Dennis Lee

[[File:Dennis Lee.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Lee's official portrait]]
{{pseudoscience}}
'''Dennis Lee''' (a.k.a. Josiah David<ref name=nmsr>[http://www.nmsr.org/denislee.htm Dennis Lee and Free Electricity?] ''New Mexicans for Science and Reason''.</ref>)is a practicing [[pseudoscientist]], and head of a company called Better World Technologies. His company markets practically every false technology that one can think of, from [[healing]] devices that use [[zero-point energy]] to an [[over-unity]] motor. Lee claims that corporate America is doing everything in their power to [[conspiracy|suppress]] him. He claims that [[God]] dictates instructions to him, which lures thousands of the faithful into his [[scam]]<ref>[http://skepdic.com/dennislee.html Last convicted for fraud in 1990, indicted 3 times since 1975.]</ref> and [[paranoia]].

Internet [[skeptic]] Eric Krieg, who has done an excellent job in refuting Lee, was said to be "[[CIA]] sponsored" by Lee's wife.<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20071025081700/http://www.phact.org/e/z/cia.wav</ref> Lee's followers are told that they are not allowed to even look at Krieg's website.

A few people have suggested that  his behavior in running his company is similar to that of [[cult|cult leaders]].<ref>[http://u2.lege.net/newebmasters.com__freeenergy/external_links_from_phact.org/z/doyle.htm BWT — an inside story of working with Dennis Lee] by Charlie Doyle (March 1999) ''Free Energy''.</ref>

[[File:Dennis lee mugshot.jpg|thumb|left|165px|Dennis Lee's 1993 portrait]]
Perry DeAngelis has detailed quite a few run-ins with the law that Lee has had during the 1970s-1990s:<ref>''The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake'' by Steven Novella et al. (2018) Grand Central Publishing. {{Isbn|9781538760536}}.</ref>{{rp|337}}<ref>[https://theness.com/index.php/ness-takes-on-free-energy-guru-dennis-lee/ NESS Takes On Free Energy Guru – Dennis Lee] by Perry DeAngelis (July 2001; Updated August 2009)  ''The New England Skeptical Society''.</ref>
*Arrested 8 times between 1974-197 in [[New Jersey]] on fraud, forgery and drug charges
*Pleaded guilty to 5 counts of passing checks in 1975 in New Jersey
*Was able to dupe fellow-[[charlatan]] [[Pat Robertson]] out of $150,000 in 1978
*Arrested for passing bad checks in [[New York]] in 1982
*Accused by the [[Washington state]] attorney general of violating the Consumer Protection Act
*Pleaded guilty to two felony counts of consumer fraud in [[California]] in 1990
*Was served a cease-and-desist order by Washington State for allegedly [[marketing]] unregistered securities
*One of his employees, an electrical [[engineer]] named Jim Murray resigned rather than rigging a piece of equipment to make it appear to be 200% efficient.
Continuing with Lee's life story after the 1990s:<ref name=nmsr/>
*Arrested in [[Kentucky]] for violating consumer protection laws in 2001
*Temporary restraining order against Lee in [[New Mexico]] in 2001
*Summary judgement against Lee in a Washington court case in 2002
In May 2021, the US Securities and Exchange Commission filed fraud charges against him for "fraudulently raising nearly $4 million from over 130 investors nationwide through the sale of membership units in [The Premier Healthcare Solution, LLC]."<ref>[https://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2021/lr25094.htm "SEC Charges Healthcare Company and Its Founder with Multimillion Dollar Fraud"], ''SEC Press Release.'' 21 May 2021</ref><ref>[https://www.sec.gov/litigation/complaints/2021/comp-pr2021-87.pdf Complaint, Case 2:21-cv-11460], filed 19 May 2021.</ref>

All of which, one wouldn't know if one only read Lee's auto-[[hagiography]], in which he claims:<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200225100553/http://www.freelectricity.com/DennisLee.html Dennis Lee] ''Free Energy'' (archived from February 25, 2020).</ref>
{{cquote|
*Top speaker on Free Electricity
*Founder of Better World Technologies
*Has own research lab with world class scientists
*Spokeman{{sic}} for the top inventors of Free Electricity Technologies
*Member of the International Inventors Hall of Fame
}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060104001142/https://www.ucsofa.com/ United Community Services of America] (archived from January 4, 2006) — has the interesting disclaimer courtesy of state attorneys general, "Notice: All offers and products of United Community Services of America are not for Kentucky residents. UCSA and BWT do not sell products or opportunities in the state of Kentucky. 'UCSofA does not offer anything for sale in or into Vermont, pending appeal'"
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20100228200623/http://www.phact.org/e/dennis.html Archive.org copy of Krieg's webpage on Lee]
*[http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Dennis_Lee Entry at the Pure Energy Systems Wiki]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Dennis}}
[[Category:Convicted felons]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoters]]
[[Category:We're on a mission from God]]

Categories: Convicted felons, Living people, Pseudoscience promoters, We're on a mission from God