Church compound quiet after child porn raid

[hurrikayne]

FOUKE, Ark. - A 15-acre church compound was quiet Sunday morning following a raid by federal and state law enforcement officers as part of a child-abuse and pornography investigation. A prosecutor said an arrest warrant was likely.

A man at the gate of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries turned away an Associated Press reporter Sunday morning. He refused to give his name and said no one was available to comment.

Police said the church complex would be allowed to open for Sunday services.

More than 100 state officers and FBI agents hit the compound Saturday in a raid that ministry leader and convicted tax evader Tony Alamo claimed in a telephone interview was part of a federal push to legalize same-sex marriage while outlawing polygamy.

Prosecutors once labeled Alamo as a polygamist who preys on girls and women.

Mayor Terry Purvis said he watched as the left around 12:30 a.m. Sunday. He said authorities did not tell him what they found.

"In an investigation like this, they're pretty lip-locked," Purvis said.

U.S. Attorney Bob Balfe did not respond to a call seeking comment Sunday.

The raid started an hour before sunset at the complex in tiny Fouke, in southwestern Arkansas. Armed guards regularly patrol the headquarters, but there was no resistance as agents moved in, state police said.

No one was arrested, but U.S. Attorney Bob Balfe said before the raid that he expected an arrest warrant for Alamo to be issued later. The federal investigation centered on the production of child pornography, while state police were looking into allegations of other child abuse, he said.

Social workers interviewed children who live at the complex, which critics call a cult. A two-year investigation involves a law that prohibits the transportation of children across state lines for criminal activity, said Tom Browne, who runs the FBI office in Little Rock.

In a phone call to The Associated Press from a friend's house in the Los Angeles area, Alamo — who was also once accused of child abuse — denied involvement in pornography.

"We don't go into pornography; nobody in the church is into that," said Alamo, 73. "Where do these allegations stem from? The anti-Christ government. The Catholics don't like me because I have cut their congregation in half. They hate true Christianity."

Alamo and his wife Susan were street preachers along Hollywood's Sunset Strip in 1966 before forming a commune near Saugus, Calif. Susan Alamo died of cancer in 1982 and Alamo claimed she would be resurrected and kept her body on display for six months while their followers prayed.

In 1988, following a raid near Santa Ana, Calif., three boys whose mothers were Alamo followers were placed in the custody of their fathers. Justin Miller, then 11, told police that Alamo directed four men to strike him 140 times with a wooden paddle as punishment for minor offenses. Alamo was later charged with child abuse but prosecutors dropped the charge, citing a lack of evidence.

Alamo was convicted of tax-related charges in 1994 after the IRS said he owed the government $7.9 million. He served four years in prison.

Prosecutors in the tax case argued before sentencing that Alamo was a flight risk and a polygamist who preyed on married women and girls in his congregation.

___

Associated Press writer Thomas Watkins in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

http://http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080921/ap_on_re_us/evangelist_child_porn

[wdtony]

A cult leader that has apparently been around a long time. I hope they finally lock this guy up.

[Ursus]

My my...This guy seems familiar. Thought he was (still) in California. I think he kind of identifies with -- or at least strongly sympathizes with -- the Branch Davidians. Kind of a cheeseball Elvis-impersonator type in his youth... Man, THIS is a time when it r-e-a-l-l-y hurts me that I can't post pics!! Jeezz...

Here's a link to get you started, and it's even up to date, lol! Bernie Hoffman was apparently his given name, if that rings a bell with any other old-timers.

If only it got no worse than this:

Together, the couple established the Tony and Susan Alamo Christian Foundation in 1969 in Hollywood, California.[7] They also manufactured and successfully sold a line of "Tony Alamo" brand sequined denim jackets, a business that would eventually land Tony in prison for tax evasion.[9] One strange aspect of denim jacket business was that Tony would sometimes be photographed with his celebrity jacket recipients - even while he was on the lam.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Alamo[/list]

[Ursus]

Interesting that they picked his 74th birthday to raid the compound... Some present that turned out to be, ha ha!

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FBI arrests pastor Tony Alamo in Arizona
From the Associated Press
September 26, 2008

LITTLE ROCK, ARK. -- FBI agents arrested evangelist and convicted tax evader Tony Alamo at an Arizona motel Thursday, alleging that he took minors across state lines for sexual purposes.

Alamo was staying at a hotel in Flagstaff, Ariz., when arrested, said FBI spokesman Steve Frazier in Little Rock. The arrest came days after the FBI raided the Arkansas headquarters of his ministry.

The religious leader -- who began his career as a California street preacher in 1966 -- was scheduled for a federal court appearance in Flagstaff today.

Alamo is suspected of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits taking children across state lines for illegal purposes. Frazier described those purposes as "sexual activity."

Several women were traveling with Alamo when he was arrested, but no minors were with him, police said. Authorities did not say when minors were alleged to have been taken across state lines or which states were involved. Alamo has ministries in California and Arkansas.

Federal agents and Arkansas state police had raided the headquarters of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries in Fouke, Ark., on Saturday and removed six girls ages 10 to 17. They sought evidence that children there had been molested or filmed having sex.

Prosecutors sought Alamo's arrest after interviewing the girls this week, but Frazier would not disclose what the children said.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, describes the ministry as a cult. Alamo's church rails against homosexuals, Roman Catholics and the government, and Alamo has preached that girls are fit for marriage once they are sexually mature.

"Consent is puberty," he said in an interview with the Associated Press last week from a telephone registered in the Los Angeles area while agents raided the compound. He denied any involvement with pornography.

An Arkansas judge set hearings for today and Monday on whether the state Department of Human Services can keep custody of the six girls. The girls will attend the hearings.

FBI agents and police in Arizona arrested Alamo as he was leaving the Little America Hotel, which is along Interstate 40, Frazier said. It wasn't known where Alamo was headed when he was picked up.

The hotel bills itself as a luxury resort. Hotel spokesman Fred Reese declined to comment.

Alamo and wife Susan were street preachers in Los Angeles before forming a commune near Saugus. She died of cancer in 1982; he claimed she would be resurrected, and he kept her body on display for six months while followers prayed.

Alamo was convicted on tax-related charges in 1994 and served four years in prison after the IRS said he owed the government $7.9 million. Prosecutors in that case argued that Alamo was a flight risk and a polygamist who preyed on girls and married women in his congregation.

FBI documents identified Alamo by his birth name, Bernie Lazar Hoffman, and said he turned 74 the day of the raid.

[Ursus]

And one more. Couldn't resist the Bill Clinton quotes.

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Evangelist Tony Alamo faces federal charges of transporting minors over state lines for sex
By JON GAMBRELL

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) _ Evangelist and convicted tax evader Tony Alamo says when it comes to sex, "consent is puberty" and there's a mandate in the Bible for girls marrying young.

"In the Bible it happened. But girls today, I don't marry 'em if they want to at 14-15 years old," Alamo said after federal agents raided his southwestern Arkansas compound Monday and placed six girls into state custody. "We won't do it, even though I believe it's OK."

But authorities don't believe it's OK — and now Alamo faces charges he transported children across state lines for sexual activities, in violation of the Mann Act. And so once again, the one-time rock promoter and street preacher that former President Clinton likened to "Roy Orbison on speed" will return to federal court.

Alamo is likely to appear Friday in federal court in Flagstaff, Ariz., where federal agents and local police arrested him outside of a mountainside resort. Police officials said there were several women traveling with Alamo when agents arrested him, but none were minors.

Authorities did not say when minors were taken across state lines or which states were involved, but Alamo has ministries in California and Arkansas.

FBI documents identified Alamo by his birth name, Bernie Lazar Hoffman. Alamo has said he was born Jewish but converted to Christianity.

He turned 74 the day federal agents and Arkansas state police had raided the Fouke headquarters of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries on Saturday. Officials removed six girls ages 10 to 17 from the compound and sought evidence that children there had been molested or filmed having sex.

Prosecutors sought Alamo's arrest after interviewing the girls this week, but Little Rock FBI spokesman Steve Frazier would not disclose what the children said. He said the affidavit describing the FBI's evidence against Alamo would remain under seal even after Alamo's initial court appearance.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, describes the ministry as a cult. Alamo's church rails against homosexuals, Roman Catholics and the government, and Alamo has preached that girls are fit for marriage once they are sexually mature.

"Consent is puberty," he said in a phone interview with The Associated Press last week from a telephone number registered near Los Angeles while agents raided the compound. He denied any involvement with pornography.

An Arkansas judge has hearings set for Friday and Monday on whether the state Department of Human Services can keep custody of the six girls. The girls will attend the hearings.

"We will transport them to and from hearings. We will take part in any future hearings," agency spokeswoman Julie Munsell said. "Our job right now is to basically take care of them."

State Circuit Judge Jim Hudson said two hearings would be conducted Friday and the other four Monday in Texarkana.

The six hearings will be split among three judges who will decide whether the state had enough evidence to temporarily remove the children from their homes on the Fouke compound. If a judge rules against the state, the girls would be returned to the parents.

Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said that no further arrests were planned that would involve his agency.

Alamo and his late wife Susan were street preachers in Los Angeles before forming a commune near Saugus, Calif. Susan Alamo died of cancer in 1982; Alamo claimed she would be resurrected and kept her body on display for six months while followers prayed.

Alamo was convicted of tax-related charges in 1994 and served four years in prison after the IRS said he owed the government $7.9 million. Prosecutors in that case argued that Alamo was a flight risk and a polygamist who preyed on married women and girls in his congregation.

Since establishing his ministries in Arkansas, Alamo has been a controversial and flamboyant figure in the state. Snapshots often show him wearing large dark sunglasses, and he recently said he is legally blind.

In his autobiography, "My Life," former President Bill Clinton, an Arkansas native, described Alamo recalled traveling in 1975 to see Dolly Parton sing at Alamo's compound in the town of Alma.

Remembering the fiasco after Susan Alamo's death, Clinton wrote: "A couple of years later, he got involved with a younger woman. Lo and behold, God spoke to him again and told him Susan wasn't coming back after all, so he took her out of the glass box and buried her."

[Ursus]

Associated Press
Evangelist Alamo arraigned on child-sex charges
By CHUCK BARTELS, Associated Press Writer
Friday, October 17, 2008

TEXARKANA, Ark. – Evangelist Tony Alamo told a judge on Friday that he understood that he could get life in prison if convicted of taking a minor across state lines for sex, and he'll argue next week that he should be released from custody pending trial.

Alamo's appearance in federal court was his first since shortly after his Sept. 25 arrest in Arizona. Five days before the arrest, his compound in Fouke was raided and six girls were taken into protective custody.

Alamo is charged with two felony counts: a violation of the Mann Act — which prohibits children from being brought across state lines for sex — and that he aided and abetted a Mann Act violation.

Alamo, 74, has said he believes girls should be allowed to marry when they reach puberty. In interviews with The Associated Press between the time of the raid and his arrest, Alamo reaffirmed that assertion but denied he conducted any such marriages and said no child abuse occurred at his compounds. Alamo also has operations in Fort Smith, California and New Jersey.

If convicted, Alamo faces 10 years to life in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count. In the indictment, Alamo is listed by his real name, Bernie Lazar Hoffman.

During the Friday hearing, Alamo told U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Bryant he understood the charges, though he said he couldn't read them. He has said he is legally blind. Alamo walked slowly and wore thick glasses.

Alamo's attorney, John Wesley Hall Jr., said the indictment made no mention of child porn, which was the impetus for the government raid on Alamo's compound at Fouke. A document mistakenly released to the media prior to the raid discussed anticipated child porn charges.

Bryant set a hearing for Wednesday on whether Alamo can be released from custody before trial. Prosecutors have said Alamo has shown himself to be a flight risk, but Hall said he'll argue that his client can be put under electronic monitoring.

Hall said in court that he wants access to the search warrant affidavit before the Wednesday hearing, but prosecutor Candace Taylor objected. Bryant told the sides to make their arguments in writing and that he'd rule by Tuesday afternoon.

Taylor declined to comment after the hearing.

The arraignment ended without the judge asking for a plea from Alamo. Hall said later that it is understood that a defendant's plea is not guilty but that Bryant told him he would formalize the plea at the Wednesday hearing.

Bryant also set a trial date for Nov. 19.

In the raid in Fouke, agents were searching for evidence that children there had been molested or filmed having sex.

Hall said he may challenge the charges because the government acted based on the pornography allegations.

Hall said Alamo has health problems, including a heart condition and diabetes. He said Alamo claims not to be getting full medical care.

"That's also going to be an issue," Hall said.

Since establishing his ministries in Arkansas, Alamo has drawn attention for brushes with the law and unusual behavior, such as keeping his late wife's corpse for years under the belief that she would be resurrected.

Alamo was convicted of tax-related charges in 1994 and served four years in prison after the IRS said he owed the government $7.9 million.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, describes his ministry as a cult that thrives on criticism of homosexuals, Roman Catholics and the government.

[Ursus]

Going back in time a bit to the actual raid in late September. Here is some local perspective on it...

The raid was a bit haphazard and ill-planned for a reason. Here's why:

"The raid occurred several weeks before planned because an e-mail about the operation was accidentally sent to dozens of media organizations around the state.

Browne declined to say whether the e-mail complicated the operations."[/list]

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Arkansas Democrat Gazette
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS EDITION
100 cops in sex inquiry swarm Alamo complex
BY JIM BROOKS AND ANDREW DAVIS
Posted on Sunday, September 21, 2008

FOUKE — More than 100 authorities raided the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries compound Saturday as part of a two-year child pornography investigation.

Shortly before 6 p. m., dozens of vehicles belonging to the Arkansas State Police, the FBI and the state Department of Human Services rolled into the southwest Arkansas town of about 800 residents. Several patrol cars blocked access to the Tony Alamo Christian Church, which occupies a former grocery store on the north side of town.

At the same time, police descended on a nearby street. They went into several ministry homes to serve search warrants.

"The state investigation is aimed at allegations that children living at the Alamo facilities may have been sexually and physically abused," said Tom Browne, special agent in charge of the FBI's Little Rock field office.

The federal investigation concerns the Mann Act, which prohibits the transportation of children across state lines for criminal activity.

No one was immediately arrested. Alamo, 74, reportedly was in Los Angeles.

"Every minor child residing inside the Alamo residence is being interviewed by law enforcement officers and state Human Services officials," Browne said. "If the parents of these children can be located elsewhere on the premises, officers will strive to ensure a line of communication is maintained between the children and parents."

Browne said authorities were committed to reuniting children and parents as quickly as possible.

Jeanne Philyaw, who owns a business next-door to the church, welcomed Saturday's events.

"It's a long time coming," Philyaw said. "I'm on the edge of tears of joy and frustration. It's just so upsetting to know what they had been doing and now finally someone is doing something about it."

"There are days when we wondered — why is nobody doing anything ?" she said.

The raid occurred several weeks before planned because an e-mail about the operation was accidentally sent to dozens of media organizations around the state.

Browne declined to say whether the e-mail complicated the operations.

U. S. Attorney Bob Balfe told The Associated Press before the raid that he expected that an arrest warrant will be issued later for Alamo. He said the federal investigation was centered on the production of child pornography while state police were looking into allegations of other child abuse.

In a telephone call to the AP from a friend's house in the Los Angeles area, Alamo — who was once accused of child abuse and has been convicted of tax evasion — denied any involvement in pornography.

"We don't go into pornography; nobody in the church is into that," Alamo said. "Where do these allegations stem from? The anti-Christ government. The Catholics don't like me because I have cut their congregation in half. They hate true Christianity."

Mary Coker and her husband, Dave, watched the raid from the back of their Pacifica. Dave Coker used a digital camera to record the activity. Mary Coker wore a black T-shirt with the letters PACA, the acronym for the group she founded in 2006 — Partnered Against Cult Activity. Mary Coker said her group has 50 members, half of whom are former members of the church.

She was pleased about the raid. "It needed to stop a long time ago," Mary Coker said. "We've been waiting years for this."

Mary Coker said she has been distributing information about the group to local elected officials, and on Saturday her group sponsored a truck in the Four State Fair in Texarkana.

"The people who got out of here are lucky if they have a fourth-grade education. There's no Social Security numbers. There's no birth certificates."

Anthony Lane, 34, a roofer who now lives in Texarkana, said his ex-wife is a member of the church. They have three children whom he hasn't seen in 10 years.

He said he hasn't seen them since he was living in a duplex in Moffett, Okla., that was owned by church members and he was kicked out. He said he hoped Saturday's events will bring him closer.

Copyright © 2001-2008 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.

[Ursus]

Here is more on that "media leak":

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Arkansas Democrat Gazette
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS EDITION
Plea to keep raid under wraps put media in quandary
BY MICHAEL R. WICKLINE AND ADAM WALLWORTH
Posted on Sunday, September 21, 2008

For a news director of television stations in Fayetteville and Fort Smith, it was an easy decision not to broadcast information about a federal government spokesman mistakenly sending out an e-mail to more than 60 news outlets about a child-pornography investigation.

For other news outlets, it wasn't so simple.

The Arkansas State Police was planning an October search of Tony Alamo's compound near Fouke. Assistant U. S. attorney Kyra Jenner wanted to make sure there was a plan for dealing with the 12-, 13- and 14-year-old girls living on the compound, according to her e-mail.

Contacted shortly after she inadvertently sent out the e-mail Friday, Debbie Groom, a spokesman for U. S. Attorney Bob Balfe, said, "This is my worst nightmare." She said it would be "a huge, huge problem if this got out."

Groom later sent out an email that said: "Everyone this is an EMBARGO until investigation completed. Please do not publish. This was an inadvertent e-mail. Information will be forthcoming at a later date when such can be released."

Balfe said news outlets received the e-mail legitimately and could publish or broadcast it.

"But that operation is going to be an extremely dangerous operation for law enforcement, and it involves children," he said. "If any of this information somehow tips off the subject of the investigation, it could be a very dangerous situation."

If the story got out, it could mean harm to the officers who must enter the compound and the girls already there, he said.

Mike Courington, news director of the KHBS / KHOG stations in Fort Smith and Fayetteville, said Groom asked a staff member for the stations not to report about the e-mail.

"For us, it was a no-brainer," he said. "For starters, it's just an investigation. There haven't been any arrests."

There was no benefit in reporting on the investigation because it could have jeopardized the safety of the children at the Tony Alamo compound and the stations' relationship with a federal agency it deals with regularly, Courington said.

Ray Minor, city editor for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Northwest Arkansas bureau, said Balfe and Groom asked the newspaper not to report on the e-mail.

"We had a lot of debates," he said, and editors in Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas held a few teleconferences.

Minor said Balfe indicated that each media outlet that his office contacted had temporarily agreed not to report on the information in the e-mail.

Griffin Smith, executive editor of the Democrat-Gazette, said the newspaper agreed not to publish any report about the e-mail until at least Saturday morning as long as no other news outlet reported about it and to re-evaluate the decision Saturday morning.

"Our folks Googled the story to make sure the story wasn't out there," he said.

Smith said the newspaper's decision to temporarily not report about the information in the email wasn't easy. "We are always in favor of more information rather than less," he said, and news outlets should be uneasy when government officials ask them not to publish information.

Smith said it seemed to be "a slender reed" that a federal government spokesman pushed the wrong button to inadvertently send out information to the news media about a planned raid.

"That didn't seem to justify to be the first one to break it," he said of the story.

Smith said the newspaper has a duty to serve the public, and he couldn't see a reason why an inadvertent e-mail sent to the newspaper "was something the public felt we had a duty to let them know" about late Friday.

"We made a decision based on what we understand to be our duty, not our right," he said.

Jeff Whatley, assistant news director for KARK-TV, Channel 4, in Little Rock, said the station complied with the U. S. attorney's request because federal officials were concerned about their investigation and the safety of the people involved.

"We are more concerned about safety than about getting the story out at this point," he said before the raid occurred Saturday night.

Balfe said each of the media outlets that his office contacted agreed not to report on the information in the e-mail for an indefinite period of time before re-evaluating their decision.

Les Minor, editor of the Texarkana Gazette, said it's amazing that the federal government sent out information to more than 60 news outlets and no one reported on it. "Usually someone spills the beans."

Copyright © 2001-2008 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.