Woman uses fake Satanist child-porn ring to defraud churches

A 23-year-old woman, Leone Steyn was rearrested on Tuesday on charges of fraud after she duped churches and an online counselling service out of more than R500 000.

Steyn, an ex-pupil of Hoërskool Florida who was arrested on her birthday, used an elaborate story about a Satanist child-porn ring to extort the money. She claimed she was abused by the imaginary ring and told the online counselling service MOEBIG, that she alone knew of the other 55 children who were in secret safehouses. In order to keep the service in the dark she also claimed members of Roodepoort, Florida and Krugersdorp Police were involved and they therefore could not approach the police. She also created 55 fake accounts for the ‘victims’ by committing identity theft on social media platforms, said MOEBIG director Stephanie Crouse. Crouse laid the complaint in 2014 after Steyn had been involved with MOEBIG since 2011.

Steyn would create a crises, for example saying one of the victims needed school fees, and then MOEBIG would approach churches for help. Over the period she received R230 000 in cash and the rest in donated goods.

Due to the threat of police involvement and telling Crouse their every move was being watched, counsillors were so traumatised that one even went to facilitations armed with a revolver.

In 2014 after Crouse finally became suspicious she approached a friend who was a police captain who started investigating and Steyn was caught out. After being investigated for two years Steyn was arrested in January but released on bail. She was rearrested on Tuesday and appeared in the Roodepoort Magistrates’ Court yesterday. Her case was postponed until 10 May pending a psychiatric evaluation.