CAREY COLEMAN’S
ALLEGED
SECRET SEX
SOCIETY
Ohio congressional candidate Carey Coleman was likely a member of an elite secret fraternity tied to a long history of human trafficking.
CAREY COLEMAN’S TIES TO
THE ORDER OF JESTERS
A new report allegedly links Ohio congressional candidate Carey Coleman to a secret society whose members have been implicated in human trafficking, sex tourism and other criminal activity.
Carey Coleman appears on two historical membership rosters for the Royal Order of Jesters. The documents, dated April 2007 and February 2008, identify “Coleman, Carey” under Cleveland Court No. 14, according to independent research.
The Royal Order of Jesters is a private fraternal organization whose members gather at invitation-only events known as “Books.”
The organization has a long and controversial history in America. Members have faced federal investigations and criminal charges involving human trafficking, sex tourism and allegations of RICO and other crimes. These criminal activities have been documented in connection with some of the Jesters’ private gatherings, held at ranches, lodges and country clubs.
A major federal investigation began in 2007, during the period when Coleman reportedly appeared on the organization's membership rolls.
Jesters are sometimes referred to as “Big Boys,” and their private gatherings, known as “books,” are a central part of the fraternity's traditions.
Independent researchers have identified Coleman on the historical membership lists.
SEX, SECRETS & THE JESTERS
Inside the invitation-only fraternity where federal investigators uncovered prostitution arrangements, and former members alleged decades of sexual misconduct.
For more than a century, the Royal Order of Jesters has operated as an exclusive fraternity. Its membership has included businessmen, judges, attorneys, prosecutors and law-enforcement officials. Behind the fraternity's elaborate costumes, unusual rituals, and devotion to “mirth,” however, lies a documented history of prostitution at some of its private gatherings.
A federal investigation beginning in 2007 exposed criminal conduct involving prostitution at Jesters events. Federal proceedings documented arrangements to transport women across state lines and international borders for commercial sex. Retired New York Supreme Court Justice Ronald Tills admitted arranging prostitutes for Jesters gatherings over several years. Other members pleaded guilty to offenses involving transportation for prostitution or concealment of criminal conduct.
In a 2009 investigation, The Buffalo News interviewed former Jesters who described prostitution at gatherings long before federal prosecutors brought their cases. Malcolm “Mutt” Herring, a former member from Alabama, told the newspaper that prostitution-related activities had been occurring for 40 to 50 years. Herring said he had left the organization more than two decades earlier because he objected to its activities. Another former member, J. L. Edwards of South Carolina, described what he witnessed during his seven years in the fraternity before leaving in 1998. Edwards told the newspaper that sexual performances took place at some gatherings. He also described off-duty police officers controlling access to private rooms.
In 2007, the allegations became the subject of a federal criminal investigation.Federal authorities uncovered arrangements in which women were transported across state lines and international borders to provide commercial sexual services at Jesters gatherings. The investigation documented activity involving events in New York, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Florida and Canada.
Among those prosecuted was Ronald H. Tills, a retired New York Supreme Court justice and Jesters member. Tills admitted arranging prostitutes for Jesters gatherings over several years, including transporting women to events outside New York.
In August 2009, the former judge was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and fined $25,000. Michael R. Stebick, a former prosecutor and court law clerk, pleaded guilty to conspiracy involving interstate transportation for prostitution. He received home confinement, probation, community service and a fine. John Trowbridge, a retired police captain from Lockport, New York, admitted transporting a woman to a Jesters gathering in Kentucky for prostitution. He received probation. Michael Lesinski, a former Erie County sheriff's deputy, admitted transporting women to a 2005 Jesters convention in Niagara Falls, Ontario, where paid sexual activity occurred. He pleaded guilty to concealing a felony after failing to report the criminal conduct
The convictions documented criminal activity involving several members of a fraternity whose ranks included people entrusted with enforcing and interpreting the law.
The controversy surrounding individuals associated with the Jesters also extended overseas.
In Brazil, authorities investigated allegations that underage girls were sexually exploited in connection with Amazon fishing tours organized by Jester member and businessman Richard Wayne Schair. Investigative reporting by The Frontier identified 19 Royal Order of Jesters members in connection with the fishing-tour controversy.
Representatives of the Royal Order of Jesters have disputed suggestions that prostitution was officially sanctioned by the organization. The federal convictions established wrongdoing by specific individuals, not the fraternity's entire membership.
MIRTH, MISCHIEF &
THE JESTER GIRLS
Inside the secretive fraternity of grinning idols, bizarre rituals and prostitution scandals involving judges, police officers and prominent businessmen.
Their motto was “Mirth Is King.” Their mascot was a grinning, potbellied creature called the Billiken. Their initiation rituals involved blindfolds, skulls and kissing the backside of a statue. And then there were the “Jester Girls.”
For more than a century, the Royal Order of Jesters has operated as an invitation-only men's fraternity devoted to laughter, fellowship and private entertainment. But federal investigations exposed prostitution arrangements at some of its gatherings, resulting in criminal convictions involving men who once held positions of public trust.
A CENTURY OF MIRTH AND SECRECY
Founded in 1911 by Shriners traveling aboard the SS Wilhelmina to Hawaii, the Royal Order of Jesters developed into an exclusive fraternity open only to Shriners in good standing.
Unlike the Shriners, known for their philanthropy, the Jesters focused on recreation, entertainment and camaraderie. Their local chapters, called courts, attracted judges, lawyers, police officers and businessmen. Their private gatherings were known as Books of the Play.
THE GRINNING GOD OF LUCK
The organization's mascot, the Billiken, is a pointed-eared, potbellied creature created in 1908 as an American good-luck charm. The Jesters adopted the figure for statues, jewelry and ceremonial objects. A historical verse called it the “god of luckiness,” and rubbing its belly was said to bring good fortune. In 2011, the organization offered a six-pound bronze Billiken with a crown spelling MIRTH for $450.
BLINDFOLDS, SKULLS AND STRANGE RITUALS
A publicly reproduced 1928 initiation script describes candidates entering a ceremonial hall featuring a throne, crown, scepter and Book of Fate.
Characters named Joy, Gloom and Laughter performed theatrical skits. One carried a human skull; another fired a pistol loaded with blanks. A mock trial involved the fictional murder of William Shakespeare.
After pledging secrecy, blindfolded candidates were instructed to kiss the backside of the Billiken statue.
The organization's officers held theatrical titles including Director, Leading Lady, Soubrette and Tragedian. Members wore ornate fezzes and jeweled insignia. Historical regalia catalogs also contained racial and cultural stereotypes.
A 2011 Las Vegas centennial advertisement promoted gambling, golf and entertainment for Jesters only, declaring: “Only a phool would miss this event!” Whether the historical initiation rituals continue today is unknown.
“You had prominent people at these books — ministers, police chiefs. It’s an elite group. A lot of these guys were prominent men in their 60s and 70s. They have beautiful young women with them, and it makes them feel like they’re a young buck again.”
WHO WERE THE “JESTER GIRLS”?
Federal criminal records used the term “Jester Girls” to describe women brought to some Jesters gatherings for prostitution. In 2005, women traveled from across the United States to the organization's national convention in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Michael Lesinski, a former Erie County sheriff's deputy and Jesters member, admitted transporting approximately six or seven women from Buffalo airport to the convention hotel for prostitution.
His federal plea agreement stated that senior Buffalo chapter members and representatives of the national organization knew about and agreed to the transportation.
Investigators also described hotel hospitality rooms, arrangements for selecting women and prostitution-related transportation to gatherings in multiple states.
“WET-A-LINE” TOURS
A luxury fishing-tour company, allegations involving girls as young as 12, and reported connections to members of the Royal Order of Jesters.
The trips were advertised as fishing adventures in the Brazilian Amazon. But investigators and alleged victims described something far more disturbing: young Brazilian girls recruited to accompany wealthy foreign tourists aboard luxury boats.
At the center of the allegations was Wet-A-Line Tours, a company operated by American businessman Richard Wayne Schair.
According to Brazilian authorities, the company worked with local tourism operators to organize fishing expeditions along the Amazon. Investigators alleged that girls and young women from impoverished communities were recruited to accompany foreign visitors and subjected to sexual exploitation.
A 2011 Brazilian government statement identified 15 alleged victims and described an investigation that began in 2008. Authorities said the trips involved luxury vessels and arrangements that allegedly concealed sexual exploitation behind the appearance of sport tourism.
The allegations also reached American courts.
In June 2011, four Brazilian women filed a federal civil lawsuit in Georgia against Schair and Wet-A-Line Tours. They alleged that, while they were minors, they were recruited and coerced into sexual acts with Schair and his customers.
Court records describe allegations that the plaintiffs were between 12 and 17 years old when recruited.
The reported connections to the Royal Order of Jesters extended beyond Schair.
A historical account of Brazilian court materials identified three reported members of Albuquerque Court No. 24—Donald W. Anderson, R. W. Keers and R. R. Kirby—on a guest list for an August 31–September 9, 2005 fishing trip.
The same account described a proposed defense witness list containing 19 Jesters members.
Their appearance on a guest list or proposed witness list does not, by itself, establish participation in sexual exploitation or other criminal conduct.
JUDGES, CopS JESTERS, and young women
A retired judge, a former prosecutor and law-enforcement officers were among those convicted in a federal investigation into prostitution at Royal Order of Jesters gatherings. Other names surfaced in related investigations.
RONALD H. TILLS
A retired New York Supreme Court justice, Tills admitted arranging prostitutes for Jesters gatherings in the United States and Canada. He received an 18-month federal prison sentence and a $25,000 fine.
MICHAEL R. STEBICK
A former prosecutor and court law clerk, Stebick pleaded guilty to conspiracy involving interstate transportation for prostitution. He received home confinement, probation, community service and a fine.
JOHN TROWBRIDGE
A retired Lockport police captain, Trowbridge admitted transporting a woman to a Kentucky Jesters gathering for prostitution. He received probation and a fine.
MICHAEL LESINSKI
A former Erie County sheriff's deputy, Lesinski admitted transporting women to a 2005 Jesters convention in Canada, where paid sexual activity occurred. He pleaded guilty to concealing a felony and received probation and a fine.
LEN WAH CHONG
Chong was convicted in a related Western New York sex-trafficking investigation and received a six-year federal prison sentence. His membership in the Jesters has not been established.
RICHARD W. SCHAIR
Schair operated Wet-A-Line Tours, which organized fishing trips in Brazil's Amazon region. Brazilian authorities investigated allegations that underage Indigenous girls were recruited for prostitution involving tourists. Schair was reportedly indicted in Brazil, but a final conviction has not been verified. His Jesters membership has not been established.
DONALD W. ANDERSON
A reported member of the Royal Order of Jesters' Albuquerque Court No. 24, Anderson was named in a 2005 Wet-A-Line Tours customer manifest submitted in Brazilian court proceedings. No criminal wrongdoing by Anderson has been established.
R. W. KEERS
An Albuquerque Jester identified in the same 2005 Wet-A-Line Tours customer manifest.
R. R. KIRBY
An Albuquerque Jester identified in the 2005 Wet-A-Line Tours customer manifest.
Carey CAN’T be trusted
to tackle TRAFFICKING
Can a Member of a Secret Society Linked to Prostitution Help Combat Human Trafficking or Push for the Full Release of the Epstein Files?
From Cleveland to Akron to Canton, human trafficking remains a persistent problem in the Buckeye State.
Ohio has long struggled with human trafficking, particularly the sexual exploitation of women and children. Its major interstate highways, large population centers and proximity to multiple state borders create opportunities for traffickers to move and exploit victims.
In 2025, the National Human Trafficking Hotline identified 337 trafficking cases involving 513 victims in Ohio. And those are just the cases reported to the hotline. The actual number of victims remains unknown.
The problem extends well beyond Cleveland. Akron, Canton and surrounding communities have faced trafficking investigations, including allegations of sexual exploitation concealed behind seemingly legitimate businesses.
Nearly two decades after the Royal Order of Jesters scandal, human trafficking remains a serious issue in Ohio. The question is no longer whether the problem exists. It's how much of it remains hidden.
10 Questions Carey Coleman must answer.
Mr. Coleman, why haven't you publicly acknowledged your reported membership in the Royal Order of Jesters? When did you join, and are you still a member?
What did you know, and when did you know it? Were you aware of the prostitution scandals, federal investigations and criminal convictions involving fellow Jesters?
Where were you? Did you attend any Jester gatherings subsequently linked to allegations of prostitution or sex trafficking?
Which Jester events did you attend? Where were they held, who attended, and what happened behind closed doors?
Have you ever participated in, witnessed or been offered prostitution at a Jester gathering? Did you ever observe another member purchasing sexual services?
Did you ever witness or suspect sex trafficking at a Jester event? If so, did you report it to law enforcement?
What did you know about the so-called "Jester Girls"? Did you ever encounter women paid or recruited to entertain Jester members? What did you know about how they were recruited or compensated?
Will you publicly denounce the Royal Order of Jesters and condemn the criminal conduct associated with its gatherings? Have you resigned your membership, or do you intend to remain affiliated?
Will you release a complete accounting of your involvement with the Jesters? Will you identify the events you attended, the members you associated with and any misconduct you witnessed?
Why should the public trust your position on human trafficking and sexual exploitation? What can you tell the public about your reported affiliation with an organization whose members have been convicted of prostitution-related crimes?
Mr. Coleman, the central question is simple: What did you know, when did you know it, and what did you do about it?
SOURCES AND REFERENCES
The following sources include federal court records, investigative journalism, historical archives, and reporting concerning the Royal Order of Jesters, its traditions, and criminal investigations involving individual members.
HISTORY, RITUALS & REGALIA
Royal Order of Jesters — History and Initiation Ritual
Stichting Argus
https://www.stichtingargus.nl/vrijmetselarij/jesters_en.html
Probe of the Members of the Royal Order of Jesters' Carousing Goes National
The Buffalo News, 2009 (archived reproduction)
https://redice.tv/news/probe-of-the-members-of-the-royal-order-of-jesters-carousing-goes-national
History of the Billiken
Illinois History Journal
https://drloihjournal.blogspot.com/2021/07/annual-bud-billiken-day-parade-since-1929-in-chicago.html
Royal Order of Jesters — Organizational History
Wikipedia (background reference)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Order_of_Jesters
Historical Jesters Publications and Ritual References
Freemasonry Watch Archives
https://freemasonrywatch.org/Fourth.Jester.Convicted.Former.Judge.Tills.Out.html
FEDERAL INVESTIGATIONS & PROSTITUTION CASES
Federal Election Commission — MUR 6672
Federal Election Commission (document relevance requires verification)
https://www.fec.gov/files/legal/murs/current/101337.pdf
Retired Judge Sentenced to Prison for Transporting Prostitutes
Buffalo Toronto Public Media, August 7, 2009
https://www.btpm.org/2009-08-07/retired-judge-sentenced-to-prison-for-transporting-prostitutes
Judge Gets 1½ Years for Procurement
Associated Press, August 2009
https://www.deseret.com/2009/8/8/20333444/judge-gets-1-1-2-years-for-procurement/
Former Erie County Sheriff's Deputy Sentenced for Failing to Report Jester Prostitution in Canada
Archived federal announcement
https://freemasonrywatch.org/former.erie.county.sheriffs.deputy.sentenced.for.failing.to.report.jester.prostitution.in.canada.html
Fourth Jester Convicted — Former Judge Tills
Freemasonry Watch Archives
https://freemasonrywatch.org/Fourth.Jester.Convicted.Former.Judge.Tills.Out.html
FBI Complaint and References to “Jester Girls”
Freemasonry Watch Archives
https://freemasonrywatch.org/shrines.royal.order.of.jesters.tampa.tribunes.tom.jackson.epic.jester.fail.html
Tills Sentencing Rescheduled in Jester Prostitution Case
Archived contemporary reporting
https://www.freemasonrywatch.org/tills.sentencing.rescheduled.in.jesters.case.html
WET-A-LINE TOURS & BRAZIL INVESTIGATION
Plaintiff A v. Schair — Federal Appellate Opinion
United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 2014
https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201216542order.pdf
Plaintiff A v. Schair — Court Opinion
Justia, 2014
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca11/12-16542/12-16542-2014-03-07.html
Plaintiff A v. Schair — Federal Appeal Docket
Justia Dockets
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca11/12-16542
Só Restou o Medo
Folha de S.Paulo, July 17, 2011
Corporate Liability for Child Sexual Exploitation
ECPAT International
https://ecpat.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ECPAT-International-Corporate-Liability-1.pdf
Brazilian Court Records and Wet-A-Line Tours Customer Manifests
Freemasonry Watch Archives
https://freemasonrywatch.org/newsvine.failed.application.for.habeas.corpus.implicates.shrine.leaders.subgroup.the.royal.order.of.jesters.in.sex.crimes.html
ADDITIONAL REPORTING & ARCHIVES
Secret Society Royal Order of Jesters Charged Under the Mann Act
The Tonka Report, June 20, 2010
https://stevenjohnhibbs.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/secret-society-royal-order-of-jesters-charged-with-the-mann-act/
Royal Order of Jesters — Investigative Reporting Archive
Freemasonry Watch
https://freemasonrywatch.org/royalorderofjesters.html