Evangelist Gets 175 Years for Sex Crimes

(AP)  Evangelist Tony Alamo was sentenced Friday to 175 years in prison for taking underage girls across state lines for sex, effectively punishing him for the rest of his life for molesting children he took as "brides" in his ministry.

During Friday's hearing, some of Alamo's victims testified about how their families were destroyed while the evangelist took over their lives.

Alamo, 75, had been convicted in July on a 10-count federal indictment. U.S. District Judge Harry F. Barnes said Alamo used his status as father figure and pastor and threatened and threatened the girls with "the loss of their salvation."

"Mr. Alamo, one day you will face a higher a greater judge than me, may he have mercy on your soul," Barnes said.

Just before Barnes sentenced Alamo, the evangelist offered a brief statement to the court praising God then later adding:

"I'm glad I'm me and not the deceived people in the world."

Alamo's lawyers said they planned to appeal Barnes' ruling. His defense offered a doctor who said he suffered from hardening arteries, diabetes, glaucoma and other health problems. However on cross-examination the doctor acknowledged he saw Alamo only once in 2004 and that the purpose of Alamo's visit was to get an eye lift to make him appear younger.

The evangelist will stay in Texarkana pending a Jan. 13 hearing in which Barnes will decide whether Alamo's victims will get restitution from him. After that hearing, Barnes said Alamo would go to a federal prison that has hospital facilities.

A woman Alamo took as a child "bride" at age 8 challenged the evangelist from the witness stand Friday to submit himself to God's judgment. Reading from lined notebook paper, she said Alamo tore her family apart by taking her as a child bride and described how she shook uncontrollably when he first molested her.

"You preyed on innocent children," she said staring down Alamo, who wore yellow prison scrubs and a windbreaker for the hearing.

"You have the audacity to ask for mercy. What mercy did you show us?" she said.

A moment later she asked, "What kind of man of God does what you have done?"

The woman told Barnes that she planned to become an FBI agent in order to help other child sex abuse victims.

Two other child brides testified. One, who said she is now employed full-time and has a life of her own outside of the ministry, said she hoped Alamo would spend the rest of his life in jail.

"Maybe the real God, not the God you made up, will have mercy on your soul," the woman said.

Barnes said there was ample evidence that Alamo engaged in a pattern of molesting younger and younger girls in his ministry.

Alamo accused his victims of lying, as he has done throughout his prosecution.

[kamsack50]

erichsh
Ladyang is not out to defend Muslim. Only because she - and many - see Muslim and Christian in opposition (debatable point), does she take that position of seeming defense.
(sorry if a double post)

[kamsack50]

erichsh
Ladyang is not out to defend Muslim. Only because she - and many - see Muslim and Christian in opposition (debatable point), does she take that position of seeming defense.

[ladyang]

kamsack50, if Jimmy Carter raped little girls in the name of his religion, then shame on him.
What I know he did do, is build house for needy families.
I bet more than a few of them were Christians!

[erichsh]

by ladyang
What I know he did do, is build house for needy families.
I bet more than a few of them were Christians!

Who where Christians, the needy families or the volunteers who built them? I also wonder how many of the Salvation Army's more than 4 million volunteers are Christians. And since you're so sensitive to any perceived slight to Muslims in connection with Fort Hood, maybe you can point out their benevolent side. For example, I'm not aware of any Muslim organizations manning soup kitchens, building homes, or otherwise reaching out to help the needy; if you are aware of any please share them with us.

[kamsack50]

ladyang
You or others did not respond about Jimmy Carter.
What do you think of him and his Christianity?

[stn_sage]

Isn't it interesting how judges like to give defendants who are in there mid-70s and beyond...unless they're politicians, ob course...HUGE sentences...knowing they can't possibly do the time?!

Somehow, I think they do this to show the public, that they're 'being tough' on these defendants! But, it tends to appear more like overzealous cruelty than anything else!

My point: give him a simple thirty (30) year sentence, and he dies in prison!

Also, here's at least one less radical, far-right Christian loose raping little girls...even though it means one less Republican vote!

Personally, I can live with the loss of the one vote!

[excoachken]

It's a good thing he did all that praying, because he will be spending a lot of time on his knees worshiping roommate Bubba.

[ladyang]

Another right-wing extremist terrorist doing his duty for his "god"!

[DennisinSF]

Jesus this, and jesus that......
I'm so tired of it all......

[erichsh]

I don't which is more despicable: child molesters like Alamo, the media that tries to associate the act with religion by way of the headline, or the "secular progressive" crowd who extrapolate the criminal acts of a few into an indictment of the millions with different beliefs and opinions from their own.

Utterly predictable and reprehensible comments here. They don't condemn either the perpetrator or the act itself; instead they smugly hold up isolated crimes like this as "proof" or "validation" of their own hatred of conservatism/religion. I wonder to what extent deride and despise individuals like Jimmy Carter, or faith-based organizations he participates in such as Habitat for Humanity that help millions of people?

[ladyang]

now you know how Muslims felt after the attack on Ft hood last week!

[kenhamlett]

Maybe he can share a cell with Madoff. I have been told long term relationships are the best.