A Canadian woman says she sold everything she owned and lost about $350,000 to a religious community in the southern area of Pérez Zeledón, where four Americans, including the community’s alleged leader, are now under investigation on suspicion of defrauding foreigners.
The woman, who lived at the community known as EarthWaking Village and spoke to local media under a pseudonym, said she arrived in November 2024, paid $22,000 for two lots in a planned expansion area and lent $325,000 to the leader at 7% annual interest for one year. She says that money has not been repaid.
Investigators estimate that at least 11 foreigners lost about $600,000 to the group. OIJ director Michael Soto said most of the alleged victims are U.S. citizens. Investigators described the estimate as preliminary, and a lawyer for several of the alleged victims has said the real figure could be higher.
Agents of the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) raided properties in Platanillo and Barú on Oct. 6, working with prosecutors and the U.S. Embassy’s investigations department, and seized money and documents. They detained two men and two women identified by their surnames: England, 44, described as the community’s leader; Hallman, 44; McDow, 63; and Gingras, 62.
None of the four has been charged. They were released under six-month precautionary measures that require them to report to the local prosecutor’s office every 15 days, surrender their passports and remain here, vacate their declared residence by Oct. 20 and refrain from intimidating or harassing the alleged victims.
EarthWaking Village describes itself as a Christian eco-village and has promoted its way of life, as a self-sufficient “Garden of Eden,” on social media and YouTube. A listing in an international directory of intentional communities says members began living together on the property in January 2019, with about 25 full-time residents on roughly 2 hectares (5 acres).
The group says it is not a sect. Former residents describe a community led by Americans, in which members were taught that the outside world, which they called “Babylon,” would collapse and that only those inside would be saved. Most residents were foreigners, and several families with young children lived there.
According to investigators, the suspects advertised extended stays and spiritual retreats, and recruits deposited money that the group then managed. Some allegedly handed over property and vehicles as well.
Former residents say newcomers were offered land parcels for $11,000, but that the terms later changed to require that land be donated to the leader. They also say the leaders claimed the settlement was sovereign territory, exempt from both Costa Rican and U.S. taxes, where residents settled their own disputes.
The Canadian woman said the atmosphere toward her changed after she began questioning the leaders, and that she was ridiculed, accused of being possessed by demons, spat on and pushed. She said a council within the group voted for her to leave, which she did on May 5, and that she now fears for her safety.
An American woman whose son, now 27, spent more than two years in the community told local media that members were told to hand over their money, cut contact with their families and, in some cases, max out their credit cards. She said her son spent five months in a mental health facility in the United States after leaving.
Javier Chaverri Ross, a lawyer who represents several of the alleged victims, said the group seeks out people at vulnerable moments, often after a family tragedy, and encourages them to cut ties with loved ones. Some residents who remain in the community declined to comment, saying their lawyer had advised them not to speak while the investigation is under way.
The case follows the recent collapse of a teak investment scheme that has left thousands of European investors fearing losses in Costa Rica. The investigation remains open. Until it concludes, the four remain in Costa Rica under court supervision, while the alleged victims wait to learn whether any of the money they handed over can be recovered.
