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EEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!! [EMAIL PROTECTED] 2 Accused of Storing Stolen Remains for Rituals October 9, 2002 By RONALD SMOTHERS NEWARK, Oct. 8 - A Newark man and his son were charged with desecration of graves and possession of stolen property today after a police search of their home turned up a cauldron holding human skulls and other bones that investigators suspect came from a spate of recent grave and mausoleum robberies here. The police said it was the second time in two months that they had recovered stolen body parts they believe were intended for use in the rituals of the same religious cult. The police said the men charged today were adherents of Palo Mayombe, an offshoot of mainstream West African religions, including those of the Yoruba and Bakongo ethnic groups. Palo Mayombe, according to experts, differs from the more established practices in that it invokes the spirits of the dead in rituals that often involve drinking a liquid in which human bones have been boiled, all in an effort to cast spells on others, or gain wealth or power. One investigator, speaking on the condition of anonymity, called Palo Mayombe a cult and "a money-making operation." The two men - Eddie Figueroa Sr., 56, and his son, Eddie Figueroa Jr., 35, of Newark - pleaded not guilty to the charges at their arraignment today in Essex County Superior Court. Judge Alison Jones Brown set bail at $100,000 for the father and $150,000 for his son. The assistant Essex County prosecutor, Dean Maglione, said that the two men were charged in connection with one of the skulls that was found in the basement of the three-family home where they live. Two other human skulls were also found, along with an assortment of other bones, perhaps human, perhaps animal, he said. A forensic anthropologist is testing the bones to determine whether they were taken in the recent robberies from graves and crypts in the area, Mr. Maglione said. Each man faces a penalty of 10 years on the charge of possession of stolen property and 18 months on the charge of grave desecration, the prosecutor said. That could triple, said Mr. Maglione, if the investigation traces the origin of the other bones. Baba Oloye Ifa Karade, an East Orange priest of the Yoruba religion, said Palo Mayombe was a "composite of Christianity and misguided readings of traditional West African religions." It emerged from the slave experience of Africans in the Americas as they became cut off from the teachers of orthodoxy in Africa and the communities that enforced the orthodoxy. He said that the orthodox religion of the Yoruba, or Odu Ifa, followed the teachings of the prophet Orunmila. "Palo Mayombe is a mutation of Yoruba in much the way that satanism, which sprang from Christianity, is a misguided mutation," he said. "It is more oriented towards spells and does not bring forth a level of salvation in its practitioners." The arrests were the work of a team including members of the Newark Police Department, the Essex County prosecutor's office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the county medical examiner's office, with the assistance of a cult expert with the New York City Police Department. The Newark police chief, Anthony Ambrose, said that in the last year there had been four thefts at graveyards, including Holy Sepulchre and Mount Pleasant cemeteries. On Monday, investigators with a warrant raided the three- family home in central Newark where the Figueroas live. They said they discovered the three human skulls and bones that appeared to be from legs, arms and feet in a cauldron in a basement room. Mr. Maglione said that in Palo Mayombe, different body parts are used to call different spirits to cast various spells. "It is my understanding that the date of birth or death of the person whose bones are being used may be important to their ceremony," said Mr. Maglione, who successfully prosecuted a defendant last spring who was believed to be a Palo Mayombe adherent. "Also they have been known to seek out the bones of a powerful politician or mobster, and skulls can sell for as much as $50,000." The typical ceremony involves the invocation of a simbi, or spirit, according to Mr. Maglione and experts on the religion. In addition to the ritual, the person seeking the spirit and the spell it carries drinks a liquid in which the bones have been boiled. A single glass can cost as much as $200, the prosecutor said. Other investigators said that they were looking into the possibility that Palo Mayombe practitioners extend through the New York metropolitan area and trade in body parts and bones. In August, they said, a raid on another Newark home led to miscellaneous human bones and the arrest of two men also believed to be Palo Mayombe adherents. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/09/nyregion/09SKUL.html?ex=1035202256&ei=1&en=fa332293fa3e6686 HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. 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