Texarkana, Arkansas - A federal jury has convicted evangelist Tony Alamo on charges he took underage girls across state lines for sex.
The jury issued its judgment Friday in federal court in Texarkana, Arkansas. The jury found the 74-year-old Alamo guilty of all 10 counts he faced. The indictment accused him of taking girls as young as 9 across state lines as early as 1994.
FBI agents and Arkansas State Police troopers raided Alamo's compound in southern Arkansas in September looking for child pornography. Agents arrested him five days later in Arizona.
Alamo had denied the charges, claiming they came from a Vatican-led conspiracy against his ministry. His apocalyptic tracts outline his hatred of the Vatican and his feared "one-world government." The Southern Poverty Law Center considers his ministry a "cult."
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
TEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) - A federal jury has convicted evangelist Tony Alamo on charges he took underage girls across state lines for sex.
The jury issued its judgment Friday in federal court in Texarkana. The jury found the 74-year-old Alamo guilty of all 10 counts he faced. The indictment accused him of taking girls as young as 9 across state lines as early as 1994.
FBI agents and Arkansas State Police troopers raided Alamo's compound in southern Arkansas in September looking for child pornography. Agents arrested him five days later in Arizona.
Alamo had denied the charges, claiming they came from a Vatican-led conspiracy against his ministry. His apocalyptic tracts outline his hatred of the Vatican and his feared "one-world government." The Southern Poverty Law Center considers his ministry a "cult."
