The “Franklin scandal” broke in 1989 when children were apparently flown around the United States to be abused by high-ranking government officials. The claims primarily centered on Lawrence E. King Jr., who ran the now-defunct Franklin Community Federal Credit Union in Omaha, Nebraska, and alleged that the ring was “a cult of devil worshipers involved in the mutilation, sacrifice, and cannibalism of numerous children”. The prostitution ring allegations began in June 1988 in Omaha, Nebraska, and attracted significant public and political interest until late 1990, when separate state and federal grand juries concluded that the allegations were unfounded and the ring was a “carefully crafted hoax.”