From Cristina Caparesi

Well Sam
I will spend some time to give you informations, so you can post them on your Crossfire section. I don't know all the technical terms, so if I haven't been clear, before you post it ask me.

In 1997 Di Maio, founder of New Horizons, and another male member were brought in jail. The accusations were:

for Di Maio:
having abused of two minors from when they were 9 to 12 yrs of age (one of the minor is the daughter of the accuser; the other one left New Horizons with her mother and went back in the F. She is now in The F.) ;
having sent two of the male members to rape his 18 yrs old adopted daughter who was about to leave the group;
for mental manipulation. His accuser, a woman of the group mother of the abused child , accused him of stealing her part of a big property who was purchased almost totally through the large donations of the lover of the woman, who had been a fish but later became her companion, and the donations of other men, mostly rich industrial men met through FFing. New H. says that those money were donations of friends, since they denied FFing. (by the way the woman got her property back and is now the only owner)

For the other man the charge was rape.

The two men were brought in jail and stayed there for 5 months. The trial was split: in a town the mental manipulation, and in another the sex abuses. By the way New H said that the sexual abuses were inventions of the woman because she wanted to get her property back and they accused her of attempted extorsion.

The first grade of the trial was won from Di Maio, it is hard to prove the mental manipulation. The trial isn't finished yet. In Italy there are three grades of judgement. Now we are in the second grade.

The trial for the sexual abuses and the attempted extortion go together and are still on the first grade of judgement.

I want to give you some more informations.

After 1997 a few people from New Horizons left, some rejoined the F. and some went back to their parents.
In 1998 the remaining group (about 7 women, 1 man and around 17 children) said that they had found out that Di Maio had done something wrong (they didn't say what) and they were going to leave him.

We got this news with joy since Di Maio has been such a tyrant you could hardly immagine. He succeeded in driving away all the men of the group, tied all the women (5 of them have had his children) to himself and the children that these women had had from their husbands or from FFing (MORE SLAVES for him). For example my husband has two beautiful daughters(one is now 19 and the other is 16). They told them "Forget your father, he is a devil". The girls were taught to call Di Maio "Dad" and pray against their father. For years my husband has asked the group to let him see his daughters who were at that time in Venezuela , he went to the Police, to the Italian Parliament. NO WAY. He still doesn't know where they are.
The 18 yrs old girl who was raped is now 23, she has asked her mother to know who her real father is. Her mother, still in the group, won't tell her (and she knows it). This girl doesn't know either the names of her grandparents, nor where they live, except that they are Spanish (like her mother).

Family members, who once were in the F, know many things, we have asked their help, but they want to be kept out.

First of all: there were at least 4 minors whom it is known that were sexually abused by Di Maio: two of them are in the F. We have asked them to witness in this trial, but they have even denied that the abuses really happened. Only a few days ago one of the minor, who is now 20, has confessed us that she was really abused but she doesn't want to accuse Di Maio for fear of having her children being taken away from her. WHY? Probably because she is still in the F.and is afraid or because F. leaders don't want their members to be involved in this trial.
We know that, although F. members have officially said that they have nothing to do with New H members, they still have had relationship with them, like sharing provisioning, fellowship and counselling.

In 1998 New H.members claimed to have left Di Maio.
They witnessed for him in 1999.

Again they witnessed for him last month. The mother of the raped girl witnessed in favour of Di Maio, against his daughter, unfortunately saying lots of lies. She and another lady who also witnessed for Di Maio denied all the charges. They even said that FFing wasn't a policy and that if FFing occured it was a personal initiative (they were among the best FFers).They have denied that Di Maio has had children with the several women, they have denied the beatings, they have denied the sexual abuses. They claim to be a little missionary group that wants to do God's will.

We would be so glad to believe them but I ask:

1. they have said they have left Di Maio,
why do they witness in his favour when we know that they know he has really done what he has been charged of? Let's say they have to, because their names are already there. Fine. Why should they lie for him, then? We have seen their attitude ( three ladies and two young men on their 20 were present) at the trial: their eyes were full of hate and revenge. Their attitude was so threatening that the lawyer decided to accompany the witnesses for the prosecution in their car before leaving them;

2. They claim to be a missionary association that does good to orphan children exc.
They have to explain why they are still keeping away my husband from his daughters. If this isn't enough I tell you something more. My husband's oldest daughter called him for the first time, after 13 yrs, just before the last hearing. At first she accused him of having abandoned her and the other daughter, but when he convinced her that he had done everything he could in order to find them, she started to cry asking to see him. At that point the mother hang the telephone. We don't know where she was calling from and why. But I tell you: it is a violence for this poor man. The mother of the two daughters has later witnessed at the trial that my husband has refused to meet them. WHAT A LIE!
For a complete information my husband and his former mate have another son, who is now 18, that has always lived with us. His mother has never looked for him. She has always known where to find him, because we have never hidden, she has always known our address and telephone number. Moreover this boy has always known the truth. I TELL YOU SAM MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE BEEN TERRIBLY SLANDERED BY DI MAIO ON HIS LETTERS ( called communications) for years up to the point that we were labelled and everybody was afraid of us. And probably his daughters too. They say the usual story: "Problems between husband and wife" The truth is Di Maio has always kept the two daughters away from my husband because he was afraid they could choose to go with him.

But I believe you don't go around doing good to orphans children and then make orphans of your own! I can tell the same about the raped girl who has been left alone with no family roots to hang on: no mother, no father, no grandparents, no sisters (who are my husband's daughters), no uncles, no aunts. Her mother won't tell her their names and address. What can I say: they are deceitful people with no compassion. I don't believe that this is Jesus will.
If you can't do good to your own, how can you do good to others?

We have asked former New H., now Family members, to help us find these girls but they haven't. We have reasons to say that they knew their address (one of the daughters of this F. member was and probably still is in New Horizon. The mother and some of her children went in the F. but this daughter remained in New H.)

We consider there is enough clique between F. members and New H. despite the F. has officially denied any involvment (have a look at Italian Cesnur website).

So we'll see. The next hearing was supposed to be on April 19th, but it has been postponed for a strike and I don't know the new date.

We are afraid that Di Maio is still the leader of New H. and that he is still abusing the women there. If my husband could only be reassured by his daughters and see that they are OK, he would feel really better. Moreover he wants them to know also his truth: for 15 yrs they have only heard the group's side of the story. It is his right and I believe also God's will that now they can also hear his side of the story.

Well this is all for now, I'm a bit tired. I'll write more if you or others have any questions.
I'll keep in touch
Cristina