Raising the Truth

A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. He winketh with is eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy. These six things doth the Lord hate: yea seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart thatdeviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. (Proverbs 6: 12-19)

(Editors note: Unless specified otherwise, the use of the terms “Derosas” or “Derosa family” are in reference to Pete Derosa and his family. Tom Derosa is of no relation to Pete Derosa.)

The November 5, 2001 CSI board of directors meeting had a full agenda. Pete DeRosa was on the guest list via telephone. The board received a report on that year’s CSI events and reviewed the future activity schedule. At that time, CSI was advertising a special “Mammoth Big Dig” fossil float, featuring Joe Taylor, for November 9-11, 2001. This “Mammoth Big Dig” was eventually cancelled due to flooding.¹ The board also received a Dragon’s Den update about an upcoming meeting that Tom DeRosa and Pete DeRosa were scheduled to attend on November 14, 2001 in Orlando to review the Forbes’ contract with AiG attorney, John Pinze, and CSI attorney, Rob Meacham. CSI’s board discussed plans concerning the disposition of bones excavated at the Forbes property and the potential sale of fossil casts. The board also discussed another float scheduled for November 16-18, 2001, a CSI sponsored Manatee Encounter scheduled for January 25-26, 2002 and the CSI Dragon’s Den Digs, planned for May 6-10 and May 13-17, 2002.²

Joe Taylor had faxed a proposal to AiG outlining a schedule for interim payments to cover excavation and preparation of the bones, plus percentages to be paid upon the sale of the fossils. Distribution would be as follows: Taylor-20%, Pete DeRosa-20% and Forbes-10%. The remaining 50% would go to the financiers.^3,4 In addition, Taylor and his staff were to receive $6,000 for three weeks of work to finish the excavation in the spring of 2002. That November Taylor also faxed additional documentation to AiG, explaining that he was able to receive lower interim payments than other organizations specifically because he had “part ownership in the bones”. Taylor was surprised that Zovath didn’t understand where these percentages had come from. Despite being the center of communication for all the parties, Pete DeRosa hadn’t mentioned these percentages at either the meeting in Kentucky in the end of August or at the Forbes’ ranch on September 22, 2001. Taylor on the other hand was not invited to the September 22, 2001 meeting so he wasn’t aware of the details of the AiG/CSI/Forbes lease option, nor did Pete DeRosa inform Taylor of the particulars of this arraingement.^5,6,4,7

In November of 2001 Vision Forum released a catalog which stated:

Now you can travel with Doug Phillips (who serves as adjunct faculty for the Institute for Creation Research), his family, and an experienced team of excavators from the Creation Studies Institute on a once-in-a-lifetime fossil dig! This four-day adventure dig includes touring the National Dinosaur Monument and Museum, fossil hunting in Cowboy Canyon, and two days of dino-excavation. $995 per person.

Phillips’ price reflects the amount he mentioned he needed to Tom the month before to cover VF’s promotional fees. The ad also referred to the Creation Studies Institute, not Creation Expeditions. Later, Phillips’ account of meeting the Pete DeRosas and Tom DeRosa would claim that Vision Forum had cinched a deal for the allosaur dig with Creation Expeditions within 30 minutes. (The full ad and VF’s later promotion are attached as they appeared in the catalog and on their Web site.)^8,9

Mike Zovath of AiG was surprised when a copy of the Vision Forum’s publication crossed his desk and he saw Doug Phillips advertising a dinosaur dig on the same land on which he had signed a lease option a little over a month before.Zovath, irritated that he hadn’t been informed of Vision Forum’s involvement, immediately called Tom DeRosa for clarification. Tom DeRosa was just as surprised as Zovath and assumed the ad was related to the itinerary he had discussed with Phillips at the ICR conference. Tom DeRosa informed Zovath that he had entertained the idea of working with Phillips. Tom DeRosa didn’t think Phillips would act on it so quickly, but obviously he had. This was yet another red flag for Zovath , when combined with the dig site ownership not being communicated straightforwardly, this caused him to begin rethinking the whole matter ofAiG’s involvement in the Forbes’ dig.

On November 16-18, 2001 the CSI team met at the Peace River campground to register and orient participants of the CSI fall float, set up camp and give out float assignments. It was Pete DeRosa’s responsibility to ensure that all CSI fossil float participants filled out and signed a form titled, “Assumption of Risk, Liability and Ownership of Fossils.” ¹⁰ Under Number 2 on this form it states:

“The Undersigned will submit to a CSI representative any vertebrate fossil that has been unearthed, found in situ, or found on a CSI designated study site that that has been given sanction by the acting CSI Board of Directors. The Undersigned has given the right of ownership to CSI of all artifacts and fossils found on the CSI site. Therefore the undersigned cannot lease, sell or exchange fossils found on the CSI designated site.”

Following the orientation, everyone set out in their canoes in search of Ice Age fossils like mammoth bones, sharks teeth, manatee ribs, armadillo scales and other assorted things. The most coveted finds were mammoth jaws, teeth or other vertebrate fossils. One particular group of about thirty people was led byCSI guide Michael Hansen. Accompanying Hansen in the lead canoe was Mark DeRosa. Hansen and Mark DeRosa had rowed ahead of the rest of the group, when Hansen needed to relieve himself, the two rowed to shore. Hansen stepped over a fallen tree and noticed some bones. Hansen uncovered the partially exposed fossils and summoned MarkDeRosa to join him. The rest of the tour group landed shortly thereafter and found Hansen and Mark DeRosa exulting about having found a very large mammoth jaw. Several people in the party took pictures.

Note the placement of the fallen tree and water.

While the rest of the group went ahead to the next stop, Hansen and Mark DeRosa stayed behind to dig up more bones. They realized they needed help and materials to finish the job, so they returned to their canoe and rejoined the others. Most of the participants were then bussed back to camp, while Peter, Mark, Linda and PeteDeRosa, Dan Burns, Michael Hansen, Thomas Meisch , Ben Cunningham and a couple of others, remained behind. This group rented canoes, returned to the site and finished the excavation of the skull and several other bones. They brought the mammoth jaw back to Snowbird Hall at the Peace River Campground, where TomDeRosa was helping the other “floaters” identify their fossils. Tom DeRosa was neither shown nor told about the find at that time. Sometime later, Pete DeRosa informed him that Mark DeRosa had discovered the mammoth jaw.¹¹

On Nov. 18, Pete DeRosa took his entire family, Linda, Leah, Mark and Peter, along with Michael Hansen and Dan Burns to the Macaroni Grill for dinner. Pete paid the bill with a CSI credit card. Hansen and Burns stated in a testimony to CSI that the purpose of this dinner was to celebrate Peter’s birthday and the mammoth jaw find.¹¹ The following week, Hansen was invited to Pete DeRosa’s home to remove the plaster jacket from the mammoth bones.

CSI records show that November 1-18, 2001, Pete was paid $650. During those same dates, Pete also used the CSI credit card for incidentals such as groceries, gas and restaurant meals, totaling approximately $1,000 excluding groceries for the group’sbarbeque dinner and campground expenses. This also included a charge to the Macaroni Grill for $103.19 on Nov. 18. In discussing the bill with theCSI’s treasurer, Dan Burns stated that Pete DeRosa took them to dinner because he thought they deserved it for the hard work they did “digging out the jaw.” The treasurer then said, “If Pete thinks the jaw belongs to him, then heshouldn’t be using the CSI credit card to pay for the dinner.” Burns then replied, “Oh no, he used his OWN credit card.” At this time, Burns also stated he believed the mammoth jaw belonged to theDeRosas because they had gotten it on their own time. When Tom DeRosa asked Pete DeRosa about the Macaroni Grill charge, Pete claimed he was rewarding the boys for their hard work “straightening out the trailer.”¹¹

The DeRosas tried to sell the mammoth jaw for $10,000. Michael Hansen stated that when he questioned the DeRosas about it, Mark DeRosa told Hansen that he should give up his claims to it.^12,13 At this point the DeRosas began to sever their relationship with Hansen, who was told he could no longer go on the CSI dinosaur dig in May contrary to earlier plans.

Ed Watt, the Pete DeRosa’a attorney, later wrote in a letter to Tom DeRosa:

“To begin with, the jaw does not belong to Pete, but to his son Mark (DeRosa). As I understand the facts, Mark (DeRosa) and Michael Hansen were canoeing together when Mark (DeRosa) decided to stop at an area that was not one of the normal CSI sites. When they got out on the riverbank, Michael went one way and Mark (DeRosa) the other. Michael found a piece of bone fossil and almost simultaneously (but admittedly slightly afterward) Mark found a large segment of fossil bones that turned out to be the mammoth jaw…Michael took with him the piece that he found, but the fossils discovered by Mark (DeRosa) were too large and too big a project to be taken at that time.”¹⁴

In mid-December 2001, the Forbes’ finalized the purchase of the Hunters property in Colorado based on the Forbes’ agreement with AiG and CSI. Dana had quit teaching the spring before and cashed-in his retirement. These funds became available the week of the closing. That month, the Forbes received $6,000 from CSI. Around this time, with the Forbes facing the added financial burden of a new $125,000 mortgage, AiG inexplicably backed out of the project. It wasn’t until spring of 2004 that Mike Zovath explained this action to the Forbes, recounting his shock at Vision Forum dino dig ad and his anger at Tom DeRosa for not telling him about the supposed deal with Doug Phillips. He also cited Pete DeRosas’ duplicity in his behind-the-scenes dealings with Doug Phillips. In addition, Zovath had a very negative experience with Pete DeRosa apart from the Forbes’ project, that made Zovath unwilling to work with Pete DeRosa.¹⁵

1. CSI Big Dig Fall 2001 Flyer featuring Joe Taylor[↩]
2. CSI Board Meeting Agenda for November 5, 2001[↩]
3. 2/26/03 Shannon Norris letter to Vision Forum attorney Don Hart page 2[↩]
4. Joe Taylor document showing claim to percentage ownership[↩]
5. Joe Taylor 6-16-07 email[↩]
6. Fall 2001 Joe Taylor letter to Mike Zovath[↩]
7. Another Joe Taylor document showing claim of ownership[↩]
8. Dragon’s Den Dig advertisement from the Vision Forum 2002 Catalog[↩]
9. Vision Forum 2003 Catalog where Doug Phillips discusses making a deal with the DeRosas[↩]
10. CSI form that was required to be signed by all participants[↩]
11. CSI document detailing the events surrounding the discovery of the mammoth jaw including testimony from Dan Burns and Michael Hansen[↩]
12. Michael Hansen’s telephone testimony to Tom DeRosa[↩]
13. Retyped version of Michael Hansen’s testimony to Tom DeRosa[↩]
14. 10/29/03 Ed Watt letter to Tom DeRosa[↩]
15. 3/4/03 Mike Zovath letter to Pete DeRosa[↩]