Fritz Artz Springmeier
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Fritz Springmeier - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fritz Artz Springmeier (born September 24, 1955) (aka Victor E. Schoff[1]) is an American conspiracy theorist and religious right wing activist, formerly a resident of Corbett, Oregon, who has written a number of books claiming that satanic forces are behind a move toward world domination by various families and organizations. He has described his goal as "exposing the New World Order agenda."[2]
Springmeier has been linked to a violent extremist group called the Army of God, and it was alleged that he had been growing marijuana with a member of that organization in order to supplement his income.[2]
On January 31, 2002, Springmeier was indicted on one charge of cultivation of marijuana under subsection (a), paragraph (1) of 21 U.S.C. § 841.[3] He was arrested, together with his wife, after investigations into a white separatist group revealed evidence of marijuana cultivation.[1] The government dropped that charge on November 13, 2003.[4]
Also on January 31, 2002, Springmeier was indicted in connection with a bank robbery.[5] On February 12, 2003, Springmeier was found guilty of one count of armed bank robbery under subsections (a) and (d) of 18 U.S.C. § 2113 and one count of possession of a semi-automatic rifle during a federal crime of violence under 18 U.S.C. § 924 and 18 U.S.C. § 2.[6] On the same day that the marijuana charge was dropped, Springmeier was sentenced to 9 years and 3 months in prison[7] for his involvement in the robbery in Damascus, Oregon in 1997, in which he set a bomb at an adult video store as an accomplice of another right-wing militant.[8] In October 2010, Springmeier was released from prison to go on and complete a 5 year probation program. He was restricted from engaging in any political work, for the time being as well.[9] Springmeier was put back in prison in January 2011, and was again released on March 25, 2011.[10]
Conspiracy theories
Springmeier has written and self-published a number of books based on the ideology of what's been described as an "ultra-right-wing group" called the Christian Patriot Association;[1]
this group was shut down in 2002 after convictions for tax fraud and tax evasion.[11] He has made multiple videos and presentations.[citation needed] He has endorsed the plausibility of Project Monarch, a purported Central Intelligence Agency mind control project whose conjectured existence is based only on the testimony of Cathy O'Brien under hypnosis.[12][13]
Springmeier's early work, The Watchtower & the Masons, focuses on the relationship between Jehovah's Witnesses and Freemasonry. In this book he describes a relationship between Charles Taze Russell and the so-called Eastern Establishment. Springmeier followed these links into Masonry and did a further examination of the Eastern establishment.[citation needed]
Springmeier claims to have created a general theory on who controls the world and in what way by doing elaborate studies and talking to numerous eye-witnesses. Identifying this occult group with the Illuminati, Springmeier names 13 families (called "bloodlines") which allegedly participate in this Illuminati-group[14] and writes about their wealth and areas of private influence.[citation needed] Also in his writing is the description of Satanic worship. He states that these families engage in mind control.[citation needed]