# The Rajneesh Movement: The Cult That Legally Took Over A Small Town Pt. 1

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/america-s-most-infamous-crimes-with-katie-ring-7737190/the-rajneesh-movement-the-cult-that-legally-took-over-a-small-town-pt-1
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/america-s-most-infamous-crimes-with-katie-ring-7737190/the-rajneesh-movement-the-cult-that-legally-took-over-a-small-town-pt-1.md
Podcast: [America's Most Infamous Crimes with Katie Ring](https://stenobird.com/podcast/america-s-most-infamous-crimes-with-katie-ring-7737190)
Published: 2026-07-21T07:01:00+00:00
Episode link: https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8240027/8240027_2026-04-14-025727.256.mp3?rssID=5985
Audio file: https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8240027/8240027_2026-04-14-025727.256.mp3?rssID=5985
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Duration seconds: 1915

## Resource

In 1981, a spiritual leader named Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, known as the "sex guru", moved thousands of followers to an abandoned ranch in rural Oregon and built an entire city from scratch. In the first part of our 3-part series, Katie Ring traces the origins of the Rajneesh movement, the woman who really ran it, and how a town of 75 people was legally taken over and renamed. Head over to our America’s Most Infamous Crimes YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericasMostInfamousCrimes If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow America’s Most Infamous Crimes to never miss a case! Want all three parts of every case all at once? Join Crime House+ and get the entire week's case dropped every Monday ad-free. Join at crimehouseplus.com or if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, tap “Try Free” at the top of this show’s page. America’s Most Infamous Crimes is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes, Murder True Crime Stories, and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse   TikTok: @Crimehouse   Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia YouTube: @AmericasMostInfamousCrimes America’s Most Infamous Crimes is hosted by Katie Ring Instagram: @the.self.defense.girl TikTok: @the.self.defense.girl

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