DETROIT, MI — A self-proclaimed shaman with multiple aliases and a criminal history has been arrested on federal fraud charges linked to a multi-million dollar scheme targeting investors.
Bobby Shumake Japhia, known as “Shaman Shu,” is accused of orchestrating a “pump-and-dump” scheme involving penny stocks that defrauded investors of nearly $8 million between 2019 and 2021. The indictment, which identifies him by his legal name, outlines his various aliases, including Robert S. Shumake Jr. and Robert Japhia.
Shumake gained notoriety in Michigan when he established Soul Tribes International Ministries in the Bushnell Congregational Church in Detroit in September 2023. The church operated a “sacrament room” selling illegal psychedelic psilocybin mushrooms, leading to a police raid that labeled the establishment a public nuisance and ordered its closure.
In 2021, Shumake played a pivotal role in drafting a ballot initiative that decriminalized magic mushrooms in Detroit. Although his church is now closed, he has filed motions in Wayne County Circuit Court to reopen it, citing religious protections among other arguments.
He faces charges of securities fraud and obstruction of justice in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., each punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Shumake is scheduled for an arraignment and initial appearance via telephone on October 17, with no available records indicating if he has been released on bond or retained an attorney.
In a statement, Shumake suggested that government officials are targeting him due to his involvement in efforts to secure the early release of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who was serving a 28-year prison sentence for public corruption. He alleged that the subsequent scrutiny and investigations against him are politically motivated.
The grand jury indicted Shumake on June 14, but the indictment remained sealed until recently. According to the indictment, he began defrauding investors in 2019 after acquiring a controlling share in a dormant Colorado-based company named Minerco, which falsely claimed to be in the beverage industry.
Shumake is accused of covertly acquiring a billion shares of Minerco stock, which was virtually worthless at the time, and placing them under the name of his then-romantic partner to conceal his involvement. He allegedly manipulated the company’s operations by installing accomplice Julius M. Jenge as the new CEO, who took directions from Shumake.
After taking control of Minerco, Shumake and his associates issued misleading press releases claiming the company was now focused on psilocybin research and had achieved a valuation near $1 billion. Between February and May 2021, they sold 928 million shares, raising approximately $8.4 million, with Shumake retaining about $2.5 million.
The scheme unraveled when the SEC halted trading of Minerco stock on May 26, 2021. Subsequently, Shumake attempted to delete emails to destroy evidence of the fraud.
Prior to this scheme, Shumake was accused of involvement in a fraudulent online crowdfunding operation that deceived investors out of nearly $1.8 million. He faces seven financial crime charges in a separate case pending from September 2021.
