NOT SO SECRET HISTORY

Florida High School Faculty Members Accused of Leading Religious Cult

In an incident report, a former student at Leesburg High School said that guidance counselor Leonardo Finello sent him suggestive text messages.

A high school guidance counsellor has resigned and a band director has requested resignation after both were accused of leading a “cult-like” secret society in a Florida high school. In an incident report filed in April, a former Leesburg High School student said that the faculty members, Leonardo Finello and Gabriel Fielder, were the operators of the “Elder Council” and held meetings which took place off campus, but that the group disbanded last July. State records indicate that Finello and Fielder started a nonprofit group called Elder Council, Inc. in 2019 and registered the group at a 13-acre plot of land in Marion County. The group was described as a vehicle for “not-for-profit missions and teaching activities for the greatest evangelical Christian church globally.” In the report, the student said that Finello had sent him sexually suggestive text messages. No criminal charges have been filed.