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One-Man Cult — The Case of Jeffrey Lash
He conned his way into the hearts of women, using their money for his gain
Decomposing in the summer heat, Jeffrey Lash’s body sat in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades for two weeks, abandoned by his fiancée and a friend, people who believed him to be a figure of reverence — his claims included being an alien, a counterterrorism agent of the U.S. government, and someone in charge of over 200,000 trained personnel.
Lash did not have a job, just a massive cache of weapons and a web of lies.
Lash’s fiancée, Catherine Nebron, said that Lash, 60, told her he was a covert operative who was constantly under surveillance. His alleged exploits included stopping “two-thirds” of all terroristic threats in the wake of 9/11. Other stories detailed his night swimming missions and how he had previously fallen into a coma after being shot in the head.
Described by his father’s domestic partner as a “loner,” a young Lash had an interest in science, attending UCLA before dropping out before graduation. Neighbors knew Lash by the alias Bob Smith, a man with purported connections to the FBI and CIA.
Before moving to Pacific Palisades, Lash lived in the neighborhood of Sunset with a different roommate, a woman named Jocelyn…