Michael A. Aquino is an ex-military intelligence officer and founder of the Temple of Set, initially an offshoot of Anton Szandor Lavey's Church of Satan. Aquino served as High Priest of the Temple until he retired from the position, which was assumed by Don Webb. Aquino wrote the Book of Coming Forth By Night, a seminal text for Setians, and continues to be active.

During the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 1990s, Aquino was accused of child sexual abuse on a United States Army base near Presidio, California , but found innocent. Controversy still surrounds the charges -- as a result, the Temple has attracted criticism and condemnation from Christian fundamentalists.