This page dedicated to Devra West,AKA

Surya Ma's, obsession with (other people's) money.

The statements below were all written by Ms West's ex staff members i.e. ex teachers, ex students and ex board members. Read on - but don't stop there, go to the download pages where you can open an audio file and hear other ex employees and students talk about this 'teacher!'

Comments from Rebecca West (no relation) until recently office manager to Devra West AKA Surya Ma

“This attitude is pervasive and includes her current finance controller, whom she has extorted from him over $300,000 since Sept 06'…… I have handed over many of the statements made by former employees of which are mostly already posted on your website to Dr. Cole in an effort to assist her. Dr. Cole was severely beaten on several occasions and proof is available. Again the crux is finding a law firm willing to take the case without a hourly payment of services. With all my heart, I hope and pray, the law firm that is currently reviewing her documents will help Dr. Cole recover her losses and/or dignity, as she has no money left after Devra extorted more than $700,000 from her.

Financially, it is almost impossible to leave for any length of time though as I am in need of finding another job as it is paramount to my survival, I am without a support system. I used my credit cards to buy clothes because she required "classy and sophisticated" attire and also because so many payroll checks were late, did not clear, etc., etc. She stretched me to the limit financially and kept me working extensive hours nearly 7 days per week for the past ten months.

In addition, Patricia Cole contributed some $750,000 combined assets and credit directly into Devra’s personal and private accounts to pay for her living, housing, travel, staff payroll, personal assets, extravagant lifestyle, and bounced checks/fines…… Most of our conversations are not being relayed back to Devra as the financial controller is due to lose $300,000 as well!

Devra dangles the carrot and since he has loaned her his life savings, plans to keep playing her game until it is played out or he is eventually running her property management company. He has not been paid the $300,000+ owed him and provides excuses that although he has had only four employers in his lifetime, most rich people are eccentric and in his experience their behavior can be much worse then Devra's.

Comments from Judy Morris ex facilitator at Surya Ma’s ‘school!’

Dear John, I am very unhappy to have read what you sent. I was a facilitator in the school until my eyes were opened to some things going on that I did not want to be a part of.

What you sent is not something I was aware of, meaning the money stuff going on there. After I left I did find out that some individuals had actually mortgaged their homes to give to DU and put themselves in terrible debt, they are Europeans. They were told if they gave, more would come back to them, God would love them more, whatever, humm.

Sworn statement from A.J. White ex board member of Surya Ma’s charity, The Circle of Divine Unity – now struck off!

My involvement with Divine Unity and specifically Devra West began in 1998-99 when I attended sessions of the Sacred Arts Institute. I attended bi-annual sessions and decided to come to Montana in the fall of 2000 to assist the Foundation in its spiritual pursuits.

I first became involved with the office in the spring of 2001 when I went to Jerusalem as a support person. At that time I became aware of the extravagant lifestyle and personal catering needed by Ms West. She required a suite when the whole project was a money loser and also required several people to be at her beck and call. In fact, all of the personal assistants that I encountered in my time with Divine Unity were verbally, emotionally, spiritually and sometimes physically abused. There were rumors spread around the departure of the Director, Roger Hill, disparaging his name when he had decided to resign as Director of the Foundation at the end of March, 2001. Devra West insisted that he remain through April even though she was the instigator of the rumors. He refused. I then became the Director of the Foundation for a very short period, approximately 4 months. Roger Hill was most helpful in passing on information but could not really pass on the difficulties that he encountered: the secrecy, questionable financial practices and institutionalized abuse.

I soon realized that the position of Director was in name only. All decisions were made by Devra. There was no possibility of handling the personnel issues within the office, as Devra would countermand any or all of my decisions. I was denied signatory on the checking account and access to financial statements. The controls of all the monies were in the hands of Devra and Jack West. When people approached me wanting to know where the donations they had made went, there was no trail. When I insisted on having this information, like monthly financial reports, I couldn’t get them and my investigating caused angst within the office. There was one specific circumstance concerning a donation of $80,000 by Tanmayo (Corrine [I don’t remember her last name]) from Brazil. I became aware of the donation when Devra called me at 10:00pm at home to inform me that she called her “little kitty” (referring to the donor), for some money that she needed. Cheryl O’Brien, DU accountant, was specifically told by Devra that she was not to tell me or Mike Hendrickson (volunteer auditor) that this money had come in. Because of our close relationship and her discomfort, she did disclose this to me and asked for my secrecy. To my knowledge this money did not show anywhere on the books.

From a business standpoint, DU makes its money by putting on conferences. I chaired the June 2001 bi-annual Sacred Arts Institute. I found there was no clear methodology in preparing for the 2-week event. It truly was a fly-by-the-seat-of your-pants organization, at the whim of Devra West. I was able to track the monies in and receipting of funds for that 2-week period. It was one of the largest conferences and the gross funds taken in for that major event was approximately $95,000. The immediate expenses written off against that conference brought profits well below $50,000. In screening the expenses of the association coupled with the huge personal expenses of Devra, the organization was on shaky ground financially. In trying to attract donations, and trying to put in place some controls of fund usage, I proposed to earmark donations specifically for specific programs i.e. the Children’s program etc. There was major resistance to this as all monies were to be given to Devra personally for her use as she saw fit. She stated at that time that she needed to spend over $100,000 on legal fees for her son and a custody hearing. I do not know the truth of that statement but was puzzled on how this in any way related to the Foundation. I do know that the handling of monies was shrouded in secrecy. When I asked her why she always called the monies hers and not God’s or for the Foundation, she told me how important she was and without her there would be no Foundation, and it all belonged to her. There was an obvious blurring of lines between her personal ownership and that which belonged to the Foundation.

I make this statement as I feel a responsibility to those who may become involved with Divine Unity, to those with whom I worked and to those who were affected by these behaviors. I do this in the clearest and most truthful manner.
DATED this _____ day of May, 2004.

Draft of a letter from Kathleen Francisco ex house keeper for Surya Ma Ms

Devra West
The Circle of Divine Unity
736 Fred Burr Road Victor,
MT 59875 Friday
17th October 2003

Dear Devra, I have been thinking about the circumstances around my departure and which ever way you look at it I was wrongfully dismissed. As you are well aware I had permission for my time off but as has happened previously you tried, on a whim, to withdraw my leave at the last moment. When I would not ‘surrender’ to your petulant behavior you fired me without just cause and without proper notice.

It is my intention to report the matter to the Employment Board but unlike Joseph & Barbara I will not be relying on that time consuming avenue for a satisfactory outcome. In fact I am going to take a leaf from your book and ignore the rules and take the law into my own hands.

As you well know I have some of your possessions which I tried to return to you – you should have accepted them when you had the opportunity. They are now in safe keeping with a relative.

I believe that I am entitled to two weeks notice which amounts to ??????. There is also the matter of the personal checks I wrote in respect of purchases for your household amounting to ???????. These two items add up to ??????? I am going to give you 7 days from Monday 20th October to pay this sum to me in cash if this does not happen I am going to pawn your possessions to realize what I am owed. I will then send you the ticket along with any surplus over and above that which is owed to me.

Please do not tell me that this is outrageous - I have seen how you treat people. And do not waste your time threatening me with court action there are a long line of people, me included, who would love to get you into a courthouse.

Yours truly, Kathleen Francisco