“Uzac and Davis are the nominal owners and managers of IBT, but the management decisions and actions are directed by Jang,” the lawsuit reads. “Jang gave directions from his office in IBT’s leased office space in Manhattan. Jang’s proximity helped him enforce his frequent mandatory meetings and management presentations from Uzac and Davis and others in the Community inner-circle.”
For years, Jang and his followers have been dogged by claims that Jang’s followers see him as a messiah, referring to him as the “Second Coming Christ.”
New York education authorities declined recently to renew Olivet University’s permit to operate campuses in that state, citing lax financial management and a “well-established pattern of noncompliance with laws, rules, and regulations.” The school has two campuses in the state, as well as campuses in Nashville and other cities.
The state cited the fact that officers at Olivet, IBT Media and the Christian Media Corp. were indicted in 2018 on $10 million in fraud charges. Anderson and Uzac pleaded guilty in 2020, as did the university. The two men received no jail time. Olivet University was assessed $1.25 million in forfeiture.
IBT, headed by Davis and Uzac, sold Newsweek to its current parent company, run by Dev Pragad, whom they knew from a campus ministry run by Olivet. The three were also members of Jang’s extended community, though Pragad has since cut ties with the group.
But according to an earlier complaint filed in New York’s Supreme Court on June 30, Uzac and Davis claim the sale of Newsweek was part of a scheme Pragad, Davis and Uzac came up with to shield Newsweek from a criminal investigation.
Under the scheme, Pragad would buy out Uzac’s stake in the company and would take over management, with Davis remaining a co-owner but having no involvement in running Newsweek, according to the complaint.
“Effectively, the plan was to swap Pragad in as a co-owner of the Newsweek Assets in place of Uzac, but on a temporary basis until Uzac’s legal issues were resolved, at which point his ownership would be restored,” the complaint states.
The complaint then claims Pragad reneged on that agreement, leading IBT to sue.
