Kansas cult leaders forced children to work 16 hours a day: 'Heinous atrocities'

High-ranking members of a cult were convicted in a Kansas federal court on Monday for forcing dozens of people, including minors as young as 8, to work for up to 16 hours a day in factories and other businesses, prosecutors said.

Kaaba Majeed, 50, Yunus Rassoul, 39, James Staton, 62, Randolph Rodney Hadley, 49, Daniel Aubrey Jenkins, 43, and Dana Peach, 60, were all convicted of conspiracy to commit forced labor, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The men and women were either members of the United Nation of Islam (UNOI) or wives of the cult's founder, Royall Jenkins, according to a Justice Department news release.

”The bravery shown by victims of the United Nation of Islam is inspiring, because they spoke up about heinous atrocities committed against them as vulnerable children,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas Kate E. Brubacher said in the release. “In childhood, they suffered physical and emotional abuse, were denied a proper education, and were subject to forced labor. As adults, these victims found the strength and courage to pursue justice and face their abusers.”

In the former leadership roles, the convicted members forced the labor of the victims between October 2000 and November 2012, prosecutors said. The victims worked long hours in UNOI-owned and operated restaurants, bakeries, gas stations, a laboratory, and a clothing and sewing factory, according to the release. Victims also looked after the cult members' children and took care of their homes.

None of the victims were paid for the years of work they did for the UNOI members and businesses, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. While the convicted members lived comfortably, the victims worked for the cult while living in "deplorable conditions," and in "overcrowded facilities often overrun with mold, mice and rats," according to the Justice Department.