Evangelist Complex Raided For Child Porn

(CBS/AP)  FBI agents and state police raided an evangelists' headquarters Saturday as part of a child pornography investigation and said they planned to remove several children from the complex, run by a man previously accused of child abuse.

The raid at the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries south of Texarkana started an hour before sunset. Armed guards regularly patrol the ministry headquarters, but there was apparently no resistance as agents moved in.

"I have not heard of any shots fired," state police spokesman Bill Sadler said.

U.S. Attorney Bob Balfe said before the raid that he expected an arrest warrant would be issued later for Alamo.

Alamo wasn't on site and is at an undisclosed location in Santa Clarita, California, reports CBS affiliate KTHV-TV in Little Rock.

In a phone interview with KTHV, Alamo refuted the allegations and claimed the government and media were attempting to bring an end to his ministry.

Shortly after the raid began, a sport-utility vehicle hauling a trailer backed up to the ministry building's front door. FBI vehicles blocked off a dead-end road.

A Fouke School District bus also arrived and pulled up near 12 unmarked vans, SUVs and sedans parked alongside the low-slung ministry headquarters along U.S. 71 just inside the city limits of tiny Fouke.

Sadler said a search would be conducted at the compound headquarters and also at Alamo's home nearby.

A helicopter circled overhead, and onlookers stopped along the two-lane highway to watch the raid.

Alamo's church is in a single-story building that looks like a strip mall. A white cross stands atop the structure, with a small steeple to the right side.

Alamo was once accused in California of directing the beating of a church member's 11-year-old son. In 1994, he was sentenced to six years in prison on tax evasion charges filed in Memphis, Tennessee.

The judge in the tax case ordered him held pending sentencing after prosecutors argued that the evangelist was a flight risk and a polygamist who preyed on married women and girls in his congregation. U.S. District Judge Jon McCalla said he was concerned over "the very great control Mr. Alamo has over a number of people."

[redhouse93]

Ha ha, so I has a typo,
"People like Alamo need to be locked up in the worst prison available"
People who do this are sick, deeply disturbed, and are NOT entitled to satisfy their desires.

[redhouse93]

Sick people like Alamo need to be locked up in the worst prosin available.

[reason511]

If this man were truly Christian (Loving, trustin, and obeying the Lord Jesus Christ) he would not be conducting himself in such a questionable manner. It also amazes me how many people latch onto a story like this in order to try and discredit God. God did not, nor does He, cause people to sin. Peace

[urnot]

Christianity has been used throughout history to justify even greater and more widespread crimes than this. Why is this case a surprise?

[beowulf39565]

Sorry but to me, the miserable slacker of a Christian that I am, it would appear that the closer a church follows the edict of the bible the more *** society slings at them. I think non and semi-believers actual feel threatened by a church in greater degrees distrust exponentially in direct relation to how closely said church adheres to the literal translation of the bible.

[beowulf39565]

Undated photo, Duhhhh, the guy is 74 freaking years old

[babooph]

Wanna bet who they all voted in in the last Presidental elaection-DO YOU THINK THEY ALSO" LOVE "PALIN ???

[legacyabq]

zgomer:
"liberals freedom hater"
What the helll is that?!
Do you even know what liberals are??
John Stuart Mill, a liberal by definition was a "liberal", wrote the
GREATEST DEFENSE OF PERSONAL LIBERTYIN THE WESTERN WORLD. A major treatise of freedom-loving political philosophy. "On Liberty"..
THIS is liberalism.
You only know what Limbaugh tells you.
Think for yourself.
Just try to LEARN.
Just because the neocon machine you worship, without thinking, like a GOD, tells you liberalism is a bad thing, doesnt make it so.
Do you understand what IRONY is?
THIS is irony.
Real liberals stand up for freedom.
There is no such thing as a freedom-hating liberal.
By definition.
DO YOU EVEN OWN A DICTIONARY??
NO?
Look up liberalism on wikipedia and learn some things.
Neither the left or right in the modern sense understand their own origins.
We live under a one-party system..
THE REPUBLICRATS. Or, THE DEMOCANS.
Their Platform??
IGNORANCE.
Their members??
YOU.

[joker1944-2009]

When will people learn not to trust slugs like Alamo who call themselves Christians??? More importantly when will people stop giving them money? What would it take for these IDIOTS to not immediately swallow and believe the claims of evangelicals and instead hold them to the same standards these ''holy'' men and women demand of the rest of the world?

Evangelical are all either morons, perverts and criminals. IMO there is a directly connection between their engagement in American politics and the decline of the nation as a whole.

[dkhorse1]

With many of the posts I''ve read, lumping all Christians together as being deviant based on the occasional weirdo, freak sounds remarkably similar to the Klan and their venom filled rants lumping all blacks, jews, ***, and every other minority group together.

Seems like those on the far left could use a little anger management and tolerance training to me.