NEW YORK
The way the group blamed for last year’s coup bid in Turkey also abuses and exploits the U.S. charter school system is the subject of a new book-length expose.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, lawyer Robert Amsterdam said the book about the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its ringleader Fetullah Gulen, called the "Empire of Deceit," should come out this summer.
FETO and the U.S.-based Gulen are accused by Turkey of being behind the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which martyred 249 people and left some 2,200 injured. It is also accused of infiltrating educational and other institutions both in Turkey and worldwide for its own ends, including subverting the state.
Amsterdam’s book is set to detail how FETO has exploited the U.S. charter school system to illegally funnel money to its leadership, fraudulently provide jobs to its followers, and discriminate against students.
"The story of Gulen in America, it will be a really shocking expose of Gulen's abuse of the American charter school system, and the American taxpayer. It is the first of a series of books we’re going to be putting out about Gulen," said Amsterdam, the founding partner of Amsterdam & Partners, a law firm investigating the Gulen's movement's activities.
"I am the writer, along with my staff. Many of us want to remain anonymous because many of us have been threatened, including myself. We’re negotiating with the publisher because we’re still just finishing the book and it’s only the first volume and our hope [for publication] is July," he added.
"We have come to believe that the Gulen's organization is a major security threat to mankind, not just the U.S. or Turkey," he said, adding that the law firm's investigation took it to 26 of the 50 U.S. states.
"It’s really quite shocking, the level to which the Gulenists have managed to exploit the American taxpayers, engaged in systematic criminal activity," Amsterdam explained. "It is almost beyond the imagination to believe that a foreign organization could penetrate the U.S. this way.”
‘No limit to what Gulen could do’
Amsterdam said that Gulen's movement controls around 70,000 students in 162 U.S. charter schools across the United States through front companies.
"There’s no limit to what Gulen could do in the U.S. especially under [former] President [Barack] Obama. Gulen's political donations -- he donates everywhere, but he had a real leaning to Obama and the Democrats, now he’s hiring every Republican," he said.
According to Amsterdam & Partners’ website, the FETO-affiliated Harmony Public Schools in Texas has engaged in widespread abuse of the U.S.’ H1B visa program, misappropriation of public funds, and discrimination against certain students and families.
According to a fraud complaint the law firm filed with the Texas Education Agency on July 11, 2016 -- just days before the defeated coup -- Harmony, financed by over $250 million in U.S. federal and state tax money annually, hired a firm called Charter School Solutions (CSS) for $44 million to manage its buildings and properties.
But the complaint alleges that CSS, far from being an independent company, was actually managed by a Harmony employee.
"For the purpose of new buildings to be rented by Harmony schools, an additional $18.4 million was paid to CSS," said the law firm’s statement, calling the financial malfeasance “shocking”.
Amsterdam & Partners filed a formal complaint in May 2016 against Harmony, urging Texas to conduct a full investigation based on a widespread pattern of fraud, discrimination, and abuse in the Harmony network.
According to the law firm, Harmony operates seven charter school districts serving 46 charter campuses in Texas and has links to FETO.
FETO is headed by Gulen, who runs a network of schools and commercial enterprises around the globe, including Harmony in Texas.
In the months since the coup, Turkey has been trying to root out FETO supporters based in Turkey, as well as encourage governments worldwide to do the same.
Turkey has also submitted extradition documents to Washington, pressing for Gulen’s return to Turkey to face justice for organizing the coup and other offenses.
*Reporting by Betul Yuruk and Mustafa Keles; Writing by Satuk Bugra Kutlugun
