9/5/13 – Fate of Tony Alamo Properties To Be Determined
UALR Public Radio
September 5, 2013
By Jacob Kauffman
Fate of Tony Alamo Properties To Be Determined
Tony Alamo, the founder of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries and a convicted child sex offender, is currently serving 175 years in prison. But Alamo still owes millions in restitution to his victims – something a hearing Friday hopes to address.
Federal officials are trying to sell six properties belonging to Alamo Ministries to partially satisfy a 30-million-dollar judgment owed to two men who were abused as children while raised in the ministry. But members of Alamo Ministries, primarily in Sebastian and Miller Counties, say the properties are owned collectively and not by Tony Alamo.
US Magistrate Judge Barry Bryant will be hearing those arguments in court from a Missouri based lawyer representing Alamo Ministries. Previously Bryant ruled the properties, although placed in the names of members, were actually bought and controlled by Alamo. They include a church building, a gym, a restaurant, and a house in Fort Smith.