The scandal surrounding OneSchool/Unispace involves a complex fraudulent scheme wherein at least $80 million was siphoned from donations made to the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church's (PBCC) school charity, OneSchool Global, by Gareth and Charles Hales, (1/13)
sons of the PBCC's spiritual leader. This scheme was exposed by Steve Simmons, a former trustee for a OneSchool campus in Auckland, New Zealand, who had access to a wealth of evidence supporting his claims. (2/13)
The fraud was executed through a series of intricate transactions over an extended period, making it difficult for outsiders to grasp the full extent of the malfeasance. (3/13)
This can be broken down into four main components: The Scheme: This involved the creation of a charity by the Operator (the Hales's), who then convinced donors to contribute funds under the guise of legitimate charity causes. Over time, (4/13)
as the charity accumulated surplus funds, these were diverted to the Operator's pockets through overpriced transactions with for-profit businesses owned by the Operator. (5/13)
What Happened in Auckland: The local OneSchool Global (OSG) campus in Auckland was charged exorbitant amounts for construction and renovation projects by Unispace, a company directed by Gareth and Charles Hales. (6/13)
Despite objections from Steve Simmons regarding the inflated costs, the projects proceeded, and a significant portion of the charity's funds was misappropriated.
Subsequent Events Globally: Following the pilot projects' "success" in locations like Auckland, (7/13)
Subsequent Events Globally: Following the pilot projects' "success" in locations like Auckland, (7/13)
all OSG campuses worldwide were instructed to undergo similar renovations by Unispace, leading to further financial exploitation. The scale of these operations suggests that the total misappropriated funds could easily reach around $80 million. (8/13)
Sale of Unispace and Aftermath:
In March 2021, Unispace was sold for $300 million, potentially inflated by the profits from its dealings with OSG. Despite the sale, the Hales family continued to benefit financially through other entities within the Brethren network, (9/13)
In March 2021, Unispace was sold for $300 million, potentially inflated by the profits from its dealings with OSG. Despite the sale, the Hales family continued to benefit financially through other entities within the Brethren network, (9/13)
indicating a broader pattern of exploitation within the PBCC ecosystem.The scandal highlights issues of financial mismanagement, conflict of interest, and the exploitation of charitable funds for personal gain, (10/13)
all orchestrated under the leadership of the Hales family within the PBCC. This case has led to significant consequences for individuals like Steve Simmons, who faced excommunication and personal loss for attempting to expose the fraudulent activities. (11/13)
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