A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Joseph 'Joe' Scoppino
Misogynist, Pathological Liar, Betrayer of Women & Children, and the Mother Who Enables Him...
(Updated September 11th, 2023)
In the summer of 2022, I learned that my ex-husband, Joseph ‘Joe’ Scoppino, was writing false affidavits for men he did not know in an attempt to help them win sole custody of their children.
Joe’s purpose was to give reason as to how he knew the mothers were unfit to parent, and he essentially painted the picture that their faith is that reason (i.e. their choice to learn from spiritual teacher Liana Shanti).
Meanwhile, these mothers who Joe wrote affidavits against are women in MY SUPPORT NETWORK (a network he was very briefly a part of) who’ve disclosed that their ex-spouses had ABUSED them.
Father’s who have domestic abuse charges, have had child protective services called on them for physical abuse, and so much more.
And what many people don’t know is just how corrupt the Family Court System is how and how isolating, tortuous, humiliating, traumatic, and financially devastating it can often be for the protective parent (this can be mothers AND fathers alike) when they report abuse.
Women who report allegations of child abuse are frequently discredited, and there’s a VERY REAL chance that, even if they truly are the most safe and loving parent, that they can actually lose ALL custody as PUNISHMENT for daring to speak up.
And where does the child end up? IN THE HANDS OF AN ABUSER.
It’s already hard enough for a mother to protect her child, so to then have a FALSE AFFIDAVIT written in an attempt to declare HER as the unsafe parent? It’s unconscionable, and it’s CRIMINAL.
Fast forward to the summer of 2023, and I learned that Joe Scoppino even went as far as to write a letter to help a family HE DID NOT KNOW to get their young adult daughter – an intelligent college graduate, acquaintance of mine, and fellow student of Liana Shanti’s – INVOLUNTARILY admitted to a MENTAL FACILITY.
Her name is Gaurishi Narang.
And her parents did this because they felt threatened by her disclosures of ABUSE and her desire to implement Liana’s teachings and programs.
To make matters even more horrifying, Gaurishi’s parents actually worked with “cult expert” Steve Hassan to get her admitted– a man who has a history of working as a VIOLENT “deprogammer” in order to help families get their ADULT children to renounce their religious beliefs.
Unfortunately, these deplorable actions on behalf of Joe Scoppino and his ties to some of the lowest forms of humanity are not surprising given that he, too, is an abuser.
A background of abuse is a common thread that these women and I share, and Joe’s resentment towards me divorcing him has led him to seek ways to HARM women within my support network (and therefore, their children), as well as ways to harm our mutual teacher, Liana.
Essentially, Joe has been spreading the FALSE NARRATIVE that Liana and my spiritual path is the cause of the demise of our marriage and that I, Liana, and Liana’s students (who he’d never met in-person and primarily only interacted with via Facebook groups) had isolated and held him “emotionally hostage.”
This narrative is not only cruel given the amount of emotional SUPPORT I poured into him for YEARS, but it’s also a narrative pinned on me knowing full well that if anyone was holding ANYONE “emotionally hostage” it was HIM to ME throughout our entire relationship as I received crumbs in return, with his GRAND FINALE of abuse unleashed on me in the final months of our marriage.
And it was all because I was growing in a new direction, learning to LOVE MYSELF, and wanted a different life than he did.
A life that didn’t involve staying married to a man who, behind closed doors, could say heartless things like THIS to me when he wasn’t getting what he wanted:
“I could cheat on you, you know. It would be so easy to, too. I could go out right now and find someone, and they would mean nothing to me.” – Joe Scoppino
A life that included being treated like I MATTER, and NOT just in front of others for “show,” BUT ALL OF THE TIME.
Yet Joe REFUSED to accept that and just leave me in PEACE.
He ONLY left once I became so disoriented and nearly destitute from his gaslighting and manipulations that he’d be able to paint me as crazy to the outside world as a form of vengeance for daring to want a life that wasn’t centered around HIM.
During what was the most vulnerable time in my life – working to heal from childhood trauma and abuse that there were MANY signs around throughout my ENTIRE life, including a 10-year addiction to weed – he flipped from briefly supportive to “skeptical” and began trying to get me to question my path, my abuse, and my desires in life in an attempt to drag me back to our old life.
To do this, he’d alternate between breaking me down and lifting me up, until I became so emotionally exhausted, I could barely focus. This began impacting my decision-making and my ability to see just how close to danger I truly was.
To make matters worse, Joe actually USED/INFILTRATED my support network to bolster his ego as he dipped his toe into the same healing path I’d begun through Liana’s teachings– something he was actually enjoying and experiencing progress around for a brief period of time.
Though, ultimately, Joe was using Liana’s groups to receive emotional support and validation during what we know now was a half-hearted attempt at healing.
Looking back, it’s OBVIOUS that he LOVED all of the attention and emotional support he was receiving from WOMEN, while appearing to give emotional support right back… yet in reality, he was using us, myself included, when it served him, only to callously discard us once he’d lost interest.
Because all along, in the back of his head, he knew that if and when he didn’t truly want to go any further, he could just paint it like we were all in a cult as a form of punishment towards ME for not doing and being what HE wanted me to do or be.
I should have known he’d do that, too.
After all, this is what he said to me when I first brought up getting divorced in January 2021, BEFORE he’d ever purchased a single program of Liana’s:
“If we divorce, everyone’s going to think you joined a cult.” – Joe Scoppino
It was a “joke” he’d made that I now know was a veiled threat.
BECAUSE WHEN WE DIVORCED THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT HE MADE SURE OF.
He even teamed up with my estranged family and former friend group – essentially infiltrated my OTHER “support system” who he KNEW was anything BUT supportive – and spread lies that led to a great deal of harm towards me, and ESPECIALLY Liana Shanti.
Because in addition to his destructive false narrative and his false affidavits, he inserted himself into an unrelated legal matter of Liana’s in an attempt to frame her as an abusive and dishonest cult leader and cause undue hardship by submitting a letter to the court.
Yet, in his letter, he LITERALLY ADMITTED that I was upfront with him about my feeling that our marriage had run its course and about the healing path I was committing to. He even stated that I told him I felt it was what was best for ME.
He then stated that he felt his “marriage and household was at stake” so HE DECIDED to “join me” on the healing path I was embarking on that involved Liana’s teachings, which I did NOT ask him to do for me (and was actually hesitant about!), nor did he state that I did.
MEANING ABSOLUTELY NO ONE FORCED HIM TO ENROLL IN LIANA’S PROGRAMS– NOT MYSELF, NOT LIANA, AND NOT HER OTHER STUDENTS.
Then when things got too deep for him, he decided to leave, to which NO ONE forced him to stick around either, NOR did anyone treat him unkindly for stopping– not even Liana!
🚨 Yet he then took all the information he’d gleaned, COMPLETELY DISTORTED THE TRUTH, mocked my faith AND my disclosures of childhood sexual abuse, cried cult to his family while giving the PERFORMANCE of a lifetime, helped carry out 👉🏼SMEAR/HATE CAMPAIGNS👈🏼 against me, Liana, and her spiritual community, harmed women and children, and then tried to silence Liana and DESTROY her businesses because we “dared” to DEFEND ourselves against the lies he was telling in secret that made their way to the public eye. 🚨
All of this DESPITE THE FACT that I was UPFRONT with him about what I needed and wanted at that point in my life.
Anyone educated around coercive control should easily be able to tell that because I wouldn’t waver, HE DECIDED TO PUNISH AND BETRAY BOTH ME AND MY SUPPORT SYSTEM.
And he and I didn’t even HAVE children! (Thank you, Jesus.)
Joe went into a complete and total COVERT NARCISSISTIC RAGE when he didn’t get his way, and given all the damage he’s caused, it only makes me WISH I’d listened to my instincts and divorced him sooner, AND it proves my point as to why I wanted one IN THE FIRST PLACE.
And it wasn’t just Joe who wrote a letter.
His mother, Laura Scoppino, also wrote a letter to the court full of everything from half-truths, to complete lies and delusions about me, Liana, and her students.
This is a woman who’s stated MULTIPLE times that she has a diagnosed mental illness and has been on medication and in therapy for decades to cope. A woman who has spent time in a mental facility and is barred from owning a firearm due to said mental illness.
A woman who I AND her son know has helped her daughter FALSIFY A DRUG TEST she would have otherwise failed by providing her with her own urine, allowing her to DISHONORABLY obtain a job as a New York medical assistant.
Yet this woman is DELUSIONAL enough to believe she’s of sound enough mind and moral ground to determine that Liana Shanti isn’t the woman she claims to be.
This woman had the AUDACITY to side with my abusers and involve herself in matters that had NOTHING to do with her, causing me a great deal of harm, as a form of vengeance for the changes Joe CHOSE to make in his life while we were together.
Changes that involved looking more deeply at his own childhood and the role that she and his father played in his lifelong battle with anxiety and depression.
Yet somehow, the fact that Joe grew up with a mentally ill mom and a bully for a dad was supposed to have zero impact on him, with all of his issues sitting squarely on my and Liana Shanti’s shoulders– a narrative Laura depicted in her letter, sharing a merciless tale about how I treated Joe poorly when his mental health was suffering.
(I guess Joe failed to mention the moments I’d drop everything to hold his face in my hands, look him in the eyes, tell him I loved him, and remind him that HE MATTERS.)
A woman who seems to think that Joe’s wants and needs are the ONLY person’s who matters and that I somehow owed it to him to stay married – to a PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSER that SHE RAISED – at the expense of MY mental health.
A woman who states that “with professional help” and “support from his family and friends,” that one of Joe’s goals was to “help others” who were “lured into the psychotic world” where children are being “ripped away” from fathers who are “trying to help protect” them.
Which is an interesting choice of words that Laura Scoppino used considering that HER SON wrote an affidavit for 🚨THIS DERANGED “FATHER”🚨 who berated and kicked his PREGNANT WIFE out of their home when she made a wrong turn while driving and who once told her that HE COULD KILL HER.
A “father” whose OWN SON asked his mother:
“Mom, when is everything going to return back to normal? He doesn’t let me see you. When is Dad going to let me be with you again. He puts me in my room and hurts me. I want to live with you forever. I never want to see him again.”
THOSE are the kinds of men that Joe is “helping” and who Laura Scoppino is BLINDLY supporting.
In addition to writing false affidavits and fabricated letters in an attempt to destroy the lives of women and children, Joe Scoppino also went on to commit CREDIT CARD DISPUTE FRAUD.
He submitted a claim stating that Liana never delivered a health coaching program that he purchased from her – a program he excitedly “devoured” and TURNED IN A DETAILED FINAL EXAM for– even thanking Liana for creating the program just THREE WEEKS before he left and began smearing our names:
Including thanking her AGAIN just a couple weeks after we’d separated when he voluntarily inquired if he could STILL get certified from her health coaching program, DURING the time, we came to understand, that he was “crying cult” to his family.
Rightfully so, Joe Scoppino’s fraudulent claim was DENIED, and Liana WON the right to retain his investment.
A clear indication that he’s been so drunk on his delusions, he actually believes he’s ENTITLED to LIE to get what he wants whether it’s for money, sympathy, or revenge.
Joe actually believes that defending ourselves by speaking the TRUTH of his malicious lies and dirty deeds makes him the poor little victim who’s being ganged up on for no reason.
In reality, Joe Scoppino is a purebred misogynist through and through who is and always has expected women to just roll over and take his ABUSE.
Abuse intended to paint ME as the mentally ill abuser, and that’s now trickled down to painting the other women in my support network as mentally ill, as well.
Well, FUCK THAT.
Because while both Liana and I have each had A LOT to share around what’s gone on with my ex-husband, we’re not the only ones with something to say.
Knowing all of the women Joe Scoppino has harmed in private – and been ENABLED to harm – it is my belief that without the TRUTH coming out to the public, we undoubtedly won’t be his last victims.
On that note, I’d like to invite other students of Liana’s who’ve been impacted by Joe Scoppino’s criminal conspiracy to come forward and share their thoughts and what they’ve witnessed in the comments below.
Here’s a snapshot of just some of Joe’s Many Interactions Inside Liana Shanti’s Big, Scary Facebook Groups of Doom (i.e. just a bunch of kinda sorta boring discussions about vegetables, hemorrhoids, and shitty parenting…)
Here’s an overview of the smear campaign that’s taken place, and it outlines how things became as vicious and satirical as they did, “thanks” to Joe’s desire to “help others.”
And here’s a direct quote from Joe’s letter:
“I didn’t realize it then, but I was being held emotionally hostage by my ex-wife, Liana Shanti, and the rest of the group.” – Joe Scoppino
I wonder what the group has to say about that…
Questions to Consider:
What are your thoughts around having witnessed the smear/hate campaign taking place against Liana’s spiritual community?
Are you a mother and/or mutual student of Liana Shanti’s who’s been harmed and/or witnessed harm by Joe Scoppino?
Have you personally experienced or witnessed the challenges of being within the Family Court System? Are you aware of what an affidavit written by a man of Joe Scoppino’s character and with his intent could do to a protective parent? How does that make you feel?
Have you had any one-on-one interactions with Joe Scoppino outside of Facebook? Before he left the group? After he left the group? What were they like?
Did you, too, have a negative experience with a partner once you started healing through Liana’s programs? Why do you feel that was? Alternatively, have you had a positive experience with a partner, or know of other couples who have? Why do you feel Joe “cried cult” while other men/other couples are doing just fine and freely living their lives?
How do you feel knowing that Joe Scoppino claimed that Liana Shanti AND her students were somehow holding him “emotionally hostage?” (If you’re not sure what that term means exactly, I found this article to be super helpful– it really enlightened me as to what I experienced as the ACTUAL emotional hostage. I’m so grateful to him for providing us with the term– maybe he got it from the therapist he’s duping?)
Have you, too, been a victim of covert narcissism and/or a smear campaign? What was your experience like?
Thank you.
– MALANA
(formerly Lisa Fiorvante)
P.S. As for the letters inserted into Liana’s legal matter, in August of 2023, a federal judge determined that there is NO REASON for action to be taken against Liana Shanti. The “Letter Squad’s” fraudulent plan FAILED.
P.P.S. I though I’d make it crystal clear that I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT JOE SCOPPINO DESERVES PAIN OR SUFFERING.
And you know who else doesn’t deserve pain or suffering? HIS VICTIMS.
It’s very unfortunate to know that someone who was on the path of self-love chose self-destruction instead, but HE MADE HIS CHOICE to continue channeling his pain into abusing vs. healing.
Because if the professional support he’s getting was truly helping? He wouldn’t be continuing to spread lies and harm women! AND THAT FACT SHOULD NOT REMAIN HIDDEN.
GROWN MEN WHO ABUSE DO NOT NEED TO BE CODDLED– THEY NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
And as his ex-wife who ignored nearly every red flag Joe threw at me – regardless of still being so blind and hopeful – THIS is my way of holding MYSELF accountable for how much damage he’s done due to being inside the group for so long.
Ultimately, the TRUTH would FINALLY set Joe free in life IF he were willing to tell it and hold himself accountable in whatever ways are necessary. Though, since he’s not, I AM.
An anonymous submission from an amazing woman, friend, and student of Liana Shanti's. 🙏🏼💜 THIS is the reality of what many women face when they're finally aware of and ready to walk away from narcissistic abuse– MORE abuse. But she's re-building, and she WILL create an incredible new life for herself and her children:
"Malana
Due to my active legal cases and criminal investigation, I am posting anonymously.
For two decades my ex-husband and I shared the same spiritual beliefs. Combined, we enrolled in thousands of dollars worth of personal development programs, coaching, and events to include working with shamans and psychics as well as other professionals.
Once I chose to separate from him, ex-husband chose to join in this same cult narrative in an attempt to discredit me and distract from possible accusations of abuse which I hadn’t even made yet. I was so confused, scared, and emotionally struggling when we first separated I didn’t understand what he was doing and why until months and even over a year later as I continued to heal and learned to put words to my experiences during our marriage. Words like “coercive control,” “narcissism,” and even “rape.” It took Liana Shanti’s healing work, my therapist, a Domestic Violence counselor and a Sexual Assault Victim Advocate to bring me to the reality of who my ex is and what I survived.
As I moved through my healing process and pulled together the pieces of my marriage and childhood, I finally realized my father was one of the four men involved in my sexual abuse as a child. Just like you, my ex feigned support for a very short period of time and then began to use my pain to further discredit me claiming these memories were “planted” somehow by Liana. Thankfully, law enforcement and other professionals well-versed in the accuracy of childhood trauma memories didn’t agree with him.
During our separation my ex-husband solicited the support of several flying monkeys to include Church members, family, and friends. While I kept silent about the specifics of our divorce for the sake of our children, he spun a web of lies in an attempt to discredit me while simultaneously attempting to win me back—as crazy as that sounds. Little did he realize, I will never return now that professionals and his own actions have made the truth UNDENIABLE.
The biggest heartbreak is for our children and all that they have endured because of his actions. I’ve continued to do my best to protect them and keep the peace throughout this situation. Thankfully our children are old enough to see the truth on their own. He exposes himself every moment they spend with him. In every communication and legal situation I continue to keep their interests as THE PRIORITY as he continues to battle for control of them and our finances in an attempt to harm me.
I continue to be traumatized on a regular basis post-separation yet leaving him was the best decision I’ve made. Our freedom is worth every hardship we’ve endured. Providing our children with an environment of peace 50% of the time is still better than what we experienced 100% of the time under a roof with him.
I’ve surrendered my need for Justice or to prove who is right or wrong in this situation. I know what I experienced, I know the truth, my children know some of the truth, and so does Jesus. Family Court is a not a place to seek justice. I’ve already put myself into debt simply trying to reach an agreement to move forward. This system and process feels like paying professional babysitters and surrogate parents to force an unreasonable, sadistic spouse into some form of agreement—hopefully in the best interests of the children, but often not.
I can sleep at night knowing I stood up for myself and refused to tolerate another day of abuse and my children witnessed that. I am a CYCLE BREAKER.
I appreciate Liana Shanti, every non-profit and professional who has believed me and supported me through this process. I can’t imagine walking through this alone and invalidated. Thank you for BELIEVING ME."
If you go to the screenshots of Joe Scoppino's group posts that Malana linked, you will see my name first, front and center in a response from Joe. Aaralyn. That's because I often commented on Joe's posts. Having myself been higher on the narcissist scale before healing, I recognized those same things in Joe.
It's hard for narcissists to heal, and I didn't want to just say, DUDE, you're a narcissist. So I shared the things I had found within myself and how I went about healing them.
These are very personal personal details (many say VULNERABLE) that I shared, believing that Joe Scoppino was genuinely trying to heal. So finding out that he was manipulating me and the others all along - is disgusting. It's disgusting to me that he lied and emotionally manipulated myself and the other women, and is now weaponizing that information to harm them...as you described, Malana.
Luckily, I don't have children either, or an ex. I was unattached when I found Liana's work. I also never met Joe in person. I think I talked to him once on the phone or messaged him, because he was working for a website company, and I had questions about it.
People, like Joe, who have been Liana's students at some point or family members who have been broken up with - cry cult because they don't want to accept accountability for their actions. And they're angry they've lost control of you.
Most people don't understand deep devotion to themselves, Jesus and a human teacher. And it scares them. Other cultures have "gurus" and teachers.
Look up Maharaji and his students, Ram Dass and Krishna Das. Read about their devotion to Maharaji. Crying when they couldn't touch him or be with him. Krishna Das was devastated and returned to self destruction for a period of time after leaving India when he couldn't see Maharaji anymore.
To see Liana Shanti and her students, many of whom are protective mothers, being attacked in this way is sickening. Liana's work has helped me lose 140 pounds, maintain 5+ years, heal PCOS, depression, chronic migraines, acid reflux, adrenal fatigue...that's just the physical stuff.
I also struggled with binge & emotional eating and food addiction. Eating to the point of vomiting. Which I don't do anymore. I used to believe I was a piece of trash. I used to wonder why I was even alive. Multiple occasions I wished I could just not be here anymore.
I also had fantasies about being raped. I was addicted to very violent porn. That was me, after being raised and "mentored," by my mom, Wanda Price. My mom also conveniently cried cult many years ago, even though she knows I'm not in a cult just because I am a student of Liana Shanti.
I live in the same town I grew up in, I now have two thriving, local businesses. I contribute to my local community, and I am well loved and respected by my clients.
Back to the rape fantasies. Don't have those anymore. I also have purpose, and I see value in my life now. I don't have any coping mechanisms or addictions anymore. I love myself a million times more than I did when I believed was a walking piece of trash.
People who are miserable and hate themselves, seek to cause harm. They cannot stand to see anyone else be happy or thrive, because it shines a light on their own misery and failure. How do I know this? I have personal experience eradicating that from my being.
We have the right to live peaceful lives and not be harassed and harmed for our spiritual and religious beliefs, just because some adults acting like 2 year old demon children are pissed because they didn't get their way.
Joe Scoppino, Laura Scoppino, and the others seeking to harm mothers and children by lying in a court of law...it's vomit worthy.
I have been a student of Liana Shanti for 10+ years. I know the work, I know her, I know her teachings. They have been consistent for 10+ years, and life changing. These people are trying to come in and paint their narrative using half truths and outright lies. While her students are laughing at them the whole time because of how clueless they are.
But anyway, thank you Malana for relentlessly sharing truth and facts. The world needs to know.