Kirk McDaniel, Jr., 74, of Prairie Village, was charged in an 18-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo.
McDaniel was the secretary of the York Rite Masonic Bodies in Kansas City, Mo., from June 2000 through September 2005. The fraternal organization is comprised of Oriental Commandery #35 Knights Templar, Orient Chapter #102 Royal Arch Masons, and Shekinah Council #24 Cryptic Masons. While serving as secretary, McDaniel also took over certain duties of the treasurer, including maintaining the bank accounts of each of the York Rite Masonic Bodies, writing checks, and transferring funds as needed between the accounts.
Today’s indictment alleges that McDaniel stole approximately $284,675, of which he repaid the organization approximately $105,012.
According to the indictment, McDaniel transferred funds from the York Rite Masonic Bodies bank account into a bank account he opened at Missouri Bank and Trust and into three investment accounts he opened at Edward Jones. The names on the bank account and the investment accounts were similar to the names of the legitimate accounts, the indictment says, but the transfers were made without the knowledge or authorization of the organization. McDaniel allegedly used the funds he transferred into those accounts for his personal benefit and the benefit of others.
The fraud scheme also involved several actions taken by McDaniel to conceal his thefts, the indictment says.
Brother McDaniel has not been tried yet. The indictments are based on an FBI investigation.
And you don't report on the actions where Arkansas forced a lodge to turn over thousands of dollars in assets or face full expulsions?
ReplyDeleteAt least this website is covering some bad news. I do wonder if your insistence in doing so is linked to the new website devoted to posting the wrongdoings of our evil leaders in certain areas?
Please help reform Masonry instead of Assisting Masons in ignoring the sad truths that have been covered up for so long.
Bro. Chris does an absolutely outstanding job of keeping us up-to-date on current Masonic news - good and bad. I haven't seen a mission statement for his blog, but I infer his self-established goal is to report on contemporary Masonic activity.
ReplyDeleteA casual review of the Masonic Leaks website shows (by my very quick accounting) one story from 1999 (Florida), two from 2004 (Arkansas), and two from 2005 (Arkansas). They indeed appear to be miscarriages of justice and Masonic principles. However, they don't pass muster as current news - Chris's apparent missio.
I can't imagine that the new website has influenced Chris in the least; his publication policy seems to be unchanged from when I started reading his blog a few years ago.
Keep up the good work, Chris!
S. Brent Morris, PM
I wonder at the somewhat bizarre statement, "At least this website is covering some bad news." As though that''s something to be happy about.
ReplyDeleteI would like to clarify that my standards for this blog, whatever anyone may think of them, are, in general, not to circulate rumors unless they are clearly identified as such. I am not someone else's soapbox for taking potshots at their brethren or grand lodges that can't be independently verified.
In the case of the Kansas City Mason on charges of embezzlement, that story hit the newspapers, and was trumpeted in a press release by the US Attorney's office. That's current news. It's a story some of us will no doubt be confronted over by relatives, friends or anti-Masons, since it has now appeared in over a dozen papers. I don't like it, but I'm not going to ignore it.
Neither did I ignore the imbroglio last year over the flap in Arkansas over Masonic license plates. And I didn't ignore the vote by the GL of Arkansas to dissolve Sebastian Lodge and demand the officers to turn over their assets.
While 6-12 year old stories from Arkansas based on the word of disgruntled and suspended Masons are truly sad to read, but not current, and not really what I see as my duty to report. If brethren in Arkansas want to engage in what they regard as reforming the Masonic culture in their state by relating these tales, that's their prerogative. The MasonicLeaks.com website is providing such a platform for them.
I reiterate that changes generally cannot be forced on any grand lodge by external pressure. They must come from the rank and file Masons within.