Evangelist Sentenced to 175 Years for Sex Crimes

I never ceased to be amazed at the manner in which people allow themselves to be suckered by con-artists who wrap themselves in the flag of Christianity so that they can rob people blind. Or, worse yet, engage in activities of sexual predators. Naturally, all too often these perverts and shysters rant and rave against LGBT citizens and use the Bible as their weapon of choice in attacking us. Thus, it is nice to see one such false Christian - Tony Alamo, a self proclaimed prophet - gets his just rewards under the all too flawed judicial system. He's be sentenced to 175 years for sex crimes committed at his cult's compound shown in the photo above. Here are highlights from the Washington Post:

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Evangelist Tony Alamo used his stature as a self-proclaimed prophet to force underage girls into sham marriages with him, controlling his followers with their fears of eternal suffering. But the judge who sentenced Alamo on Friday to 175 years in prison for child sexual abuse warned of another kind of justice awaiting the aging evangelist. "Mr. Alamo, one day you will face a higher and a greater judge than me," U.S. District Judge Harry F. Barnes told the preacher. "May he have mercy on your soul."
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Barnes leveled the maximum sentence against the 75-year-old, who preyed on followers' young daughters and took child "brides" as young as age 8. A jury convicted Alamo in July on a 10-count indictment accusing him of taking the girls across state lines for sex.
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Alamo, who has made millions through his ministry, also must pay $250,000 in fines. He will return to court for a Jan. 13 hearing at which Barnes will determine if the five women who testified about their sexual abuse will be paid restitution. Federal prosecutors say an expert believes each one should get $2.7 million for the physical and mental abuse they endured.
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It is sickening to see these professional Christians enrich themselves at the expense of the ignorant and easily manipulated. While Alamo was a sexual predator, many others such as James Dobson, Tony Perkins, Maggie Gallagher, and Pat Robertson are insidious predators in a different way. They are all false Christians in my opinion.

Pastor Tony Alamo Convicted on Sex Charges

Why is it that it seems the main people one sees either cheating on their wives or getting busted on sex charges are Republican "family values" politicians and professional Christians who make comfortable livings fleecing the sheeple? The latest Professional Christian to receive a "go to jail" card is Tony Alamo who it seems has a taste for under age girls - in one case as young as nine. That's beyond sick. True, I know that infidelity goes on among liberals and secular folk, but they don't engage in the rank hypocrisy of the closed zipper challenge GOP politicos and professional Christians. As one who cannot stand hypocrisy, it's good to see hypocrites like Alamo go down. Personally, the sooner more Christianist frauds like Tony Perkins, James Dobson, Lou Engle, et al, are exposed the better off society will be. Here are highlights on Alamo's conviction from The Times-Picayune:

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Tony Alamo, a one-time street preacher who built a multimillion-dollar ministry and became an outfitter of the stars, was convicted Friday of taking girls as young as 9 across state lines for sex.

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Alamo stood silently as the verdict was read, a contrast to his occasional mutterings during testimony. His five victims sat looking forward in the gallery. One, a woman he "married" at age 8, wiped away a tear. "I'm just another one of the prophets that went to jail for the Gospel," Alamo called to reporters afterward as he was escorted.

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The jury of nine men and three women took about 11 hours to consider the charges against Alamo. The 10-count federal indictment accused him of taking his underage "wives" across state lines as early as 1994.

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Jury foreman Frank Oller of Texarkana, Ark., said jurors deliberated more than a day only to ensure they considered everything. The testimony convinced them the 74-year-old evangelist kept the girls as sexual partners, not office workers as his defense team claimed. "That was the evidence. That was proven," Oller said. "We came up with a full decision that we are quite satisfied with."

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U.S. Assistant Attorney Kyra Jenner said Alamo's conviction would end his cycle of abuse, as he told his followers God instructed him to marry younger and younger girls. . . . Defense lawyers said the government targeted Alamo because it doesn't like his apocalyptic brand of Christianity.

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Alamo, who founded the ministry with his wife Susan in the 1960s, remained defiant during the trial. He blurted out a reference to the Branch Davidian raid at Waco, Texas, muttered expletives during testimony and fell asleep even while alleged victims were testifying.

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It continues to baffle me how people can be brainwashed into believing that the mouth pieces for the Christianists organizations speak for God when in reality they what they really thirst for power, control and most importantly money.

Christian "Ministries" Leader Allegedly Had 9 Year Old Wife

A while back I did a post or two about the FBI and police raid on the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries compound in southwest Arkansas fueled by concerns that Alamo took a minor across state lines for sex. Now, new reports are that Alamo (pictured at left) will not be released on bond and that he may have had a 9 year old girl among his alleged multiple wives. I find the situation ironic in that Alamo and his "ministries" are precisely the types of "Christians" rallying to the standard of Sarah Palin. Gay marriage bad, religious lunacy and fanaticism good. Here are some highlights from CNN.com:

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A federal magistrate called Tony Alamo a flight risk Wednesday as he ordered the evangelist held without bail until his trial on charges that he took a minor across state lines for sex. The ruling came after Alamo's former followers testified at a hearing that they were often beaten at his instructions and one said Alamo practiced polygamy with several females, including a 9-year-old girl.

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Alamo, 74, said nothing after the ruling. His trial is scheduled for November 19. He was arrested in Flagstaff, Arizona, five days after a September 20 police raid on the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries compound in the southwest Arkansas town of Fouke. Six girls were taken into state custody for their protection.

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One witness called to the stand by prosecutors Wednesday, Jael Sprinkle, 32, testified that she was taken as Alamo's wife at age 17 and was considered his wife for two years. She said that Alamo had five other wives at the time and that she knew of him taking a 9-year-old girl as one.
Alamo is an advocate of allowing girls to marry when they reach puberty but has denied such unions took place within his organization.

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The federal charging document accuses Alamo of taking a 13-year-old girl across state lines for sex in 2004 and of aiding and abetting her transport across state lines for sex in 2005. Alamo, who is listed in court documents by his real name of Bernie Lazar Hoffman, has pleaded not guilty to the two charges, each of which carries a sentence of 10 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Compound of Anti-Gay Tony Alamo Raided By Police and FBI

Self-styled Christian and homo-hater Tony Alamo (who claims that homosexuality is caused by "demon possession”) had his headquarters compound raided by both police and FBI agents on reports that the "ministry" was involved in pornography and/or the sexual abuse of underage minors. I am continually amazed at the number of people who fall for such frauds as Alamo who seems to be a nutcase by almost any standards. The Southern Poverty Law Center has even described Alamo's "ministry" as hate group. While Alamo may be more whacked out than others in leadership positions among the Christian Right, in my opinion the only real difference is one of the degree of craziness and hate. In essence, they are all cut from the same cloth. Here are some highlights from the Los Angeles Times' coverage which indicates an arrest warrant is expected for Alamo:

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FOUKE, ARK. -- FBI agents and state police raided an evangelist's headquarters Saturday as part of a child pornography investigation, and social workers interviewed children who live at the complex in southwestern Arkansas to find out whether they were abused. The raid at the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries south of Texarkana started an hour before sunset, but state police said no one was arrested. Armed guards regularly patrol the headquarters of the group -- which critics call a cult -- but there was no resistance as agents moved in, state police said.

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About 100 state and federal law officers raided the 15-acre compound housing the ministry, which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as a cult that opposes homosexuality, Catholicism and the government.

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John Selig, head of the Arkansas Department of Human Services, said state workers were talking to children. "I can't say whether we will be removing any children," Selig said, adding that he did not know how many lived there. U.S. Atty. Bob Balfe said before the raid that he expected an arrest warrant would be issued later for Alamo.

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Alamo was once accused in California of directing the beating of a church member's 11-year-old son.