There really was always this sort of caste system in the Rawat cult and it had to do with wealth, usually inherited wealth.

This hit me really hard towards the end of my time in the ashram when I realized that there were quite a number of ashram premies who came from wealthy families, and who pretty much expected that if the ashrams closed, or they left, they would have opportunities available to them, courtesy of their rich families. 

Those ashram premies who came from the working class, and who spent 10 years developing nothing were the ones who REALLY got screwed by Rawat's cult.  They pretty much had to start over in their 30s on every level, because they really didn't have any resources to fall back on, other than themselves.  Because, let's face it, Rawat didn't lift a finger to help them, and even stuck them with the debts of his ashrams.  What a slimeball.  He had the same type of "let-them-eat-cake" attitude, because Rawat never had to work a day in his life for anything, except to the extent he extends effort to be worshipped, to scare the shit out of people, and to (coyingly and subtly (nowadays)), pretend to be God.

I also noticed after I got to Miami, this group of really rich premies like Steve Sordoni and others, who kind of just spent their lives following Rawat around, living high, and perhaps being in the inner circle for no other reason than because they had time and money.

The rich crowd never came to community satsang in Miami, it was way beneath them.  They preferred to hang out at more ritzy places, and/or didn't go to satsang at all, probably didn't practice knowledge, just were part of the jet set crowd, going to every program no matter where it was, and being part of the gopi, stylish, entourage.

One other thing comes to mind.  I remember when the DECA plane project was going on, Rawat personally interviewed some ashram premies to be trained to be stewards or stewardesses on "His" plane, and I recall there was a pattern in the people selected to be interviewed.  They were mostly fairly attractive, and from wealthy families, who they had a somewhat more "refined" vibe to them.  Ordinary, working class, ashram premies were not interviewed, as I recall.  It also seemed to me that some of the Initiators were selected on that basis, including a few who were otherwise fairly nuts and were pretty much incapable of even doing the "service."  Deborah Roettinger comes to mind.  It really shocked me that she got selected.

And then there was always this jet-set crowd of people, wearing designer clothes, who sat in the front rows at programs.  Most of them I never saw, except at those events, up in the front rows, not that I ever sat up there with them.

In fact, the closest I ever sat at an event with Prem Rawat, was in 1990, when I, for the first time in like 8 years, went to see Rawat in San Francisco at the Mariott Hotel, which was a few blocks from my office.  I walked in and they gave me a "ticket" after first trying to hit me up for money.  I declined.  But the seat was like in about the 10th row, the closest I ever sat.  I think I got the seat because I was by myself, I was dressed up in my business suit, and it was just shortly before the program began and they needed to fill all the seats.   In the middle of Rawat's offensive diatribe about how screwed up the "people of the world" are, I got up and walked out.  I guess in that case it woud have been easier if I was in the back.  As I walked out I saw the looks on the faces of the premies as they watched Rawat speak and it creeped me out completely.