She has branded them warped cult members who controlled her every move and swindled her multimillion-dollar TV earnings.
But the former in-laws of actress Bethany Joy Lenz have broken their silence to reject her lurid allegations of abuse and brainwashing as a cynical effort to sell copies of her upcoming memoir.
Lenz, 43, charmed audiences with her portrayal of girl-next-door Haley James Scott on popular teen drama, One Tree Hill from 2003 to 2012.
But in recent interviews, the Hallmark star has revealed her wholesome on-screen persona masked a painful, decade-long entanglement in a parasitic Christian sect that allegedly seized control of her career and finances.
By the time Lenz broke free of the cult’s grip so much money had been drained from her accounts that she had virtually nothing to show for her nine-seasons on the hit CW show, she claims.
Bethany Joy Lenz’s ex-father-in-law Michael Galeotti broke his silence on her claims that she got roped into a ‘cult’ for 10 years after marrying his son
Galeotti has now dismissed the One Tree Hill star’s accusations as a cynical bid to promote her upcoming memoir which will be released on October 22
Lenz has not identified the alleged fanatics, preferring to keep back some of the juicier details until her new book, Dinner For Vampires, hits shelves later this week.
But DailyMail.com can reveal that she’s referring to Wild Branch Ministries, a tiny covenant church whose devotees lived ‘commune-style’ in a million-dollar mansion in Battle Ground, Washington known as The Big House.
Its founder – a ‘domineering’ minister Lenz has described as a sociopath akin to Keith Raniere of the NXIVM sex cult – is ‘Papa’ Mike Galeotti, her former father-in-law.
Approached for his side of the story, Galeotti, 62, whose eldest son Michael was married to Lenz for six years, described her accusations as ‘heartbreaking.’
‘Everybody sees things a little differently and she’s going to cling to the fame,’ he told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview.
‘Good for her. She’s going to make a name for herself. But it’s not the way it went down.’
Galeotti’s son, Michael Jr. aid he preferred not to dredge up his years-long divorce.
‘I don’t know what to make of this memoir after all this time,’ he said.
The actress, 43, opened up about being married to a man, whom she referred to as QB, while she was in the ‘Big House Family,’ which she called a ‘high-control group
Lenz did not reveal the identity of QB but she was married to Michael Galleotti from 2005 to 2012 and gave birth to their daughter Maria in 2011. DailyMail.com can reveal she begged a judge in Washington’s Clark County to keep her ‘controlling’ in-laws away from her daughter during her divorce battle
‘I have a daughter who’s really important to me. I don’t want it to affect her. It’s too much. I don’t really want to cause any problems for her.’
The sleeve of Lenz’s tell-all tome promises to lay bare ‘her life on a cult TV show… while also in an actual cult’.
But DailyMail.com can reveal it’s not the first time she’s levelled claims of emotional and spiritual abuse at ‘Papa’ Galeotti, his wife Sheila, 62, and their devout followers.
During her 2012 divorce, the actress-turned-podcaster begged a judge in Washington’s Clark County to keep her ‘controlling’ in-laws away from her then one-year-old daughter Maria, according to court papers.
She depicted life in the Big House as squalid and filthy, insisting it was not a safe place for Michael, 40 – a former indie rock musician – to host their little girl.
‘The condition of the property where he is living is unsanitary, having caused me difficulty breathing from the vomit, feces, urine, and mold and the resulting foul odors,’ Lenz wrote in a scathing declaration obtained by DailyMail.com.
‘I am concerned Maria will spend time with the petitioner in what is best described as a misogynistic exclusive ‘community’ environment, lorded over by the petitioner’s father.’
Lenz had shared the sprawling brick colonial with an assortment of disciples that briefly included a man with ‘a history of drugging and raping young women’, she claimed in the documents.
Residents were urged to sever ties with their relatives and to instead devote themselves to the ‘chosen family’. It was considered ‘illegal’ for a female to question her spouse.
Lenz was married to Michael Galeotti Jr., 40, (pictured in Battle Ground, Washington last week) for six years – and claimed he expected her to be ‘subservient’ to him on ‘daily basis’
According to the divorce filings, Michael would later be awarded regular parenting time with the girl and – in spite of her mother’s protests – was permitted to host her in Battle Ground
The TV star’s court filings included a bizarre note that she claimed her ex-husband dictated and made her pin to the wall and instructed her to read daily
Anyone who decided to leave the insular group of several dozen Wild Branch worshippers was allegedly shunned and slandered.
‘Mike Sr and Michael both have said often that ‘We are like the Mafia without violence’. A more true statement could not be made,’ Lenz declared.
Her journey into alleged subjugation began when she moved to LA in her early 20s and joined a bible study group hosted by Jeanine Jackson, a prominent Battle Ground matriarch who was staying in California to help her sons Richard and Jonathan launch showbiz careers.
Jackson, 68, invited close pal Galeotti to deliver sermons to the tight-knit circle of aspiring actors and artists. Imbibing his message was like finding ‘water in a desert’, Lenz would later recall.
Galeotti’s influence grew to the extent that several worshippers agreed to relocate to Battle Ground, just across the Washington border from Portland, Oregon, that is named after an 1855 standoff between members of the Klickitat Native American tribe and a US Army outpost.
‘It still looked normal and then it just morphed,’ Lenz, the only child of evangelical Christian parents, said in a recent interview with People magazine.
‘But by the time it started morphing, I was too far into the relationships to notice. Plus, I was so young.’
In her court filing Lenz said of the handwritten missive: ‘He expects me to be subservient to him on a daily basis. He instructed me to read this statement every day’
In 2005 – two years after she landed her breakout role in One Tree Hill – Lenz wed Michael, who was in the band Enation with Richard and Jonathan Jackson, the latter a five-time Daytime Emmy winner who plays Lucky Spencer in General Hospital.
According to divorce filings, the marriage crumbled when Michael remained ‘severely bonded’ to his parents, refusing to leave his basement digs at the Big House to move with her to Northern Carolina, where the drama was filmed.
The pair blamed one another for outbreaks of violence, Lenz accusing Michael of seeing red and punching holes in their walls while he claimed she had hurled a vase and hit him several times, the papers disclose.
Her filings also included a creepy note that she claimed Michael dictated and made her pin to the wall when they finally moved to their own house.
‘When I feel wronged, run to Jesus – ask him to show me himself in Michael. Submit to Michael’s (requests?) and humbly trust God to reveal the truth,’ it read.
‘Ask Jesus (pray continually) to reveal to me the meaning of unity and submission.’
Lenz said of the handwritten missive: ‘He expects me to be subservient to him on a daily basis. He instructed me to read this statement every day.’
The church’s founder – a ‘domineering’ minister who has been described as a sociopath akin to Keith Raniere of the NXIVM sex cult – is ‘Papa’ Mike Galeotti, her former father-in-law
Lenz claimed anyone who decided to leave the insular group of around several dozen Wild Branch worshippers was allegedly shunned and slandered. Pictured: Leader Mike Galeotti Sr.
Galeotti Sr. is pictured with wife, Lenz’s former mother-in-law, Sheila Galeotti. She was snapped (right) in her Battle Ground, Washington neighborhood last week
Michael’s friends and family presented sworn declarations of their own, insisting Wild Branch was not a cult.
The Big House had ‘taken a good beating’ over the years from the various ‘rambunctious preteens’ and pets that had called it home.
But it was not as filthy as Lenz described, asserted Jackson’s physician husband Rick, 69, a two-time congressional candidate.
He and his wife built the 5,400 square-foot property in 1989 but let Galeotti, his wife and their three sons live there rent free and use it as a ‘spiritual hub’ for Wild Branch.
Lenz and Michael finalized their divorce in 2015 when a judge ruled that Maria, now 13, should live with her mom in Los Angeles where Lenz said she needed to be to land acting gigs.
But Michael was also awarded regular parenting time with the girl and – in spite of her mother’s protests – was permitted to host her in Battle Ground.
‘There is no basis to restrict the child’s contact with father’s family or friends. There is no evidence of risk of harm to the child in father’s household,’ Judge James Rulli determined.
Of all the accusations leveled by Lenz, perhaps the most damaging are her claims of financial malfeasance.
DailyMail.com can reveal Lenz has been referring to Wild Branch Ministries, a tiny covenant church whose devotees lived ‘commune-style’ in a million-dollar mansion in Battle Ground, Washington known as The Big House (pictured) – which has since been sold
The Big House was sold several years ago but Wild Branch still hosts bi-weekly prayer meetings at the Galeottis’ downtown wine bar (pictured)
Lenz claimed her journey into alleged subjugation began when she moved to LA in her early 20s and joined a bible study group hosted by Jeanine Jackson (pictured) – a prominent Battle Ground matriarch who she later accused of embezzling
‘The court should know that after 10 years and 182 episodes of a successful TV series, I am left with about three episodes worth of money in the bank,’ Lenz wrote during her divorce.
She pointed the finger at the Q-3 management company operated by Mike Galeotti, Jeanine Jackson, and a third friend, Jeff Quade.
Her signature was forged and her earnings were spirited away into a network of shady accounts to be spent on a string of failing business ventures, including a hotel and ‘organic, upscale’ restaurant, Lenz alleged.
Accountant Tiffany Couch told the court that $526,000 was diverted from the actress’s business accounts to the restaurant between 2010 and 2011.
While Galeotti family members drew salaries, Lenz received ‘no benefit or distribution’ before it went bust, Couch alleged.
‘In summary, we are concerned about the diversion of millions of dollars of Ms. Lenz’s earnings during the couple’s marriage unbeknownst to her/and or under circumstances that were not fully disclosed to her,’ she wrote.
Jackson, 68, a grief counselor and amateur ventriloquist, denied any wrongdoing when DailyMail.com called at her Battle Ground home.
‘It’s never fun to have things that are untrue out there,’ she told us, refusing to be drawn further.
The Big House was sold several years ago but Wild Branch still hosts bi-weekly prayer meetings at the Galeottis’ downtown wine bar.
Lenz (right) with her One Tree Hills co-stars Sophia Bush, Chad Michael Murray, Hilarie Burton and James Lafferty in season three, which began in 2005
It’s listed in state records as an active non-profit and the registered agent is Jackson’s daughter Candice, a 46-year-old lawyer who served in the Trump administration.
Quade, 54 – listed online as Wild Branch’s organizational head – said Lenz’s version of events was ‘ludicrous.’
‘She just seems to spout things that fit with the narrative that she has created,’ he protested.
‘I don’t have anything to prove or to say really. I mean, she seems to be wanting to stay relevant.’
DailyMail.com reached out to Lenz to ask whether she ever reported the alleged fraud to law enforcement or initiated any other form of legal redress.
Neither her manager, nor the two lawyers involved in her divorce, immediately responded.
No doubt their feisty TV star client will have plenty more to say on the topic when her hotly anticipated book finally hits bookstands on Tuesday.
‘I’ve arrived at the conclusion that the hard things are meant to be shared, not hidden,’ she said of its impending release.
