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Tony Alamo held without bond due to bigamy and statutory rape claims

The Commercial Appeal
June 9, 1994

Alamo Found Guilty of Tax Evasion, Jailed

A federal jury Wednesday convicted Tony Alamo on tax charges and the preacher-clothes designer was ordered held in jail without bond. Alamo faces up to six years total on the four counts against him. His sentencing is set for Aug. 26.

U.S. Dist. Judge Jon McCalla ordered Alamo held without bond after a government witness testified that Alamo may have committed bigamy and statutory rape in the past 18 months.

The Witness, IRS special agent David Kimbrough, quoting one of Alamo’s ex-wives, said Alamo took as many as nine wives, mostly teen and some as young as 15 years old. Kimbrough said some of the teenage wives were forced into the church marriages by threats of being thrown out of the church. At least one woman told agents she was forced to have sex with Alamo.

McCalla said anyone hearing Wednesday’s testimony would be concerned due to “the very great control Mr. Alamo has over a great number of people.

Justice Department attorney Christopher Belcher also pointed out that Alamo was a fugitive between mid-1989 and mid-1991, when he was wanted on several criminal charges. He still faces felony child abuse charges in California, where he is accused of ordering the beating of the child of a follower…

Kimbrough said members of Alamo’s church told IRS agents that they feared for their own daughters because Alamo recently had begun marrying girls as young as 12, and even suggested that he would marry his own stepdaughter, who is 11…

For the jurors, Alamo’s testimony worked against him, she said: “He said we were sitting in the building of the church of Satan,” in reference to his theory of a one-world church…

Among the 40 witnesses called by the government were former followers and three of Alamo’s ex-wives who detailed his extravagant spending for himself and his wives.

An Arkansas banker testified that Alamo alone controlled more than 20 bank accounts in the name of various businesses under the Music Square Church.

Alamo took the witness stand himself to deny that he had any income in the years in question. He said that as the pastor, he was supported by the church, and that everything he did was to further his ministry.

He expounded on his theory of a conspiracy by the “Lucifer-worshipping” forces of the Vatican, IRS, FBI, Mafia and the new media, which he said was trying to create a “one-world” church/government to rule the world.

He invoked the Fifth Amendment 10 times when Belcher asked him whether he had multiple wives.

SOURCE: Chris Conley The Commercial Appeal

In: 1990-1999, Polygamy In The News

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