit me up for money to cover his anticipated expenses.
When I said, “I haven’t got any money,” his whole demeanor changed. That was a clue to me that all was not well with this person.
I challenged him directly by saying that I did not know him but had only one means to validate his character: comparing what he says to what he does. I told him that I’ve noticed how he changes the game ever so slowly and deliberately – to hook somebody in – without ever actually producing a result. All that he seems to produce is… anticipation in his target.
I introduced him to a few video savvy friends of mine – as if they were also going to participate in the project – and who I had asked to assesses JT.
We fairly well surrounded him, like a pack of hounds on a fox, and flushed him out.
He was quite soon on his way.
-nearly stung in Carmel
California Testimonial #2:
My story about JT.
My name is Daniel Flores, I met JT while I was finishing up my bachelors degree at UCSB. I was the host of an Open Mic at the Selah Cafe in Ventura California when JT (Jon Toriumi) approached us and offered to film the open mics, and post them on public access TV.. at first he was very friendly and kind, but then he began asking for money, and asking for cars.....
It was the car thing that was the most odd thing of all. He would ask if he could "borrow" my car and then be gone almost the entire day. Sometimes, he wouldn't even return that night and call me late and say that he was stuck somewhere and would need to hook up with me tommorow. All of the people that were involved with the Open Mic Crew were young people, and from what I understand. JT was particularly nice to the Woman in our movement. I won't mention any of their names here, but JT got their phone numbers and would frequently call them because he needed "help" with a project. Sometimes he would call them late at night and want to meet up with them. Needless to say, it creeped some of the girls out pretty bad.
Apparently, JT had been filming our open mics, and receiving money from another non-profit for his time working with the movement. The problem is, none of that money was being given back to the open mic, even though he was probably telling his sponsors that it was. In short, our movement was the victim of blatant exploitation. but the worst was yet to come......
I had an extra car in my backyard that I didn't really need. I putted around in it once in a while and had planned to sell it for about $800 bucks. JT talked me into signing the car over to him for "favors" that I listed on a peice of paper. We both agreed to the terms and I reluctantly gave him the car. JT only delivered 2 of about 16 favors he had promised. And after months and months of calling him and tracking him down, He just dissapeared. He would make plans to meet me, and then never show up. he would never answer my phone calls but answer when i called from a diff. phone number. I finally had enough and I threatened him with a law suit. I also contacted his funder, one of the non-profits, and the immedietly stopped working with him. It was then that he left to Hawaii and began his con-game with Mike Purvis. Mike Purvis contacted me and told me the same story happened to him. It is quite unfortunate, and I commend him for moving forward and trying to prevent others from being scammed.
I have a list of names of people from here in Ventura California that would like a "word" with JT. He is in the possession of stolen property, money, and owes about 100 favors to God knows who. I know that he worked with another Christian group here who is missing money and got screwed by him as well. fortunatly, we live in a small enough town that he wouldn't last here very long before someone found out he was back. I hope this helps. Good luck, and I pray for this man. I pray that he go to jail and realize that has really hurt people in the worst kind of way...........in our abilty to trust in the kindness of a stranger.
but my hope remains.
Daniel Flores
California Testimonial #3:
I came across JT (Jon Toriumi) in Ventura California where he was at the time a regional assistant director for Campus Crusade. He was working with several individuals in the area helping start ministries and he identified himself as part of a ministry called Catalytic that works with college campuses. We met at UCSB and he was helping with outreach bands who were performing with ministries to draw the lost in. He connected with a friend (business partner) of mine and made contact with us and wanted to start a partnership with our action sports ministry (which will remain nameless for now). We were really flattered that Campus Crusade wanted to connect with us. Being young and inexperienced, we opened our lives and our venture to JT. We made ourselves available for anything that he or a friend in the ministry needed. We worked with him to help start a temporary youth group at Calvary Chapel Simi Valley and worked with lots of concerts and promotions with him. JT also took on a large mentoring role in my life and my partner’s. This really let us trust him and we never for a minute thought that someone in the ministry who was showing this kind of spiritual fruit would be ever deceive us.
A few things started to smell funny after about 6 months of working with JT. Our ministries became closer and it became apparent that JT had funding issues getting support from Campus Crusade. We helped put on several concerts and events with JT but he had trouble paying the expenses. He often came to us have our ministry write the checks to vendors, bands, promoters, and venues – with the promise that he was simply waiting for reimbursement from Campus Crusade. We obliged and ended up spending several thousand dollars over several months paying out people. We even were often writing checks to JT personally – a difficulty he attributed to canceled accounts and misdirected funds that were supporting him. We saw only a fraction of the money that was paid out.
We tried not to make money such a big issue because we really wanted to be focused on the ministry and the Kingdom. But there were several other things that were promised that never came through. JT temporarily employed a buddy of mine for a few weeks and said that he would get paid $2000 for helping with projects around the area. After weeks and weeks, our friend never got paid. The funds that JT was going to pay our friend was tied to sale of a street bike that JT owned. We don’t know whatever happened to the street bike or some of the other items he was planning on selling, but we never got the money.
With JT, it was always about the coming week – all the reimbursements are just being delayed… it was because of the rigid structure of Campus Crusade and Catalytic.
We also extended our equipment and vehicles for JT. We were given a beautiful and brand new black and chrome enclosed trailer for our dirtbikes and surfboards. We let JT borrow our trailer many times a month – through the course of this, our trailer suffered severe damage including holes inside the plywood walls, broken electrical, and bent support shaft. I know that the trailer was being used for ministry (helping people and churches), but it received such terrible care and there was nothing done to remedy the damage. He lost the keys and had to have new locks installed and caused damage to our dirtbikes and surfboards.
Underlying all this that I have just mentioned, we helped JT get cell phones for his ministry that he provided to people he worked in ministry with. He wanted to get 5 cell phone accounts for the people from T-Mobile. This was in December of 2003. He said that if he could verify that the phones would be used for business, he would get a huge discount. So he asked to use our ministry as proof of the business. I thought it was weird that he couldn’t use Campus Crusade – he said that it was a formality and a complication getting things done fast. He ended up getting the phones and everything was fine (for a while). What we didn’t know was that he actually setup the account under OUR business using our tax id number and forged my signature to get the phones. I found this out when I got a call from a collection agency in April of 2004 – they were taking me to collections for $5500! I got copies of all the paper work and saw his interpretation of my signature with him as an authorized account holder. I have no idea how that ever got approved, but here I am about to get married and am slammed with 10 days notice to pay the bill before getting taken to collection! I personally paid money from my account that I was saving up for our wedding to keep the collection agency from seizing accounts and assets. He promised every week that he would be paying the bill in full (selling some car or motorcycle). I asked if Campus Crusade would cover this and he complained how hard they were to work with. Something was up and I then knew that I had to take action. I contacted all the people, pastors, and churches that JT had worked with and found out that everyone was owed money. Some a little, some a lot. Many people had equipment and supplies that were borrowed to him for ministry use that were never returned.
During this time, JT would go off the radar for weeks at a time. He would simply disappear and would not answer his phone or would not be home when we would try and find him. While trying to track down where $5500 would come from, he disappeared for a period of 4 weeks with our trailer, dirtbike and merchandise (about 10K total in assets). I left a message and told him that I was going to call the police to get my equipment if he didn’t show up. He finally called and said that I could meet him in get my stuff – we had one last meeting where he promised he would pay the debts. I at least had my equipment and knew that I had to fight the rest of the battle on my own and get others involved.
I called Campus Crusade and spoke with a John in Orange County (I cant remember his last name). He was the regional director? He informed me that JT had been disciplined and removed the Campus Crusade organization because of his financial irresponsibility. He said that JT had racked up tens of thousands of dollars and that he was stripped of all access to his accounts (which makes sense why he needed us to cut checks and to cover him). Several weeks of providing documents and many phone calls along with sleepless nights of the collection agency, Campus Crusade in Florida payed our bill on the DAY that the agency was to seize our accounts. I am forever grateful that they helped me.
I have not spoken to JT since. To find out that other incidents like this have occurred really breaks my heart. I thought that my Christian brother had one little hiccup and a string of bad luck with me. I have forgiven him and have since moved on. I know that JT is saved – I know that he has the power of God living inside of him – but he is so desperately in need of being held accountable for what he has done. I don’t need anything and am not posting this to try and get anything back. More than anything, I really hope that he is brought back to the Lord and back to accountability. I hope no one else gets trapped or taken advantage of by him or his schemes. Now that I see what he has done to others, Jon Toriumi really is wolf in sheep’s clothing. These incidents are not mistakes – these are calculated and he simply runs when it gets over his head. I am so troubled by meeting these other brothers and sisters in Christ who have lost so much more than me.
JT – come back to God. Stop what you are doing and get help! You are doing so much to damage the good nature and will of Christians and you are setting a precedence that Chrisitans can’t be trusted in ministry. We all love you and want to see you reconciled and brought back to righteousness. However, there are consequences to your actions and I hope that you submit yourself to accountability for what you have done.
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