Croft
United States v. Croft
Opinion
Lead Opinion
Canby, J.
Sally-Anne Croft and Susan Hagan were convicted by a jury of conspiring to murder the United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, a violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1111 , 1114, and 1117. Croft and Hagan now appeal their convictions, arguing on a variety of grounds that they were denied a fair trial and a full opportunity to confront the witnesses against them. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291 , and we affirm the convictions.
BACKGROUND
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (“Rajneesh”) was an Indian mystic who developed a substantial following in Poona, India in the 1970s. In 1981, Rajneesh came to America with a number of his Western followers to found a spiritual community, known as Rajneeshpuram, in Central Oregon. From its inception, the community was highly controversial. The number of Rajneesh’s followers living at the community eventually grew to approximately four thousand, with as many as 10-15,000 followers attending annual celebrations there.
Rajneesh’s disciples were known as “san-nyasins,” and a small group of the most trusted among them oversaw the community’s business and spiritual operations. Ma Anend Sheela (“Sheela”), Rajneesh’s principal secretary and…