Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Phoney Ex Jesuit

TradeMe vendor admits priest lie
By AMY MILNE
The Southland Times
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
A Mataura man who claimed he was an ex-Jesuit priest, to enhance the worth of Catholic memorabilia he was selling on TradeMe, has confessed he told a "porky" about his religious career. Invalid beneficiary Bruce Gotobed, 46, has been a TradeMe member since January 2003 and regularly contributed to the site's message board (chatroom).
In November Mr Gotobed sold Auckland woman Allison Doody a pectoral cross that he claimed was made by the papal tailors in Rome.
Before buying the cross, traders including Mrs Doody posted questions on the site asking for proof of the cross' origin. Mr Gotobed replied that he was an "ex-Jesuit priest" and was a "clerk for Cardinal Ratzinger" when he was prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith. In his reply he says he did not have a certificate of authenticity because asking a friend proof of a gift given was "hardly the thing to do" .
He said it was given to him in 1983 before the cardinal's election to Pope. Mrs Doody won the auction and paid $1000 for the cross.
However, she became suspicious about Mr Gotobed last week when other traders raised questions about "mendlesmanor' (Mr Gotobed's TradeMe name) and accused him of being a fraud, she said. Posts were later put on the message board under mendlesmanor's name but the writers claimed to be Mr Gotobed's wife "Toni" and also his brother "Tony". The messages say Mr Gotobed had a massive stroke and was in a coma because of all the stress of the claims that had been made. Mrs Doody said "Toni" wrote in exactly the same style as Mr Gotobed, with random capital letters and poor grammar. She said she later discovered "Toni" was a man called Noho Tony Taitok, who was Mr Gotobed's live-in partner.
Mrs Doody then checked the United States online trading site e-Bay and found what appeared to be the same cross she had bought. "It's for sale with a bid of $26 on it. It's exactly the same. It used exactly the same photos that he (Mr Gotobed) used in his auction."
Mrs Doody said she e-mailed Mr Gotobed, demanding a refund. Mr Gotobed was first confronted about the alleged fraud claims at his Mataura home on Sunday but his partner said he was too ill to talk.
Yesterday, he confessed he was not an ex-Jesuit priest but was a former Franciscan monk and that he'd bought the cross off e-Bay.
He said he had told a porky that he was an ex-Jesuit priest. "It was a stupid mistake. I don't know what I was thinking. My thought patterns at times are quite wonky. I say things sometimes and think `why the hell did I say that'." He blamed this on the medication he took for his bowel cancer, brain tumour and congenital kidney diseases. Mr Gotobed has agreed to refund Mrs Doody her money. "The cross itself and the cord are genuine items. It's just the provenance of it that was wonky. That's why I will be refunding her." Mrs Doody said if she did not receive the money she would lay a complaint with police. She has agreed to return the cross. Mr Gotobed said he planned to keep it. Trade Me trust and safety manager Dean Winter said the company had restricted Mr Gotobed's membership and would respond to any complaints as they were received. While it appeared the member had lied about his background, it did not indicate any intent to defraud, Mr Winter said. Trade Me had not received any official complaints but would be contacting Mr Gotobed and Mrs Doody to ensure the matter had been resolved, he said.
Father Anthony Malone, a former superior of the Franciscan friars in Auckland, said Mr Gotobed was never a monk but he did begin training to be a friar in the 1980s.
Fr Malone said it took about seven years before a trainee could be ordained as a friar. He said Mr Gotobed was asked to leave after only six months into his first year of training because his health was deemed to be too poorly. When asked if he had any knowledge of Mr Gotobed becoming a Jesuit priest, Fr Malone laughed and said it was very unlikely. Mr Gotobed said the claim he was an ex-Jesuit priest had come about after he had told media in a previous interview about a lock of Princess Diana's hair, which he tried to sell on TradeMe last year.
However, when the story went to publication, "Franciscan monk" had been changed to "a former Jesuit priest",
he said. Mr Gotobed said he had posted the threads pretending to be his wife "Toni and also his brother Tony as a way out". But this only fuelled what he called a witch-hunt. He said he would not be trading on TradeMe for some time.

Link (here)

9 comments:

joybells63 said...

This man, Bruce Gotobed has lied to me many times. I am part of a fund raising project for Cancer Society Research in NZ. I made 2 gnomes, Gnorman and Gnorma-Jean that have traveled the world and have had items donated for sale to raise money. Bruce sent me an EMAIL FROM THE POPE... (in Italian) saying His Holiness the Pope would grant the gnomes an audience and would like to bless the project. I was fully taken in. After all, Prime Minister Helen Clark invited Gnorman to her birthday and was photographed with him.... why would I be suspicious of a dying priest. Sadly, I was taken for a fool!!! I can post the email Bruce sent me from His Holiness if you want to see it. I am so embarrassed to have been taken in. I had actually made inquiries about air fares to accompany the gnomes to Rome myself. I promised my youngest son, that if I could go he could come too. We are a protestant family but have great respect for the Catholic Church and the Vatican. I have not told him it was all lies yet. Never to mind.... Bruce Gotobed needs help more than I need sympathy.

Joseph Fromm said...

Wow!

Anonymous said...

Actually, joybells63 was heavily involved in the whole thing by passing on the emails from this man to whole community, and stating it as fact. She deserves NO sympathy (but is always seeking that, and glory...) She has systematically got herself involved in other people's tragedies like a vulture, and always gets the wrong end of the stick, causing mayhem, before the sensible, rational people manage to get the truth out there. This is a thoughtful and respectful post, in respect of that whole community to which the emails from this person were passed on to, byt this blogger. Just goes to prove, you can't believe everything you read......

joybells63 said...

As I stated, I seek no sympathy. The anonymous poster can say whatever she likes as an anonymous poster!
I am sorry that your site has been polluted by such hate and disrespect.
God bless, Joy.

joybells63 said...

I would like to ask the *anonymous* poster if it was *vulturish* of me to send her money for a laptop after she told me she did not have long to live... the community wanted to buy her something after we fundraised for her, but she said no, please send me the money.

joybells63 said...

anonymous poster... I have the bank records and emails... I have seen the email you have sent out this afternoon stating I am lying... you refused the gift and requested the money towards a laptop ...February 2007. I have forwarded the material to the appropriate people.

joybells63 said...

7 Feb 2007 7191Genesis Power Li
20:11-13183 $150.00
7 Feb 2007 Pak' N Save Wanganui
7-17:48-341 $77.15
7 Feb 2007 Twh 145 Wanganui
6-14:14-066 $67.36
7 Feb 2007 autumnwinds sml
14:11-84060 $50.00
7 Feb 2007 Postie Plus - Wan
7-11:29-993 $46.00
7 Feb 2007 Countdown - Wanganui
6-14:23-341 $44.24


The balance after paying for the Trinity Farm rose was $30, I contributed another $20. The total given to Sue for the laptop as requested was $50.

Anonymous said...

do you realise how pathetic you sound joybells63? everyone knows how you change and manipulate emails.... it's symtomatic of a pathalogical liar.

Joseph Fromm said...

You have the last word. Thank you for all the comments.