Larry Gross Response to Swami Asokananda

This is in response to your recent letter, which is full of falsehood, misstatement, and inaccuracy.

• "The Cheng family has never had any intention to physically restrain or "kidnapping" Catherine Cheng."

It is encouraging to hear this. However, I do not expect you to admit to criminal intentions. We know your history. We will continue to take precautions.

Indeed, Mr. Gross, we know YOUR history. Lets look at the record. When has Catherine's family ever physically restrained her? On the other hand, who has physically restrained or "kidnapped" Catherine during the past four months? Yogaville has and you have. You devise false fears, and then attempt to justify what you have done to Catherine based upon those lies.. It is YOU and Yogaville who have kidnapped her, hurt her psychologically, not allowing her to see or speak with her family for months, and yet you callously, cold-heartedly lie, stating that Catherine fears her parents because of childhood abuse, as a rationalization for your behavior. It is despicable and psychopathic.

• "Ms. Cheng was specifically directed to Larry Gross by the staff at Yogaville as an attorney with mutual interests--someone she could learn from. Mr. Gross admits this. Yogaville then sponsored the couple to go to Washington D.C. for a "closing."

The above is false in numerous respects. We met at a Christmas party on private premises. The party was not sponsored by Yogaville. You horribly misconstrue and misinterpret my previous letter to suit your theory. What I said was: "At first we met because she was a law student. Then we started working together a little, and spending a little time." We were introduced BY NON-YOGAVILLE STAFF at the Christmas party because of the law commonality. The work we did together was in my wife's free time. It was not part of her official program. She wanted to do this because she was still interested in law somewhat at that time. The matter in DC was part of my private practice. It had nothing to do with Yogaville, much less being "sponsored" by it.

I was told by Swami Vidyananda that she purposely introduced the two after Catherine had been at the ashram for two weeks. Also Catherine told me that she knew Gross two weeks when they decided to marry. Given these statements, I believe its clear that Mr. Gross is lying regarding this statement. He is now under pressure and feels that he has a significant need to lie at this point.

Yogaville introduced Catherine to Gross. They encouraged them to leave together, in the middle of the month long Yoga program, to go to Washington DC to learn how to do a closing. They stayed there for a week. This had nothing whatever to do with the Yoga program. It was unconscionable and immoral. Why didn't they stop Gross? How could anyone believe Gross' assertion that Catherine had a week of "free time" from her month long yoga program? These are merely Gross' attempts to wriggle out of what he knows is a morally repugnant situation. They are the lies of a psychopath who cares only about himself and are designed to use and abuse others.

• She married Larry Gross, the attorney for Yogaville and a "Swami" within the group after only a few weeks.

This is false. As I told you in my previous letter, it was months, not weeks, before we were married.

Two weeks after meeting, they told me that they would be married shortly, regardless of what the family thought. I told them to wait a year and let Catherine complete school. Gross scorned at this, telling me that it was already decided by him what she would be doing as his wife. She would learn HTML and work with computers at the ashram. To this day, I have no idea if they are married or when they were married. We were not invited to any wedding. We were not informed of any wedding. We did not receive pictures of any wedding. Again, I suppose they will justify this by saying that Catherine feared for her life or some other nonsense to shift the burden to us. The truth is, Yogaville and Larry Gross have continued to make a calculated decision to separate Catherine TOTALLY from her past. She has a new Indian name, new Indian clothes, new ashram friends, etc. This is not an accident and is not our doing. It is the decision of Larry Gross and Yogaville in an effort to keep Catherine as a prisoner of the Ashram, while callously pointing blame anywhere and everywhere else.

Sometime in March, Catherine stopped referring to Gross as her "fiancee" and began referring to him as her "husband". That is the extent of our knowledge of their wedding. We have been where Larry Gross has wanted us - in the dark, regarding Catherine and him. Again, this is not a love relationship, it is a master/slave relationship.

• Catherine Cheng is now a resident of Yogaville who lives with Mr. Gross in essentially group housing.

You either did not read or did not understand my previous letter. We live in private housing which happens to be owned by Yogaville. There is nothing "group" about it.

Catherine is a prisoner of Yogaville. Catherine will never leave Yogaville either to attend school or visit friends or family. That is the bottom line, regardless of how Gross wishes to debate housing types. A prison is a prison. Catherine is there to do Gross' bidding as well as the bidding of the organization. To insure that they can't be accused of forcing her to stay, they have inculcated her with the thought that all outsiders are dangerous and evil, particularly her family. As a result, she is now afraid to leave. The purpose is so that she may only communicate with Yogaville people and spend the rest of her life being of service to Gross and Satchidananda.

• "He was paired with Catherine Cheng it seems as a role model for her to learn from--as directed by Yogaville staff."

As I state above, this is patently false. We were not paired by Yogaville staff at all, much less "directed." It was all in her spare time at her request.

Again, this is what I was told by Swami Vidyananda. One of them is lying. Obviously the one who has reason to lie is doing so.

• "Taking into consideration all that has happened and Yogaville's obvious involvement and responsibility"

This is an amazing statement by you. You act as if this is a case of sexual harassment or "date rape," - that something terrible has happened, for which there should be "responsibility." What has happened here - ALL that has happened here - is that two people met and fell in love and got married, and are happily married to this day.

What has happened here is that these psychopaths have taken my daughter away from her identity as a human being. She thinks she is an Indian now. She has lost her name, her family, her friends, her school, her possessions, everything for the betterment of Larry Gross and Yogaville. It is a crime what they have done to my daughter. This is not a marriage. This is mind rape.

• "Catherine Cheng met him through a program under your supervision at the ashram through your staff's initiative and influence. They now both live at Yogaville."

Again, this is completely and patently false. Yogaville staff had nothing to do with our meeting. See above. We live in a private residence which happens to be owned by Yogaville.

Again, this is what I was told by Swami Vidyananda. One of them is lying. Obviously the one who has reason to lie is doing so.

It will also no doubt please you to know that we are in the process of being evicted from Yogaville because of your involvement in this matter. As I told you yesterday, this means that I will lose my job, have to close my practice, and that we will suffer much hardship. If this is what the family wants, so be it. It is now your responsibility.

I believe this statement as much as I believe anything that Gross says. This is another of his mind-game tactics, just as the one they used when I went to visit my daughter and was told that she had disappeared. This new tactic is designed to somehow make Yogaville an innocent background that had nothing whatever to do with my daughter's mind rape. Yogaville changed my daughter dramatically. Gross took advantage of that change. It is that simple, unfortunately. This attempt to gain sympathy is merely another in what is becoming a long pattern of Gross' and Yogaville's heartless, cruel, cold, mind games. It is an effort to manipulate us just as they currently manipulate Catherine.