Deceived

Some believe he was the greatest martial arts master that ever lived; faster and more powerful than Bruce Lee, more feared than Chuck Norris. To his followers, he had supernatural powers. Some said he could levitate and walk up the sides of buildings. To others, he appeared as a demon beast that haunted their dreams. On DECEIVED, we will peel away the mystery of a Korean immigrant who rose from being a janitor, to running a martial...

When you stop at a coffee shop or a pizza place, you don’t expect to worry about being drawn into a cult. But there it was, right next door. An ad starts a teenager on an eight year nightmare, being drawn into the Chung Moo Quan. On DECEIVED, we will peel away the mystery of a Korean immigrant who rose from being a janitor, to running a martial art school empire. This is the true story of the notorious martial art cult known as Chu...

One night while in a deep sleep, Russell felt a very hard slap on his waterbed and heard someone shout, “Wake up!” Without even thinking, still half asleep, he jumped to his feet and in bowing position said, “Yes, Instructor”. It was all instinct at this point. Standing in the bedroom was Keith Brown. He told Russell his waterbed was facing the wrong direction; it was bad to sleep with his head facing north. Keith explained that th...

Now, let’s say you’re shopping around for a good martial arts school and go into your local dojo in a strip mall to inquire about lessons. Upon meeting the instructor, he tells you the school will not only teach you martial arts, but also, they will instill within you irrational fears, phobias, and superstitions. And for a little extra money, they would throw in some rituals. He tells you by the time you reached black belt in their...

Russell was told, that Master Kim said a Chung Moo Quan instructor had 3 weaknesses: women, alcohol, and gambling. He was told that women were faulted by design, and that they had no minds. An instructor could lose his mind over a woman; they want control over the relationship, and the man. Russell had a hard time with this thinking, because he was raised by his mother, one of the most wonderful people he’d ever known. One of the s...

Part of learning to handle a Chung Moo Quan Martial Arts School involved giving a private lesson. Each ‘information’ that came into the School was treated differently- Everyone’s searching for something; that’s what brought them to the School. The instructor’s job was to figure out what that was. When they came in, instructors used ‘sideways conversation’ to ask questions without revealing the agenda. The first thing was to get the...

From the beginning of Russell’s training in School, he heard that Master Kim had the power to heal, and that he had a medical doctor’s degree. Russell watched as Aden performed acupressure, knowledge that he believed Master Kim had passed on to Aden. Keith told of an instructor in the Chicago area, who’d been dying in the hospital with some mysterious disease, that most assumed was cancer. All the doctors were in the hospital room,...

By passing out the flyers and signing up students for the school, I had changed people’s lives. I have heard from a few people, that listening of my podcast series has caused them to have nightmares and flashbacks. One friend said he did not know if he should hug me or hit me. PTSD is not uncommon for former cult members and it is certainly not uncommon among former Moo members. Because I had recruited a number of people into the M...

When a new School opened for the first time, the instructors and assistants would stand quietly in the waiting area. Inside the practice area the National Instructors placed a prayer, from Master, behind the Korean and American flags. This is similar to a christening ceremony, in this case the blessing of Master Kim. Believing that Master Kim had the ability to put his mind into objects, this ritual allowed Master Kim to put his mi...

The Death of John Brice Maddox Perhaps one of the biggest mysteries of The Moo, was what happened the night that instructor John Brice Maddox died, at The Moo compound in Naperville, known as ‘The Farm‘. It would be the topic of internet chat rooms, discussion boards, and private conversations. Oddly enough, it was the one topic that the Moo would not comment on. In 1991, Russell Johnson first heard the name of John Brice Maddox, d...

Chung Moo Quan: The Cult and the Con In the mid-1980s Pam Zekman, an investigative reporter for CBS Affiliate WBBM TV in Chicago, received a tip about the Chung Moo Quan martial arts schools, and started an investigation. Zekman is known for her aggressive investigative work. She has shared two Pulitzer Prizes for investigative reporting, for the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. One of the tips was about a woman who start...

Charles Hubbell interviews Deceived Podcast Producer Russell Johnson. Russell survived eight years in a cult, and is dedicated to informing others about the deceptions of Chung Moo Quan and other dangerous cults. Russell learned research, became a private investigator, and today works in the security field. He has also immersed himself in film and television: as a writer, production assistant, actor, producer, location manager, and...

Charles Hubbell interviews David Bruskin. David spent 25 years as a motion picture story analyst, during which he worked on films that collectively grossed over a billion dollars, including FORREST GUMP, A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, and WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS. David also worked as Director of Development for Laura Ziskin Productions and is an author. He served as a story and editorial consultant for the "Deceived" Podcast Series. In this ...

• Show host Charles Hubbell interviews martial artist John Graden. A pioneer in American Martial Arts, John is a former member of many world champion U.S. kickboxing teams and an inductee into The World Martial Arts Hall of Fame. John’s martial arts management system is used by martial arts schools across the United States. In 1997, as publisher of the magazine for NAPMA (National Association of Professional Martial Artists), he...

Deceived Podcast Series, show host Charles Hubbell interviews Steve Hassan, founder of the Freedom of Mind Resource Center. For nearly four decades, Steve has lectured and counseled about brainwashing, deprogramming, mind control, cults, and undue influence. As a 19-year-old college student, he was recruited into the Unification Church, or Moonies, and rose to the rank of Assistant Director, even personally meeting Reverend Sun Myu...

Charles Hubbell interviews Kym Rock. Kym is a 6th Degree Black Belt, 7 time female world karate champion, Hall of Fame Member of both the World Karate Union and the United States Martial Arts Alliance, and Instructor of the Year in four different categories. While going through a divorce In 2011 Russell Johnson moved next door to Kym Rock. The two became close friends and confidantes. At this point in his life Russell Johnson had n...