Ma Anand Sheela

Ma Anand Sheela
David Woodard, Ma Anand Sheela and Christian Kracht in 2008
Born
Sheela Ambalal Patel

(1949-12-28) 28 December 1949 (age 74)
Baroda, Bombay State, India
NationalityIndia, Switzerland
Other namesSheela Silverman, Sheela Birnstiel
Known for1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack
TitlePersonal secretary to Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
Term1981–1985
MovementRajneesh (Osho)
Criminal statusSentence served
Criminal chargeAttempted murder
Second-degree assault
Illegal wire-tapping
Arson
Immigration fraud
Penalty4 and a half years prison[1]

Ma Anand Sheela (born 28 December 1949 as Sheela Ambalal Patel, also known as Sheela Birnstiel and Sheela Silverman)[2] is an Indian-Swiss woman who was the spokesperson of the Rajneesh movement and a convicted criminal. In 1986, she was convicted for attempted murder and assault for her role in the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack.

As the secretary of Osho Rajneesh from 1981 through 1985, she managed the Rajneeshpuram ashram in Wasco County, Oregon, United States.[3] In 1986, she pleaded guilty to attempted murder and assault for her role in the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack.[4] She received a four-and-a-half-year sentence in July 1986 in federal prison. She was released for good behaviour and deported to West Germany after 29 months.[1] Sheela later moved to Switzerland, where she married, and purchased two nursing homes. In 1999, she was convicted by a Swiss court of "criminal acts preparatory to the commission of murder" in relation to a plot to kill US federal prosecutor Charles Turner in 1985, and she was sentenced to time served.[5]

  1. ^ a b "Bhagwan's Former Secretary Freed From Jail and Deported". The New York Times. December 14, 1988. Archived from the original on May 15, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Patel was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ FitzGerald, Frances (September 29, 1986). "Il-Rajneeshpuram". The New Yorker. No. September 29, 1986 Issue. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kahn41 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference senior was invoked but never defined (see the help page).