By Meg Peters
Review Co-Editor
Craig Stasio joked there are no ‘cult fees? to be part of his religious ‘fellowship.?
That is just one of the rumors that Stasio dispelled after a post in the Lake Orion Chat Room Facebook group’prompting over 140 related comments’asserted he had taken over a dentist office in Lake Orion.
The Centerline resident , who had been put under the spotlight in March 2014 by Fox 2 News investigators for allegedly running a religious cult through his medical practices, said he had spent two days at the Lake Orion dentist office as a consultant to the owner by her request.
Stasio refrained from speaking with Fox 2 News investigator Rob Wolchek in 2014, however has since denied being the leader of any cult, and other allegations including that he had influenced his followers to distance themselves from their families and previous ways of life.
The Oakland County Sheriff Department Orion Substation has looked into the previous news stories, and no incidents have been reported about the dentist office on Baldwin.
Stasio explained the ‘following? is a ‘fellowship? and even a “fraternity” consisting of 20 to 30 people gathering on almost a daily basis.
They are in their mid-twenties to sixties, who are Christians simply ‘getting together, eating, praying, worshiping, reading the Bible, and fellowshipping? in non-structured group gatherings.
Many of his followers had a ‘radical Christian conversion? after meeting Stasio, that produced ‘radical lifestyle changes in their lives,? Stasio said.
According to Stasio, reports that he had instructed fellowship members to not speak with their family members were not true.
‘Their family members, when they made contact with them, were very apprehensive, were very resistant to it [their Christian conversion], and that brought a lot of tension in their relationships,? he said.?’A lot of the people after getting constantly rejected and attacked by their families, they kind of distanced themselves. Well that was perceived as,? I told them to do this?, which I was the polar opposite, if your family doesn’t agree with your faith choice, that’s understandable, love them the best you can. The persecution against them [the followers] got pretty intense.?
A Facebook post to The Lake Orion Chat Room dated July 17 read that a few changes had come to a local dentist office, including ‘Craig Stasio the Cult Chiropractor doctor? who ‘came in last week with a whole new crew from his ministry to work in the office.?
The dentist practice, Tina M. Marshall, DDS, at 2951 S. Baldwin, is owned by Sterling Heights resident Tina Marshall, who recently moved from Washington Township.
The building is owned by Carol Flajole, wife of the late Dr. Raphael Flajole who ran his dentist practice in the same building for over 37 years. A reckless driver in Texas killed Dr. Raphael Flajole in June 2014.
Stasio’s work for Marshall apparently ended in the firing of two employees, and a couple others resigning from the practice.
According to previous patient coordinator Sara Bambard, only one of Tina Marshall’s original nine employees still works at the office as a dental hygienist, and ministry members had filled the rest.
Bambard was promoted to Office Manager before she quit the practice, after confirming she had difficulty telling fellow employees they were being fired. ?
‘Within the two weeks that I was still there everybody besides Janice or Pepper were either forced to leave or was fired. Pepper found another job. They kept Janice because they couldn’t fill her position,? she said. ‘He [Stasio] told me if I didn’t do it [fire them], it was going to be done anyways. I honestly wanted to be the one to talk to these people, because they were kind of family to me, and I didn’t want him to do it the wrong way.?
Some of the employees who were fired or left were employees for more than 30 years, and had worked for Dr. Flajole.
Stasio said Bambard, Marshall and himself had all agreed on who to fire. Bambard quit after she fired the one of two dental hygienists.
Marshall said the office restructuring should have been handled seven months ago after many employees didn’t agree with internal changes.?
‘It kind of all started a while ago when I wanted to play the Christian music.
?’Marshall said some would turn the Christian music off and turn the TV on in the waiting room against her will. She also said some of her employees had ruined dental instruments after cleaning them in the wrong solution.
?’There were a number of them that didn’t feel it was right, so some left right away. Others just kind of fought me on it all the time. It was getting really frustrating,? Marshall said. ‘They didn’t do it on purpose, they were wonderful people, and it was very difficult for me. I was like ok, ‘I needed help,?? she said.
??? Stasio said as the owner of the business, Marshall should not feel like she was a prisoner in her own office, and that her employees were incompetent and disobeying her.
‘If she wanted to put a water fountain on one side of the office, and they wanted it on the other, that can’t happen,? he said.
Tina Marshall and her husband Jim Marshall have been friends with Stasio for about two years, and have played Christian music in the office for the past year.
They met at a home ministry group meeting hosted at the Marshall’s Washington Township residence in which Stasio attended two years back.
‘We fellowshipped for about three hours and we became close friends after that,? Stasio said.
Jim Marshall appeared in the March 20, 2014 Fox 2 News Let it Rip: The chiropractic religious ‘cult? episode, defending Stasio.
Both Tina and Jim Marshall said they practice Christianity as part of Stasio’s unstructured ministry.
When asked if Jim Marshall felt like he was in a cult he said, ‘absolutely not. I don’t know why people come up with that. When Jesus was here on earth they actually said he was in a cult, it’s in the Bible. We follow Jesus Christ, he’s the one in Heaven, not Craig Stasio.?
Stasio said he is a state licensed chiropractor, graduated from National College of Chiropractic in Chicago in 1996, and has operated from multiple businesses since. His current practices are Agape Massage Therapy and Chiropractic and Stasio Institute of Therapeutic Massage, neighboring yet separate offices in Clinton Township.
Political pressure forced Stasio to close Agape’s doors after the Fox 2 news stories aired, he said, but he reopened the business about a week later saying legal authorities could not prove any violations.
Jim Marshall said Stasio made several recommendations to Tina Marshall’s dentist office.
‘He wanted the Christian music playing all the time, but we did that anyway, it wasn’t loud, and it was good, contemporary Christian music,? he said, comparing it to other medical practices he had been to that promoted the scripture in framed portraits on the wall.
Tina Marshall said she has also prayed over certain patients, who were admitted Christians, and who wanted her to do so, about five patients in the last year and a half. She also provides a prayer box for patients who are undergoing procedures who can write their name on a piece of paper and stick it into the box if they would like an extra prayer.
Other recommendations from Stasio included switching sales representatives and suppliers, different strategies to improve cash flow in and out of the business, a new marketing plan, and fine tuning accounts receivable and accounts payable.
Stasio also said he knew competent people from his ministry that could fill the missing positions in the office, and Tina agreed to hire them.
One was Brittney Marshall, Jim and Tina’s daughter, who had worked at Agape for about a year.
Three other people, who did not work directly for Stasio at Agape, included a massage therapist, a previous employee of Meijer and a nurse from a medical center based in Detroit.
The dentist office was closed for about a week to train the four employees as dental assistants and for administrative positions.
Stasio met Brittney Marshall after becoming friends with her parents. Brittney, 26, now lives in Centerline where Stasio, his wife Danielle and three children live across the street.
With only one daughter left in high school, the Marshalls recently moved out of their Washington Township residence to be closer to Brittney.
Jim Marshall said they had hired Stasio as their consultant because he has over 20 years of business experience.
He said he doesn’t know whether Stasio’s media portrayal will harm or help the Lake Orion dental practice.
‘That’s a good question. People who want Jesus in their lives, they will continue to be patients of my wife. I’m sure there’s some fallout, if people will believe what they read, and they’ll go to another dentist. This is our walk, and we’re gonna stick to it. We wanted to get closer to God and have a close relationship with Him, so we decided ok we’re going to let people know we are Christians.?
Bambard is currently working across the street at another dental office, and is sad for the way things ended.
‘I really think that she had a great practice and it’s going to be going downhill. I’ve already had numerous patients contact me saying they will never be back.?
For more information about Stasio and his ministry teachings, look for Part II in the’August 12’edition of the Review.