Former wife of Alamo joins lawsuit

Another former wife of imprisoned evangelist Tony Alamo has been added as a plaintiff in a civil lawsuit that names the ministry, church-run businesses and high-ranking individuals in the organization as defendants.

Pebbles Rodriguez claims Alamo married her in 1999 when she was 12. She left Alamo Ministries and separated from him in the summer of 2010, according to an amended complaint filed this week by local attorney David Carter.

“Pebbles just recently parted ways with those who still consider Tony Alamo as their world pastor,” Carter said. “She is no longer under the influence of those who make excuses for Alamo’s abuse and has chosen to assert her claims along with the other young ladies.”

Tony Alamo changed Pebbles Rodriguez’s first name to Yvonne when he took her as a bride, the amended complaint alleges.

The other plaintiffs include the five women who were named as victims in Alamo’s 10-count federal indictment and Nicole Farr. Farr allegedly was being groomed to be a wife when she “made a dramatic escape” from Alamo’s Fouke, Ark., residence, according to the lawsuit. Farr testified against Alamo during his trial, as did former child brides Jeanne Orlando, Desiree Kolbek, Jamie Rodriguez (who is not related to Pebbles), Amy Eddy and Summer Hagan. The five are named as plaintiffs in the civil suit.

A federal jury in July 2009 convicted Alamo of bringing minors across state lines for sex. Later that year, U.S. District Judge Harry Barnes sentenced Alamo to 175 years in prison. This year, an appellate court affirmed the convictions and sentence.

In the 83-page amended complaint, Carter describes in more detail how Alamo Ministries’ business enterprises are liable for the plaintiffs’ suffering. The businesses are Twenty First Century Holiness Tabernacle Church Inc., Gloryland Christian Church, Arms Full of Help, Tony and Susan Alamo Foundation, Music Square Church Inc., SJ Distributing, Action Distributors, Advantage Food Group and Jeanne Estates Apartments and individual defendants Sally Demoulin, Sharon Alamo and Steve Johnson.

The businesses operated for Tony Alamo’s benefit and the benefit of the defendants, the complaint states.

To demonstrate the collective nature of ministry-run enterprises, Carter points to the use of trucks.

“In one operation, the church business schemers would solicit donations to Arms Full of Help, a sham charity. The schemers would send one of the church business scheme trucks with a member driving the truck to accept the donations on behalf of Arms Full of Help,” the complaint states. “Then, the same worker/member in the same truck would change the sign on the side of the truck to read Advantage Food Group and sell the donated goods on behalf of Advantage Food Group. The money would then go into the ‘bookkeeper’ account for use by the church defendants and church business defendants. This was just one of the many schemes used to generate funds that perpetuated Tony Alamo’s child sex ring.”

Demoulin allegedly maintains control of a bookkeeping account to which funds from the business defendants are deposited and then distributed, the complaint states. Johnson, Sharon Alamo and Demoulin allegedly hold properties in their names and conduct business on behalf of Alamo Ministries. Property and business ownership is transferred regularly among members “in a shell game” to avoid creditors, the complaint alleges.

The complaint refers specifically to a business meeting held in the Fouke house Tony Alamo shared with his wives attended by Demoulin, Sharon Alamo, who also was married to Tony, and Johnson. According to the complaint, the three individual defendants witnessed an 8-year-old Desiree Kolbek stroke Alamo’s legs and thighs.

Alamo allegedly commented on the behavior by asking those in attendance if they thought he was “dirty” before “reminding them he was ‘Of the Lord,’” the complaint states.

According to the complaint, the individual defendants knew Alamo was sexually, physically and psychologically abusing the plaintiffs.

The suit asks the court to award the plaintiffs damages for their past and future medical expenses, past physical pain and suffering, past and future mental anguish, attorney’s fees and court costs.

The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Jimm Larry Hendren in the Texarkana division of the Western District of Arkansas.

The defendants have filed answers to the first complaint to deny the allegations. They have not yet responded to the amended complaint.

No hearings have been scheduled.

Tony Alamo’s cult remains active in Santa Clarita and abroad

Tony Alamo, a local “evangelist”, was sentenced to 175 years in prison during July of 2009. His history in Santa Clarita extends over 40 years. In spite of his incarceration, this past weekend a flyer for his Tony Alamo Christian Ministries was placed on the windshield of my car. Heads up parents, his easiest converts are teenagers.

Tony Alamo’s connection to Santa Clarita

One Alamo compound sits on Sierra Highway in the Canyon Country section of Santa Clarita, California. His organization called Tony Alamo Christian Ministries began on the streets of Hollywood in the 1960’s. As it grew, he settled in the Saugus area of Santa Clarita and then expanded across the country.

Criminal charges followed him

Though at birth he was named Bernie Lazar Hoffman, he legally changed his name in 1966 to Tony Alamo. In 1988, the first child abuse charges began. He was accused of beating an 11 year old 140 times with a paddle. Repeatedly the authorities lacked sufficient evidence to send Alamo to prison. Children were removed for his Saugus compound in 1988, he was accused of abuse again in 1989. Families were, however, awarded money because of these crimes. The judge for that case, U.S. District Judge Morris Arnold said, “No feeling person could fail to be moved by the testimony in this case or be revolted by the cold-blooded and calculated manner in which the punishment was carried out.”

Alamo practiced and preached polygamy. He took multiple wives, including many under age “women”. He stated that women should become married as soon as they begin to menstrate.

In 1994, he was tried, convicted, and sentenced to six years in federal prison for income tax evasion. An attempt was made to further imprison him on child abuse and polygamy charges at that time, but the charges were dropped.

Finally, in 2009, previous members of his group brought suit against him on child tafficking and abuse. He was convicted on federal charges for taking girls as young as 9 across state lines to have sex with them. The five victims in this case watched him receive the conviction. One had been made to be his bride at the age of 8.

Inspite of his conviction the “work” continues

The newsletter placed on my car window last Saturday in the Whole Foods parking lot on Valencia Boulevard came packed with random Bible verses strewn together to create the image of a Christ-centered community. It contained letters from people supporting Tony Alamo and comparing his imprisonment to struggles experienced by Biblical prophets. It invited people to come to the Sierra Highway location or three other locations across the country.

How can I tell a fake prophet from a real one?

Alamo and his organization plays on people’s lack of knowledge and desire to be a part of something bigger than themselves. There have been people claiming to speak for God from the beginning of time. Scripture itself makes us aware of them and how to recognize them. Here are a couple references to help parents educate their children.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” Matthew 7:15-19

The “fruit” of a prophet or any person is a result of their actions. In the same way, water and sun and soil nutrients flow into a plant and result in fruit, the things we do show evidence of what we really believe. As mentioned above, the “fruit” of Alamo’s ministry is not a Christ-centered fruit, regardless of what pretty words they use.

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” James 2:14-18

There are people within the Alamo organization who would argue that they help homeless people all the time, however one seemingly kind act cannot obliterate the other damages caused by this group. Whenever we seek to determine if someone is truly following the tenants of Christ, these verses serve as helpful guidelines.

*Alamo, Tony. “The Polygamists”. Tony Alamo Christian Ministries. 1993.

*Sheth, Kershal. “Tony Alamo News: Verifiable facts and opinions.” http://www.tonyalamonews.com

*Associated Press. “Evangelist Tony Alamo found guilty of taking young girls from state to state for sex”. www.foxnews.com. July 24, 2009.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ACTUAL FBI POSTER
REWARD
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading directly to the arrest of John Kolbek.

Home • Most Wanted • Additional Violent Crimes • JOHN ERWIN KOLBEK

Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution – Battery, Second Degree
JOHN ERWIN KOLBEK

Jennifer Kolbek (Not a fugitive)

UPDATED PHOTO OF JENNIFER KOLBEK
They may also be traveling with several children.

Aliases:
John Erwin Kolbeck, John Kolbeck, John Kolbek
DESCRIPTION
Date(s) of Birth Used:

September 23, 1959

Place of Birth:
Kansas
Height:
6′4″
Weight:
250 pounds
NCIC:
W455441652
Occupation:

Unknown

Hair:
Brown (thinning)
Eyes:
Green
Sex:
Male
Race:
White
Nationality:
American
Scars and Marks:

None known

Remarks:
Kolbek is believed to be traveling with his wife, Jennifer Kolbek, who is not a fugitive from the law. The Kolbeks also may be traveling with five children, some of their own.
CAUTION

John Erwin Kolbek is wanted for his alleged involvement in the 2008 beating of a teenage boy, who reportedly violated religious teachings while he was a member of a religious sect in Arkansas. Kolbek is alleged to have struck the boy in the face and ordered him to lie flat with his head and legs extended on the concrete floor at a Fort Smith, Arkansas warehouse. It is alleged that with his arms and legs held down, the boy was struck across the buttocks with a board and was beaten until the board broke and he was left bruised and bloody. Kolbek allegedly struck the boy with his clothes on and off.

Kolbek is allegedly a member of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries (TACM) group, a religious sect that was overseen by Bernie L. Hoffman, aka Tony Alamo, who was sentenced to 175 years in a federal prison in November 2009. The TACM has “compounds” in Fouke, Arkansas; Fort Smith, Arkansas; Moffett, Oklahoma; Muldrow, Oklahoma; Los Angeles, California; and congregations in New York and New Jersey. It is alleged that this group encourages lying to federal agents and Alamo preached that 40 strikes with a board is appropriate punishment for disobedience. Kolbek was an alleged enforcer for Alamo. When a member of the group disobeyed Alamo, he ordered punishment including a lengthy fast, beating with a board, or expulsion from the group. If Alamo decided a member needed beating, he allegedly contacted Kolbek to enforce it. The group is alleged to be aiding Kolbek.

On October 16, 2008, Kolbek was charged with battery, second degree by the District Court of Sebastian County, Arkansas, Fort Smith Division, and a state warrant was issued for his arrest. A federal arrest warrant was issued on November 6, 2008, by the United States District Court, Western District of Arkansas, after Kolbek was charged federally with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
REWARD
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading directly to the arrest of John Kolbek.

TV Fugitive Show To Feature Alamo Follower

John Kolbeck, [correct spelling is Kolbek] a fugitive wanted for his alleged involvement in the 2008 beating of a teenage boy who was a member of Alamo Christian Ministries, will be featured on an episode of “America’s Most Wanted” at 8 p.m. today.

The program airs locally on Fox affiliate KFTA-TV, Channel 27.
Bancorp South

Kolbek, 51, is wanted in Sebastian County for second-degree battery and is wanted by the FBI on a federal warrant alleging unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

The America’s Most Wanted segment about Kolbek has aired twice previously.

Police say Kolbek helped keep evangelist Tony Alamo’s church followers in line by brutally beating them.

Kolbek’s family belonged to the Alamo organization, and he is the father of an 8-year-old girl Alamo is said to have married.

Alamo is serving a 175-year federal prison sentence for transporting minors over state lines for sex.

Alamo ally’s penalty lessened

LITTLE ROCK — The judge who sentenced a member of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries to two years in prison for failing to register as a sex offender did not adequately explain why he barred the man from using a computer or possessing pornography, an appeals court panel decided Monday.

The opinion by a panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at St. Louis reversed restrictions that U.S. District Judge Robert Dawson placed on Jonathon Patrick Curry when sentencing him in August 2009.

An FBI agent said in an arrest affidavit that he encountered Curry, who is now 51, living at a ministry-owned warehouse in Fort Smith in November 2008. The agent said he later discovered that Curry had failed to register after serving nearly seven years in prison for attempted lewdness with a child under 14.

Curry’s arrest in January 2009 came less than four months after Tony Alamo, the church’s leader, was arrested on charges of taking underage girls across state lines for sex in violation of the federal Mann Act. Convicted of 10 counts of violating the Mann Act, Alamo was sentenced in November 2009 to 175 years in prison.

According to the federal Bureau of Prisons, Curry was released from prison in October after completing his sentence on the conviction for failing to register.

In the opinion issued Monday, Chief Judge William Riley of Omaha, Neb., and judges Steven Colloton of Des Moines, Iowa , and Duane Benton of Kansas City, Mo., upheld the two-year sentence but reversed restrictions barring Curry from using computers, accessing the Internet or possessing pornography. The panel said prosecutors did not present evidence that Curry had ever used a computer and that Dawson did not explain why he prohibited Curry from possessing pornography. The panel noted Curry was convicted of a “registration offense, not a child exploitation offense.”

The appeals court panel said Dawson should hold a new sentencing hearing and make “particularized findings about any special condition that is imposed” on Curry’s release. A date for the sentencing hearing had not been set Monday.

To listen to the oral arguments United States vs. Bernie Hoffman, September, 21, 2010 click here: http://www.ca8.uscourts.gov

On the left side of the page, click on Oral Arguments

On the left side of this page, click on Case Number

Enter this number in the box and click Search: 09-3651

Judge upholds Alamo sentence
Attorney vows to take appeal to Supreme Court

Controversial evangelist Tony Alamo’s convictions and 175-year sentence for sexual abuse crimes were upheld Thursday morning by a federal appeals court.

“The fight is never over,” said Alamo’s defense attorney, John Wesley Hall Jr. of Little Rock. “We still have remedies.”

Alamo, whose real name is Bernie LaZar Hoffman, was convicted in July 2009 on all 10 counts in a federal indictment accusing him of bringing five women he wed as children across state lines for sex. He was sentenced a few months later to 175 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Harry Barnes in the Western District of Arkansas’ Texarkana division.

Deborah Groom, U.S attorney in the Western District, said her office is pleased and “agrees with the appellate court’s analysis of the facts and the law.”

“We believe the evidence supported the verdict and that life imprisonment was an appropriate sentence,” Groom said.

Hall said he “doesn’t see any point” in filing a petition with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals asking them to take a second look at the case.

“I’ve been a lawyer long enough to know that’s probably an exercise in futility,” Hall said. “I’ll take it to the Supreme Court.”

Hall said different federal appellate courts have interpreted the law differently than the 8th Circuit in Alamo’s appeal. That will be a point Hall said he hopes will get the attention of the nation’s highest court.

In his appeal, Alamo, 76, argued that the evidence was insufficient to support the convictions and that the government failed to prove that a dominant purpose for travel was to gratify his sexual appetite.

“It is disingenuous to suggest that Hoffman’s intentions for these minor girls’ transportation across state lines was for any purpose other than their sexual exploitation,” the 8th Circuit opinion said. “He orchestrated and controlled their travel … so that they would be available to him to engage in illegal sexual relations.”

Alamo’s appeal complained not only of the 10 guilty verdicts but of the 175-year sentence. It accused Barnes of “imposing his own sense of religiosity” when he said, “Mr. Alamo, one day you will face a higher and greater judge than me. May he have mercy on your soul,” at Alamo’s sentencing hearing.

The 8th Circuit ruled Barnes’ statements “may be interpreted as religious in nature but in no way does it appear to have been an inappropriate driving force or improper consideration during the court’s sentencing of Hoffman.”

“There was no abuse of discretion here,” the opinion said. “Nothing suggests that the district court’s personal view of religion in any way influenced an aspect of Hoffman’s sentence.”

The five Jane Does named in Alamo’s indictment are suing Alamo Ministries, several ministry-controlled businesses and individual members for damages. The plaintiffs are represented by Texarkana attorney David Carter.

“They are especially grateful for the court of appeal’s conclusion that their testimony concerning the disgusting behavior of Tony Alamo clearly demonstrated his guilt. It took a lot of courage for these young ladies to confront their former spiritual leader in court and recount the horrific details in public,” Carter said. “We will move forward with the civil suit on behalf of his victims and ultimately ask the court to hold accountable those who knew or should have known about this abuse yet failed to protect these children.”

Retired FBI Special Agent Randall Harris, who led the investigation into Alamo and now operates a private investigation and financial fraud investigations firm, said the work performed by the FBI and assistant U.S. attorneys Kyra Jenner, Clay Fowlkes and Candace Taylor was “complete and solid.”

“I have already spoken with a few of the girls and needless to say they are ecstatic … Now I would urge the U.S. Attorney’s Office to vigorously pursue the restitution order to provide these victims the assistance they truly deserve,” Harris said.

Each of the five victims was awarded $250,000 in the criminal case. Barnes ordered that Alamo would not have to pay while his appeal was pending.

Groom said the U.S. Attorney’s Office will “do all in our power” to collect for the victims “as the rules allow.”

If Hall does not request review from the 8th Circuit, a mandate could issue in as few as three weeks that would allow restitution collection to proceed, Groom said. If relief from the U.S. Supreme Court is sought, Groom said her office will research the restitution collection issue and proceed as permitted by the court and the law.

Alamo is at a federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., about 70 miles from Indianapolis. Hall said Alamo was moved there from a federal prison in Tuscon, Ariz., about two weeks ago.

Hall said despite initial concern that the move might have been part of an effort to limit Alamo’s ability to communicate with loyalists, he did not get that impression after a recent conversation with the Indiana prison’s unit manager.

While in Tuscon, Alamo’s phone privileges were suspended for trying to conduct a business enterprise.

Federal appeals court upholds sex-related convictions for jailed evangelist Tony Alamo

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A federal appeals court upheld the criminal convictions of Tony Alamo on Thursday, finding that the 76-year-old evangelist took underage girls across state lines with the primary purpose of sexually exploiting them.

Jurors convicted Alamo last year on 10 counts of violating the Mann Act, a century-old law originally aimed at stopping women from being sold into prostitution. Prosecutors said Alamo traveled the country with his young “wives,” including one who testified that she was 8 years old when she was forced to enter a spiritual marriage with the preacher.

A federal judge had handed down a 175-year prison sentence, which Alamo is serving in a prison in Terre Haute, Ind.

“The evidence here clearly demonstrated that in each instance (Alamo) directed the travel and transport of these girls across state lines for the purpose of engaging in proscribed sexual acts, thus supporting the jury’s conviction on each and every charge,” the appeals court’s opinion said.

Alamo — born Bernie Lazar Hoffman — disputed the charges and argued that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove his guilt.

“The fight’s not over. We still have remedies,” Alamo’s attorney, John Wesley Hall, said Thursday, adding that he planned to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the case.

FBI agents and Arkansas State Police troopers raided Alamo’s compound in Fouke in September 2008, and Alamo was arrested five days later in Flagstaff, Ariz. During the trial, five women, then ages 17 to 33, testified that Alamo “married” them in private ceremonies while they were minors, sometimes giving them rings. Each detailed trips beyond Arkansas’ borders for Alamo’s sexual gratification.

“It is disingenuous to suggest that (Alamo’s) intentions for these minor girls’ transportation across state lines was for any purpose other than their sexual exploitation,” the court said. “He orchestrated and controlled their travel throughout interstate commerce so that they would be available to him to engage in illegal sexual relations.”

Alamo also challenged statements a federal judge had made when he sentenced the evangelist. U.S. District Judge Harry Barnes said during sentencing, “Mr. Alamo, one day you will face a higher and greater judge than me. May he have mercy on your soul.”

Alamo argued that the judge was influenced by religious factors, which should not be considered during sentencing. But the 8th Circuit said Barnes’ comments were not inappropriate.

“Indeed, religion was a pervasive theme underlying the entire trial,” the court said. “It is thus not surprising that religion might have been mentioned at sentencing.”

Appeals court upholds Alamo’s convictions

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A federal appeals court has upheld the convictions of evangelist Tony Alamo, who was sentenced to 175 years in prison on sex charges.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a nine-page opinion Thursday affirming Alamo’s sentence.

Alamo was convicted in July 2009 of 10 violations of the federal Mann Act, which prohibits taking someone across state lines for “any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense.” He was sentenced in November 2009 and is being held at a federal prison in Tucson, Ariz.

The appeals court ruled Alamo knowingly traveled with the underage girls so he could sexually exploit them. The order says Alamo “orchestrated and controlled their travel” so that they would be available for sexual purposes.