Paul Schäfer Net Worth

Background and career

Paul Schäfer Schneider (4 December 1921 – 24 April 2010) was a German-Chilean Christian minister, convicted sexual offender, and the founder and leader of a sect and agricultural commune of 300 German immigrants called Colonia Dignidad ("Dignity Colony", later renamed Villa Baviera) located in Parral in southern Chile, about 340 km (210 miles) south of Santiago from 1961 to 2005. Schäfer was strongly influenced by the teachings of William Branham.

Aside from human rights abuses against members of Colonia Dignidad, including rape and sexual and physical abuse (including torture) of young children, Schäfer maintained a relationship with Pinochet's military dictatorship (1973–1990) and was involved in weapons smuggling and the torture and extrajudicial killings of political dissidents. After the end of Pinochet's government, increased public awareness of the activities of Colonia Dignidad, following testimony from former victims, led to the issuance of a warrant for Schäfer's arrest. He fled Chile and lived underground in Argentina for eight years. Following extradition back to Chile and a conviction for sexual abuse, he spent the last five years of his life in prison in Chile. He was convicted of homicide and other felonies in several trials that followed his initial conviction.