Damage Perpetuated by Fraudulent “Professing Psychiatrist” and Overseers

WINGS has published numerous reports about Leslie White, even back to 2013. Other people had reported Leslie to overseers by at least 2009.

Misrepresenting the status of the so-called “professing psychiatrist” is fraudulent. Equally abhorrent is for the interviewer to allow the woman of the home and three overseers to be present in what should have been a professional, caring environment.

Then, using the fraudulent professional’s opinion to support the widely denigrated claims of Leslie White, rather than the victim’s account, is an abject failure of integrity.

It has been reported that Jim Price and Jeremy Baseman were notified in approximately 2015 that the “professing psychiatrist” was a fraud.

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In 2012, a sister worker reported her experience of being raped by overseer Leslie White, as well as being subjected to repeated sexual abuse by Ruthie Topinka. The reports were made to Lyle Schober and soon thereafter a meeting was scheduled for the sister worker to meet with Ray Hoffmann and Lyle Schober in person, with several other witnesses present. During the meeting, the sister worker shared her accounts of abuse at the hands of Leslie White and Ruthie Topinka.

A few months later, Hoffmann suggested the sister worker visit with a “professing psychiatrist” in Denver. The “professing psychiatrist” had told Jim Price (then the overseer of Colorado) that she would be glad to talk to the sister worker – and that she also wondered if Lyle Schober and Ray Hoffmann would like to be present as well.  Reportedly, the brother workers were interested in hearing what a professional had to say since these were “new waters” for them and to help them understand. The meeting was scheduled for the following week. Keep in mind, by 2012, various overseers had received reports of White’s sexually predatory behavior and he was reportedly “put on probation” on October 23, 2009, after a meeting in Texas.  

The sister worker, along with her sister, traveled to Colorado to the home of some of the friends for the meeting. She was brought into the living room and placed in a chair across from the “professing psychiatrist” with Ray Hoffmann, Lyle Schober and Jim Price sitting to the side observing. The “professing psychiatrist” proceeded to question the sister worker about being raped – the most devastating, humiliating, and soul-crushing experience of her life. At the end of the inquisition, the sister worker was dismissed. At that point, she realized the woman of the home was also in the room observing.  

Months later, the sister worker learned that the workers were telling some of the friends and each other that the “professing psychiatrist” had determined the sister worker was lying about her experience based on her observation of the sister worker’s eye movements. Never mind the fact the correlation between eye movement and deception has been widely debunked as junk science, the bigger revelation is that the “professing psychiatrist” was not a psychiatrist at all. In fact, she did not have any type of college degree or license. She was a fraud. At some point in time, friends and workers became aware the “doctor” was a fraud.  

The reality that brother workers sat, watched, and listened while a sister worker was questioned about the worst thing that had ever happened in her life is disturbing in itself — especially in light of the fact they had already heard the survivor’s account first hand in person. To then learn the “professing psychiatrist” who determined the sister worker was lying had no credentials at all and was a fraud is astonishing.   

The reason this story continues to be important today is because Ruthie Topinka is still in the work. The now former sister worker has repeatedly pleaded with certain overseers to address her abuse allegations. Just last year, I contacted an overseer to ask for his assistance in getting the issue addressed. He informed me that it had been determined the sister worker who made the allegations had been lying.  

The “professing psychiatrist” was the lie. She did not go to college to obtain a degree.  She was not licensed in any capacity as counselor, therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist. To this day, the workers are spreading the narrative that the former sister worker is lying based on a fraudster’s assessment. Ray Hoffmann, Lyle Schober and Jim Price owe the former sister worker a personal apology, and they need to very publicly issue an apology and correction to the former sister worker and the entire 2×2 community.  

Report prepared by Cynthia Liles
2×2 Church Accountability

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Some WINGS posts re Leslie White

Timeline of Decisions Pertaining to CSA made by Ray Hoffmann, Barry Barkley, and Dale Shultz

No Place for Secrecy

Victims of Leslie White speak out

Further Letter to North Houston Elders

Reflections on the fallout in advocating for victims of sexual harassment

A Pleading Voice – from Ten Years Ago