LEESBURG — Former students and since-deleted videos, coupled with a police report, shed more light on the allegations that a cult was run by Leesburg High School's longtime band director and an LHS guidance counselor, who later had a sexual relationship with a former student.
The Leesburg Police Department released an incident report Thursday detailing an interview with a former Leesburg High School student who told investigators that he was involved in a "cult-like" "secret society" led by band director Gabriel Fielder.
That secret society — the Elder Council — was dissolved last year.
The report contained other disturbing allegations, including that Lenny Finelli, who has resigned from his position as a guidance counselor, texted the former student and asked him "sexual questions." It also says Fielder — who, as a school employee, is a mandatory abuse reporter — knew about the messages between the student and Finelli and deleted them.
These allegations have rocked the LHS band alumni world, and some former band students have shared their experiences with the Daily Commercial.
One said Fielder tried to get him to astral project, a term used to describe an intentional out-of-body experience, while alone with Fielder in his office.
Another said Fielder regularly questioned his sexuality because of his clothing or manner of speaking.
Both eventually quit the band, citing discomfort and a "toxic" environment.
LPD investigators interviewed the former student last month in reference to a possible sex offense.
The man, whose name is redacted in the report, told the LPD that, when he was 17 and a student at LHS, he was a member of a secret society called the "Elder Council." (A Lake County Schools spokeswoman said it did not meet on campus.)
Finelli was involved, too.
The former student told investigators that, one night in September 2021, "Finelli, who was currently employed as Leesburg High School's guidance counselor at the time,messaged him via cellphone."
"(The former student) stated when Leonardo messaged him, Leonardo began asking him sexual questions and requested for them to 'meet up,' " the report says. "Leonardo asked what his penis size was and about his sexual orientation. Advised he did not physically meet with Leonardo that night, but the following day, Leonardo notified Gabriel that he had been messaging."
The next day, Finelli told Fielder about the messages, the report says.
"Gabriel said that they are no longer allowed to message each other and if they speak with each other, another member of their group has to be present during the conversation," the report says. "(The former student) stated Gabriel then deleted all of the text messages between him and Leonardo, and deleted the messages from the iCloud. (The former student) said Gabriel demanded that neither one of them speak about the incident and demanded the remaining members of the group, to keep the incident a secret as well."
After the student graduated and turned 18, he and Finelli began a sexual relationship.
In a supplemental report, guidance counselor Lisa Schattie told investigators that Finelli told her he and the former student met multiple times for sex in his office during LHS football games. This was after the student had graduated.
"Leonardo would leave the door to his office unlocked, allowing (the former student) to enter," the report said.
The former student and Finelli were together for about three months and lived together from October to November 2021.
Finelli has resigned and Fielder's resignation in lieu of termination is up for consideration at the Lake County School Board meeting on Monday. Fielder has been the band director nearly 20 years.
So far, no charges have been filed because there was no physical contact between Finelli and the former student when he was a minor, the report said. And though the messages were romantic in nature, they did not contain explicit sexual or pornographic material.
At this time, details about the Elder Council are scant.
The former student called the Elder Council "a cult-like group, that was led by Leesburg's band director, Gabriel D. Fielder," the report says.
It was set up as a nonprofit and incorporated in 2019. It was dissolved last summer.
The articles of incorporation say its primary purpose was "not for profit missions and teaching activities for the greater evangelical Christian church globally."
In its 2021 annual report, the organization listed Fielder as the president, Finelli as the vice president, Brandon Dillon as the secretary, and Lauren Accordino, Katie Brooks (now Crossland) and Riley Crossland as "elders."
All are former LHS students.
Dillon declined to be interviewed for this story, saying though it would be "interesting," it's "in my best interest, as well as my family, to remain outside of that situation."
Neither the Crosslands nor Accordino have responded to requests for comment. Calls to Finelli, Fielder and LHS Principal Mike Randolph have not been returned, either.
Fielder ran a YouTube channel called "Isaiah 58 Ten," which has since been deleted. The Daily Commercial reviewed the channel and its videos before it was gone.
The about section read:
"We were originally called The Elder Council. At the beginning of this group the Lord personally taught us how to hear His voice, rightly divide the Word, and operate in His gifts scripturally. We came to know him as Savior and Teacher. The Elder Council has concluded a group, but we will leave these videos up as a testimony to what the Father has taught us. The work continues as He opens a new book and teaches each of us to minister to Him as our King. New videos will reflect that focus. May His Kingdom come, and His will be done in each of us and on earth as in Heaven."
Most of the videos on the YouTube channel consisted of Fielder alone in his home or car sharing messages he said he received from God. In these videos, he spoke of visions he has seen, analyzed Bible verses, and tried to teach viewers how to find the voice of God. There was also live footage of Fielder leading the Elder Council in Bible study as well as one-on-one interviews with members.
In one video titled "Word from the Lord and Thoughts 6-4-21" Fielder shared some of his recent thoughts on the church. One topic he touched on was how he believes other followers of Christ are being deceitful in their teachings.
“There are false spirits invading our church looking like angels of light," Fielder said. "They are deceiving many, many, many people and the true remnant are the people that hear his voice and they don’t accept every wind of doctrine and random teaching that comes floating along."
In the video, he also touches on some of his personal struggles, though he didn't go into details.
“I know demons. I’ve walked in agreement with one for 13 years. They override you, they over right you, they get into you, they start manifesting what they want out of you and it’s always urgency, demand, and violence. It’s never the loving presence of our Father," Fielder said.
In all of his videos, he encourages followers of Christ to listen to what God tells them to do.
“Even Ezekiel and Isaiah, those prophets that really had to do a lot of weird stuff, God told them to. I’m sure that they had a choice not to, but if God tells you do to something then what choice do you have?” Fielder said.
Fielder spoke of fear of judgment and prosecution in regards to his own teachings.
“There will come a time when people will persecute you and think they’re doing God a service," Fielder said. "Will you persecute me brother or sister watching this video? Will you persecute me? Will you say I don’t like some of the things he said? Will you verbally abuse me? Will you knife me in the back to others?”
In the videos he also states that he does not want input from the public and he will delete videos as he sees fit.
"Take that up with the Father, and if that’s a controversial statement that gets me in trouble with other people, I’m really not interested," he said. "That’s why we have comments turned off on these videos. My report card is from Jesus not from man. If I get it wrong I’ll delete the video.”
Edan Shettian, 19, participated in band during his freshman and sophomore years. Then he quit because of Fielder.
"I can't say there was any other reason why I left," Shettian said.
He described Fielder as someone who "sees himself as a prophet or like a channel of God."
"Sometimes he's charismatic, but he's pretty scary at times, so that kind of cancels out the charisma," Shettian said.
During a one-on-one meeting in Fielder's office, Fielder tried to get Shettian to astral project, a meditation-like experience during which the body separates from the spirit and the spirit can travel throughout the astral plane.
"He was like there is a place that God has created for you, it's like where your spirit can go," Shettian said. "He sits me down and says 'close your eyes and imagine that you're going to this place.' He said I was supposed to separate from my body... I'm thinking, 'Maybe he knows something that I don't.'"
Astral projecting is most common in esotericism.
He also said Fielder had him close his eyes and guess if he was lying and told him, "You have the power of intuition. God gives his different disciples different gifts."
Shettian was heavily involved in his Christian church, but said he felt Fielder pushed religion a little too much in the classroom, "especially for a public school."
As for Finelli? Shettian said he tried to avoid him.
Shettian, who is of Indian descent, said Finelli made racist comments, namely Indian accent jokes.
"He was a guidance counselor," Shettian said. "This is not appropriate behavior."
One former band student, who asked that he not be named, said Fielder "would always ask if I liked men, a lot."
"If you just acted a certain type of way, he always had something to say about your sexuality," the student said. "If I wore something he didn’t like, if I spoke in a way he didn’t like, he asked me if I liked men."
He said he heard about the cult, and that it had a conversion therapy program.
"The second I heard anything about that, I wanted to get out so quick," the student said.
He said the toxic environment made him feel uncomfortable so he went to his guidance counselor — Finelli — who said he couldn't leave band until after a competition.
He said he had to go to another counselor to switch classes.
— Frank Stanfield contributed to this report.
https://www.dailycommercial.com/story/news/crime/2022/05/06/leesburg-high-cult-gabriel-fielder-lenny-finelli-elder-council-harassment-astral-projection/9672078002/
