John Edward Robinson - Early Crimes

Early Crimes

Robinson was arrested for the first time in Kansas City in 1969, after embezzling $33,000 from the medical practice of Dr. Wallace Graham, where he worked as an X-ray technician, a job he obtained using forged credentials. He was sentenced to 3 years' probation.

In 1970 Robinson violated probation by moving back to Chicago without his probation officer's permission (or knowledge), and took a job as an insurance salesman at R.B. Jones Company. In 1971 he was arrested once again for embezzlement from that firm, and ordered back to Kansas City, where his probation was extended. In 1975 it was extended again after another arrest, this time on charges of securities fraud and mail fraud in connection with a phony "medical consulting" company he had formed in Kansas City.

During this period, Robinson cultivated and maintained the outward appearance of a personable, community-minded citizen and family man; he became a Scoutmaster, a baseball coach, and a Sunday school teacher. In 1977 he talked his way onto the board of directors of a local charitable organization and forged a series of letters from its executive director to the mayor of Kansas City, and from the mayor to other civic leaders, commending his generous volunteer efforts and generally singing his praises. Eventually he had himself named the organization's “Man of the Year", and threw a festive awards luncheon in his own honor.

In 1979, Robinson finally completed probation, but by 1980 was under arrest again on multiple charges, including embezzlement and check forgery, for which he served 60 days in jail in 1982. After his release he formed a bogus hydroponics business and swindled a friend out of $25,000 who had hoped to receive a fast investment return to pay for his dying wife's health care. At this time he reportedly began sexually propositioning many of his neighbors’ wives, triggering a fistfight with one of the husbands. He also claimed to have joined a secret sadomasochism cult called the International Council of Masters and became its “Slavemaster”, whose duties included luring victims to gatherings to be tortured and raped by cult members.