This article in the Oregonian talks about how BCTI's owners have tried to cooperate with authorities in paying back sums owed and signing off on their insurer paying 9 million to the class action plaintiffs and allowing the plaintiffs to go after another 50 odd millions. The interesting part of this article is the Declaration of former BCTI career consultant Lonna Walden. She details the way BCTI operated and the many "stoogents" they signed up: "During the time I was at BCTI, I enrolled people who were disabled, people who were poor, people who just got out of prison, Level 3 sex offenders, domestic violence victims, people that were simply less fortunate where life had been a rough road for them including individuals from the Department of Social and Health Services (“DSHS”) and Behavioral Health Rehabilitation (“BHR”). For example, Perry Bulkley had a severe head injury and was disabled. I asked Mona Lawrence upon his enrollment where we could possibly place him upon graduation. She said that she had a place called “Morningside” that hired people with disabilities. Since I left BCTI, I have seen Perry standing aimlessly on street corners in the Lacey area." Decl., page 3, para. 8. Her declaration shows that BCTI was geared to enroll whatever students it could enroll with no regard to educating them whatsoever. This, of course, completely contradicts, the protestations of innocence of BCTI's owners, Tom Jonez (pictured in his new job running a Christian ministry) and Morrie Pigott. Ironically enough, Jonez and Pigott met at a Christian youth ministry in the 1970s according to the Tacoma News Tribune article by Dave Wickert.
It certainly makes one wonder what kind of Christianity they were practicing! Of course, they are adamant that they did nothing wrong, that the enrollment contracts specifically emphasized that they did not promise any student a job. Again, the reliance on the written contract which somehow nullified all the verbal cajoling and promises of jobs!
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