Texarkana, Arkansas - A lawyer for jailed evangelist Tony Alamo says federal authorities are denying his client phone calls and visits.
Attorney John Wesley Hall Jr. says Alamo is allowed contact with his legal team but can't use the phone or see people who want to visit with him.
A deputy with the U.S. Marshals says they're treating Alamo the same as any other inmate.
The 74-year-old Alamo is being held pending a November 19th trial on charges he transported a 13-year-old girl across state lines for sex. Alamo, whose real name is Bernie Lazar Hoffman, could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.
The U.S. Marshals says federal prisoners detained in the Bi-State Justice Building in Texarkana usually are allowed to visit with family members. Unless a visitor can prove they are married to or a blood relative of the detainee, visitation may not be possible because of standard policy, he said.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Bryant concluded after a four-hour hearing last week that Alamo presented a danger to the community and would be a flight risk. He denied Alamo's request for release pending trial.
