Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is asking for a federal investigation of an Oct. 8 “Spiritual Warrior” incident in Arizona that killed a Minnesota woman and two others. 

Those who died were Liz Neuman of Prior Lake, Kirby Brown of Westtown, NY, and James Shore of Milwaukee, Wisc. Neuman was a parishioner at Unity of the Valley Church in Savage.

Klobuchar is asking both the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the circumstances related to the “Spiritual Warrior” program run by motivational speaker James Arthur Ray.  Klobuchar serves on both the Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees.

“People came from all parts of the country to attend an event which they believed would enhance their lives,” said Klobuchar.  “Instead, three people died, 18 were hospitalized and dozens more were traumatized.  Mr. Ray neither enhanced their lives nor protected their safety.”

According to news reports, at a cost of $9,685, approximately 60 people attended the five-day “Spiritual Warrior” program in Sedona, Ariz.  At the conclusion of the program, after 36 hours of fasting, they were crowded into a hot, small, low-ceiling enclosure covered with blankets and plastic tarps.

In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Klobuchar urges the Justice Department, in addition to any ongoing state investigation, “to review Mr. Ray’s “Spiritual Warrior” program, determine whether any federal laws were violated, and take any appropriate action.”

In a letter to FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz, Klobuchar asks the FTC “to take a close look at the marketing and advertising practices of Mr. Ray’s ‘Spiritual Warrior’ program and similar activities offered by other individuals and companies.”  Klobuchar also told the FTC that, “Consumers should not be lured into purchasing unsafe and potentially deadly products or services based on false or misleading claims.”