List of convicted religious leaders
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of religious leaders who have been convicted of serious crimes during or after their period as a religious leader, and later than 1880.
Contents |
[edit] Violent crimes
- Shoko Asahara - Founder of Aum Shinrikyo sentenced to death by hanging under Japanese law for involvement in Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway.[1]
- Matthew F. Hale - Former leader of Creativity Movement sentenced to a 40-year prison term for soliciting an undercover FBI informant to kill federal judge Joan Lefkow.[2]
- Warren Jeffs - Once President of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, convicted of rape as an accomplice.[3]
- Luc Jouret - A founder of the Order of the Solar Temple. He was convicted of conspiring to buy illegal handguns.[4]
- William Kamm - Self styled Pope Peter II who was sentenced to prison in October 2005 for a string of sexual attacks on a 15-year-old girl. In August 2007 his sentence was increased after being found guilty for a series of sexual abuses against another teenage girl over a 5 year period.[5]
- Ervil LeBaron - Led a small sect of Polygamous Mormon fundamentalists, and was convicted of involvement in the murder of 2 people and plotting to kill another person.[6]
- Alice Lenshina - Head and founder of the Lumpa Church. Conflicts with the government over their rejection of taxes led to a violent confrontation and her subsequent imprisonment.[7]
- Jeffrey Lundgren - Headed splinter group from Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, executed October 24, 2006, for multiple murders.[8]
- Charles Manson - Leader of the Manson Family who is serving life for first degree murder.[9]
- Shukri Mustafa - Leader of Takfir wal-Hijra who was captured and executed for the kidnap murder of an Egyptian ex-government minister.[10]
- Fred Phelps - Leader of Westboro Baptist Church, convicted for disorderly conduct and battery.[11][12]
- Swami Premananda of Tiruchirapalli - Convicted and sentenced to double life imprisonment for rape of 13 girls and murder.[13]
- Jacques Robidoux - Leader of defunct group The Body of Christ who is serving time for first degree murder after starving his son, apparently thinking it was God's will.[14]
- Paul Schäfer - Former head of Colonia Dignidad, was convicted of sexually abusing 25 children.[15]
- Roch Thériault - Former head of "Ant Hill Kids commune" serving a life sentence in Canada for the murder of Solange Boislard.[16]
- Yahweh Ben Yahweh - Head of Nation of Yahweh, convicted for Federal racketeering charges and conspiracy involving 14 murders.[17]
- Dwight York - Head of Nuwaubianism, convicted of multiple RICO, child molestation, and financial reporting charges and sentenced to 135 years in prison.[18]
[edit] Non-violent crimes
- Tony Alamo - Headed a Santa Clarita commune. Convicted of tax evasion and until recently he resided in a halfway house in Texarkana.[19]
- Jim Bakker - Created the PTL organization. Convicted of fraud and conspiracy charges after illegally soliciting millions of dollars from his followers.[20]
- Hogen Fukunaga - Founder of Ho No Hana who was given a twelve year jail sentence for fraudulently gaining 150 million yen from his followers.[21]
- Kent Hovind (Dr. Dino) - founder of the Creation Science Evangelism ministry. Willful failure to collect, account for, and pay over Federal income taxes, knowingly structuring transactions in Federally-insured financial institutions to evade the reporting requirements, and obstructing and impeding the administration of the internal revenue laws.[22][23]
- Mary Sue Hubbard - Headed Scientology's Guardian's Office. Convicted in 1979 of conspiracy against the United States Government.[24] (See Operation Snow White.)
- Henry Lyons - Former President of National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.. Convicted for racketeering and grand theft.[25]
- Sun Myung Moon - Leader of Unification Church, imprisoned for criminal tax fraud in the 1980s.[26]
- Edward Morrissey of the Living Enrichment Center. He plead guilty of money laundering.[27]
- Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh - Deceased figure of Osho. Fined $400,000 and given a 10-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to arranging sham marriages as immigration fraud.[28]
- David Terrell also known as Daniel H. Ford of the David Terrell Ministries and New Testament Holiness Church, imprisoned for criminal tax fraud in the 1970s. [29]
[edit] References
- ^ "Ex-Leader of Japan Cult Sentenced to Death in Gas Attack", The New York Times, 2004-02-27. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ "Matthew Hale gets maximum 40-year sentence", Southern Poverty Law Center, 2005-04-07. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ "US polygamy sect leader sentenced", BBC News, 2007-11-20. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ "Canada Seeks Money Trail Of Secret Cult", The New York Times, 1994-10-16. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ "Cult leader jailed for more sexual abuse", The Age, 2007-08-24. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ "TIME", TIME, 1981-08-31. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ Brockman, Norbert. Lenshina Mulenga Mubisha, Alice Dictionary of African Christian Biography. 1994. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
- ^ "Ohio Executes Cult Leader for 5 Killings", CBS News, 2007-10-26. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ Linder, Doug. The Charles Manson (Tate-LaBianca Murder) Trial. UMKC Law. 2002. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
- ^ Livesey, Bruce. the salafist movement. FRONTLINE. 2005. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
- ^ Notable Names Database. Fred Phelps entry.
- ^ Southern Poverty Law Center. Timeline of the life of Fred Phelps, Sr.
- ^ "Guru gets lifers for 13 rapes", The Times of India, 2005-04-05. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ "Religious sect member convicted of murder in starvation of son", The Boston Globe, 2002-06-14. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ "Chilean colony sex abuser jailed", BBC News, 2006-05-24. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ Colin A. Ross (1995). Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principles of Treatment. University of Toronto Press, 105. ISBN 0802073573.
- ^ "BLACK SECT LEADER GETS 18-YEAR TERM", The New York Times, 1992-09-05. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ "Sect leader sentenced to 135 years for molesting children", The San Diego Union-Tribune, 2004-04-22. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ "Jury Convicts An Evangelist Of Tax Evasion", The New York Times, 1994-06-12. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ "A Look at Some Fallen Religious Leaders", SF Gate, 2006-11-03. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ "Foot cult leader sentenced to prison.", United Press International, 2005-07-15. Retrieved on 2007-12-21.
- ^ Indictment, United States of America v. Kent E. Hovind and Jo D. Hovind, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Pensacola Division, case no. 3:06CR83/MCR (dated July 11, 2006; filed at 12:55 pm, July 11, 2006).
- ^ "Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts", Pensacola News Journal, 2006-11-03. Retrieved on 2007-12-21.
- ^ "Wife of Founder of Scientology Given Five Years", Los Angeles Times, 1979-12-06. Retrieved on 2007-12-21.
- ^ "'Time to pay the piper' for preacher convicted of grand theft", CNN, 1999-03-31. Retrieved on 2007-12-21.
- ^ "Moon Conviction IsUpheldbyCourt", The New York Times, 1983-09-14. Retrieved on 2007-12-21.
- ^ "Edward Morrissey pleads guilty in taking millions from church", The Oregonian, 2005-04-14. Retrieved on 2007-12-21.
- ^ "Guru's Ex-Secretary Returns to United States", The New York Times, 1986-02-07. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ {{cite news| url=http://www.irstaxattorney.com/Fraud-Statutes/7203_Bank_Records_Net_Worth_Increases_4_p4.html|
