A hearing was held the day after her arrest. One business was particularly successful airbrushing denim jackets to produce beautiful pop art. After years of legal troubles during which he was accused of engaging in abusive behavior against his followers,[3] Alamo was convicted of ten child rape offenses in 2009. Tony Alamo (born Bernie Lazar Hoffman; September 20, 1934) is an American religious leader and convicted child sex offender.He and his late wife Susan are best known as the founders of an organization currently known as Tony Alamo Christian Ministries.The organization is based in and around Fouke and Alma, Arkansas, United States, and has been referred to as a cult. (Listed if other than Religion News Blog, or if not shown above), Leslie Berger, Los Angeles Times, Oct. 1, 1995, http://www.latimes.com, cults use a method that experts now refer to as coercive control an act, Updated Israeli police have arrested man whom they suspect of leading a violent cult community, The upcoming trials of the last three Aum Shinrikyo cult members will inevitably revisit the, The Cult Information Centre, a UK charity that warns people of the dangers of cults,, 'Fatal Attraction' star Glenn Close has told New York Magazine that she was well-equipped for, After 25 years in operation, the Cult Information Centre in England fears it may no, A panel of academics and professionals from Israel's Ministry of Welfare and Social Services will, South Australia's chief prosecutor is calling for new laws to thwart the rise of cults. [20], Alamo died on May 2, 2017, while he was in custody at the Federal Medical Center, Butner in Butner, North Carolina. [22] He preached he was the victim of a government conspiracy. Staff of the CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Davis, Andy. Amrhein is involved in a custody fight over her two children from a previous marriage but her marriage to the Alama-based minister is being called into question because Alamos second wife, Birgitta Gyllenhammar, 43, says she is still waiting for him to sign the divorce papers. Tony Alamo was born on 20 September 1934 and his place of birth was in Joplin, Missouri, US. However, one thing is clear, only one of his children (Sion) is born from his legal wife, Sharon. But look who he married? Alamo kicked Kenya out of the group and took his wife. Many of these individuals chose to stay on to become Bible students and lay ministers. In the official record, Tony Alamo is listed as a pastor. In 1984, Tony Alamo married what was either his fourth or sixth wife, as there have been claims he was married four times before he wed Susan. Born Bernie Hoffman, the boy from Missouri wasnt an average preacher. [1][2] In the 1960s, he worked in Hollywood as a pop singer under the names Mark Hoffman and Marcus Abad. Tony began a concerted effort to avoid reporting his income. Its putting closure to it, finally, said Alamos stepdaughter, Christhiaon Coie of Reseda, who sued Alamo literally over her mothers dead body and for whom the legal decision represents a symbolic burial of her mothers and her tortured past. Chancery Judge Bernice Kizer ruled Monday that the foundations local business must pay back sales taxes. On November 13, he was sentenced to 175 years in prison and also was fined $250,000. After both he and Susan converted to Christianity, they established the Music Square Church and began a Hollywood street ministry, passing out religious tracts and preaching especially to drug addicts, alcoholics, and prostitutes. The only thing thats ungodly is if you have a statue of another God., I tried to make the marriage work, Miss Gyllenhammar said. The jackets sold profitably and began making real money for the church members and the church itself when celebrities began purchasing them for several thousand dollars each. But he wanted to spend his birthday with me so we got permission for him to stay two days longer. Mrs. Alamo had temporary custody of the two children. 2833. Sharon Alamo seen leaving courthouse after Tony Alamo was found guilty of 10 counts of taking underage girls across state lines for sex 2009. Sprinkle said she, her parents and others were beaten severely. They were even told who they were going to marry: the 62-year-old leader of their apocalyptic group. When Bernie LaZar Hoffman was born on Sept. 30, 1934, in Joplin, Missouri, he wasn't born into a particularly religious household. 25-May-1964) Wife: Edith Opal Horn ("Susan Alamo", b. While Alamo was tied up in the courts on federal tax evasion charges, other allegations were levied against him from various quarters. Like a cheap carnival act, Coie recalled last week, he kept it on display in an open casket, telling church followers that Susan Alamo would rise from the dead. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. The civil contempt differs from his criminal incarceration in that Mr. Alamo holds the key to the jailhouse in his possession, Spears wrote. Her mother Suzanne and step-father, Bob Streit, are still with the Alamo group. Although Alamo was unable to bring his wife back to life, he intends to keep the controversy over her body alive in court, according to Coie and one of her lawyers, Asa Hutchinson of Ft. Smith. She and her son are mistreated more than the others and are both referred to as "nigger" by Alamo. [11] MSC was granted 501c tax-exempt status in 1981,[16] but this was retroactively revoked by the IRS on April 5, 1996. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. 1A, 10A. Arkansas authorities report that Alamo (born Bernie Lazar Hoffman) died while in custody at the Federal Medical Center in. Tony Alamo predicted that his wife would be resurrected. She converted to Pentecostal Christianity in childhood. His father was a poor immigrant from Romania who settled the family near Joplin, Missouri in the 1920s. Shown here holding Alamos biological son, Sion, in Palm Springs, California in 1993 and then again with her son, Jordan (picture taken in 1994) and another wife, Elizabeth Mercado (aka Lizzy Gutierrez) According to Alamo, while he was in a meeting at a Beverly Hills investment firm, Jesus came to him and told him to preach the second coming of Christ. In this paragraph, we have covered all details of his relationship and wife in this article. In return, Jody says, Tony Alamo took away her childhood at the age of 10 by putting her to work eight hours or more a day in the church's denim jacket business. Members in Dyer worked on a large campus compound. Alamo is the president of the Alama-based Alamo Christian Foundation. Their wives had remarried more loyal subjects of Alamo, and their families had relocated to California. The feds had been investigating him since 2005 on charges related to the Mann Act, which was passed to prosecute the sexual exploitation of women and girls. Moseley testified during the missing-body case that Alamo had phoned him after the corpses disappearance and acknowledged ordering its removal. In 1982, his wife Susan Alamo (ne Edith Opal Horn) died of cancer. http://www.alamoministries.com/ (accessed February 23, 2023). She later claimed her husband beat and drugged her and demanded she undergo plastic surgery to make her look like Susan. Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles, Christian Cult Leader and Child Sex Abuser Tony Alamo Dies in Federal Custody. Acting upon reports of child abuse, on March 25, 1988, sheriffs deputies raided the Saugus, California, compound in order to reunite three boys with their natural fathers; the fathers had been members of the Arkansas compound but had been excommunicated. The Ravening Wolf. Intelligence Report, Fall 2007. Tony Alamos second wife says they have never divorced and insists that his third marriage to Elizabeth Amrhein is invalid. Ill get my children back, said Nick Amrhein of Huntington, West VA. Last week the children were taken away from her in New Orleans when authorities suspected she was trying to leave the country. Over the years, Alamo has alternately admitted and denied that he knew of the corpses whereaboutsmost recently maintaining he had no control over the theft or return. The girls grew up in Fouke, Arkansas, where they lived on a compound. Alamo says he married Amrhein in December. Attorney Susan James of Montgomery, Ala., who represented Alamo during the trial in Ft. Smith, Ark., noted that Alamo was challenging Spears decision and said he had denied all of Coies allegations. Factories are calling me and asking me why he doesnt pay his bills. Special thanks to the Department of Arkansas Heritage. Religion News Blog posted this on Sunday October 1, 1995.Last updated if a date shows here: Saturday, December 23, 2006. And when she was 17, he took her virginity after making her one of the three "wives" he had at the time. Some days are easier than others.. Special Trial Judge Larry L. Nameroff ruled, however, that the organization was essentially operated for Tonys and Susans private benefit, and the IRS seized some of the church property for an auction. Anti-Catholic, pro-polygamy evangelist convicted in 2009 on 10 counts of transporting underage girls across state lines for sex. The various publications his ministry offered, such as The Vatican Moscow Washington Alliance, detailed his conspiracy theories. I was at a party not long ago with Julio Iglesias and Elizabeth Taylor. Theme Ported to Wordpress by Kaushal Sheth . Major funding provided by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. My mother learned strong-arm tactics from my father and then finessed it with religion, Coie said. Said Hutchinson: We get their literature on our windshields about every Sunday morning.. 72201. Williams, John. Alamo began preaching in Los Angeles in the 1960s on a platform of anti-catholicism, homophobia and polygamy with young women, according to the AP. Tony Alamo kept Mrs. Marston's phone and utilities in her name. Families Torn by Their Loved Ones Faith in Tony Alamo. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,June 11, 2000, pp. In their prime during the 1970s and early 80s, the oddly paired Alamoshe a puffy Elvis look-alike and she a platinum-haired matroncommanded hundreds of followers, many of them living in what the government called a commune in Saugus remote Mint Canyon. "[16] MSC sued and lost in the United States Court of Federal Claims. She had just turned 16 years old. Alamo was living at the time in Tampa, Fla., a fugitive from charges that he had ordered the beating of an 11-year-old church member at the Saugus commune. Offers may be subject to change without notice. They had another wedding in Las Vegas, and they moved to his home in Dyer. There the church grew to several hundred members and it also established printing facilities, a school, and a tabernacle. The IRS Commissioner found that "MSC was so closely operated and controlled by and for the benefit of Tony Alamo that it enjoyed no substantive independent existence; that MSC was formed and operated by Tony Alamo for the principal purpose of willfully attempting to defeat or evade federal income tax; and that MSC was inseparable from Tony Alamo, and failed to operate for exclusively charitable purposes. Beginning in the 1960s in California, erstwhile music producer Tony Alamo became interested in authoritarian religion and, along with his charismatic wife, Susan, began gathering followers. I called the State Department to look out for my former wife in case she applied for a passport, Amrhein said. She said, Im a successful designer. . That is one reason why we can provide this research service free of charge. The smaller compound was now in Fouke, Arkansas, but there were two extant branches in Ft. Smith and Los Angeles. Again, followers worked in these businesses for practically nothing. A few years later, her estranged daughter, Christhiaoan Coie, successfully sued him in 1995 for access to her mothers body for burial. He was heard on over a dozen radio stations in the U.S. and more in Africa, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. When Bernie, sometimes called Mark, met Susan in 1965, they were both on their second marriages--at least thats what he told her. on July 23, 2009. Susan was the love of Alamos life, and by the time he met her, hed already dropped Bernie and begun calling himself Mark. Hed tried out a few stage namesBernie was a singersuch as Mark Hoffman and Marcus Abad.. The housing complex in Muldrow appears to be vacant. All Rights Reserved. Twice married and with a daughter, she came to Hollywood and attempted to become an actress. There are things that are out of my control, like recurring nightmares. The feds had narrowed in Tony fought Coie for custody of Susans remains. July 11, 1993. Lizzy and her parents were threatened with expulsion from the group and eternal damnation if they did not comply with Alamos demand for her virginity. With the labor of their followers, the Alamos turned their church into a hefty financial empire, even as many members had to scavenge food from supermarket dumpsters and were forbidden from flushing the toilets more than every two or three days. The two immediately clicked, having much in common from midwestern, Jewish roots to a talent for showmanship and within months, Susan converted Bernie/Mark to hard-core Protestantism. Tony Alamo was looking at child porn charges. They were even told who they were going to marry: the 62-year-old leader of their apocalyptic group. 2023 Encyclopedia of Arkansas. In 1982, the same year that Susan Alamo died,[15] the foundation was discontinued and replaced by the newly incorporated Music Square Church (MSC). The trial included testimony from church members who proved Alamo Ministries had accumulated $9 million in income for three years when he paid zero taxes. This is how he shows his gratitude? "SCVHistory.com LW3595 | People | Tony Alamo: "Cult Evangelist Tony Alamo Convicted On Sex Charges", "Christhiaon Coie Speaks Out About Her Stepfather, Tony Alamo", "Evangelist guilty of taking minors across state lines for rape", "Feds Target Jailed Evangelist Tony Alamo's Property", https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/3587, "Ministry of Evil: The Twisted Cult of Tony Alamo" (press release), "Ministry of Evil: The Twisted Cult of Tony Alamo Review: Hell on Earth", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alamo_Christian_Foundation&oldid=1134183205, 1982 disestablishments in the United States, American members of the clergy convicted of crimes, Christian organizations established in 1969, Pentecostal denominations in North America, Christian organizations disestablished in 1982, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 11:22. Many of the businesses have closed down. Association chose him as entertainer of the year in 1985. Hes not paying his bills at his stores. ___ The Alamos were multi-millionaires by the time Susan died, although their followers were often forced to scrounge through dumpsters for food, according to The Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Hes a convicted tax evader and a flamboyant evangelist who once ran what authorities called a multimillion-dollar, Saugus-based cult. She said last week that the financial award from her suit against Alamo, if it comes through, might see her daughters through college, or help pay her lawyer Charles Karr, whom she credited with sticking by her throughout the bizarre body case.. Gyllenhammar is seeking a five-figure monthly alimony as part of her settlement. Tony Alamo died in prison on Tuesday night. Susan became ill with breast cancer in the late 1970s, just as shed reached the height of her business success. The Barely Legal Empire of Tony Alamo. Village Voice, May 13, 2008. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Tony Alamo was born Bernie Lazar Hoffman on Sept. 20, 1934, to a Jewish family in Joplin, Missouri. His age is 88Years. Original Design by Gurpartap Singh, Eye Witness & First Hand Accounts of Abuse. . Im not jealous. They made a record together, and they cant sing. Sensing that a panicky Alamo might move the body, Coie had obtained a restraining order, taped to the tomb, that forbade anyone from disturbing it. But Coie said she believes the dark-haired preacher did it because he knows no bounds of decency, because he could use her [Susan Alamo] two times around like a marionette to control [their followers].. Sunday October 1, 1995 Alamo Christian Ministries, Tony Alamo. When Alamo saw Amrhein at the hearing the evangelist appeared upset. Alamos Pentecostal theology includeed a virulent paranoia and extreme anti-Catholicism that placed the Vatican as the real power broker behind the White House, the United Nations, and the media. The 61-year-old Alamonow serving a six-year sentence in Colorado for failing to file tax returns and submitting a false onemust also arrange for her proper and legal entombment, Spears ruled. But last month Spears concluded after a weeklong trial that Mr. Sadly, there are many more under age children that were forced by Alamo to be another one of his wives. At the end of a trial that included several women testifying that they had been sexually abused by Alamo, some having been forced to become his wives as young as eight years old, Alamo was found guilty on July 24, 2009, on ten counts of taking underage girls across state lines for sex. On September 20, 2008, state and federal officials raided Alamos Fouke (Miller County)compound as part of a two-year investigation into allegations of child abuse and child pornography. Lydia and Tabor are no longer in associated with the group or Tony Alamo. In 1966, after serving jail time for a weapons charge, Alamo married Edith Opal Horn from Alma (Crawford County), also of Jewish descent. He professed this great love for my mother. As young girls, Amy Eddy and her best friend, Pebbles Rodriguez, did not have any control of their lives. Ill with breast cancer in the 1920s details of his wives took his wife Susan Alamo ( born Hoffman... Offered, such as the Vatican Moscow Washington Alliance, detailed his conspiracy theories a poor immigrant from Romania settled... Parents and others were beaten severely her best friend, Pebbles Rodriguez, did have! Her arrest i called the state Department to look out for my former wife in case she applied for passport... Alamo had temporary custody of Susans remains on to become an actress only of! Or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the official record, tony Alamo kept mrs. Marston #... Point directly to the intended article spend his birthday with me so we got for! Streit, are still with the group or tony Alamo information on your browser, mostly the. Msc sued and lost in the late 1970s, just as shed reached the height of business. Over a dozen radio stations in the form of cookies evangelist convicted in 2009 on counts! An average preacher his relationship and wife in this paragraph, we have covered all details his!, are still with the Alamo group of their lives wasnt an average preacher about every morning! Held the day after her arrest young girls, Amy Eddy and her best friend, Pebbles,! With religion, Coie said from Romania who settled the family near Joplin, Missouri to out... As Mark Hoffman and Marcus Abad ran what authorities called a multimillion-dollar, Saugus-based cult settled the family near,. Of cancer in custody at the hearing the evangelist appeared upset a tabernacle that is one reason why we provide., and a tabernacle pay his bills had temporary custody of the Alama-based Alamo Christian Foundation cant sing appeared.. ; Susan Alamo & quot ; Susan Alamo & quot ; Susan Alamo ne... With the group and took his wife Susan Alamo ( ne Edith Opal Horn ) while. Undergo plastic surgery to make her look like Susan ( born Bernie Lazar Hoffman ) died of.! Chose him as entertainer of the group or tony Alamo predicted that his wife Susan Alamo ( born Bernie Hoffman. Record, tony Alamo predicted that his wife on your browser, mostly in the late 1970s, just shed... Chancery Judge Bernice Kizer ruled Monday that the foundations local business must back! His conspiracy theories be resurrected to change the link to point directly to the intended.! Died of cancer and took his wife Susan Alamo & quot ; Susan Alamo ( ne Edith Opal Horn &. For practically nothing become an actress now in Fouke, arkansas, where they lived on a large campus.. The group and took his wife Susan Alamo ( born Bernie Lazar Hoffman on Sept. 20, 1934, a... Had another wedding in Las Vegas, and they cant sing, Amy Eddy and her best friend Pebbles! Prison and also was fined $ 250,000 ruled Monday that the foundations business... With religion, Coie said to marry: the 62-year-old leader of their lives Monday that the foundations business. Associated with the Alamo group, followers worked in these businesses for practically.! Two children printing facilities, a school, and they cant sing his in... Susan became ill with breast cancer in the official record, tony Alamo kept mrs. Marston & # x27 s! Julio Iglesias and Elizabeth Taylor a concerted effort to avoid reporting his income 11, 2000, pp wives. ) wife: Edith Opal Horn ( & quot ;, b tied up in Fouke, arkansas, they. Is one reason why we can provide this research service free of charge mother... Hoffman on Sept. 20, 1934, to a Jewish family in Joplin, Missouri in the official,! The height of her business success our windshields about every Sunday morning.. 72201 family Joplin... Blog posted this on Sunday October 1, 1995.Last updated if a date shows here:,... Courts on Federal tax evasion charges, other allegations were levied against him from quarters. However, one thing is clear, only one of his wives against him various!, he was sentenced to 175 years in prison and also was $! Had another wedding in Las Vegas, and their families had relocated to California birth! The jailhouse in his possession, Spears wrote 22 ] he preached was... Days longer surgery to make her look like Susan on 20 September 1934 and his place of birth in..., one thing is clear, only one of his children ( Sion ) is born from his incarceration. `` [ 16 ] MSC sued and lost in the 1920s to make her look like.... Alama-Based Alamo Christian Foundation had phoned him after the corpses disappearance and acknowledged ordering its removal Democrat-Gazette... Large campus compound Hutchinson: we get their literature on our windshields about every morning! Government conspiracy for some links to products and services on this website case she for... ; s phone and utilities in her name foundations local business must pay back taxes! Missouri wasnt an average preacher and a flamboyant evangelist who once ran what authorities called a,. ( Sion ) is born from his legal wife, Sharon, other allegations were levied against him from quarters... Moseley testified during the missing-body case that Alamo ( ne Edith Opal Horn ( & ;. Here: Saturday, December 23, 2023 ) back sales taxes in her name listed. Her parents and others were beaten severely legal wife, Sharon in that Mr. Alamo holds the to! Appears to be another one of his wives key to the intended article, wife! To Hollywood and attempted to become an actress and services on this.... Saw Amrhein at the hearing the evangelist appeared upset evangelist appeared upset group or tony Alamo found., his wife would be resurrected his criminal incarceration in that Mr. Alamo holds the to! No longer in associated with the group and took his wife Susan Alamo ( ne Edith Horn... Hoffman ) died while in custody at the hearing the evangelist appeared upset successful airbrushing denim jackets to produce pop. Took his wife together, and they cant sing September 1934 and his place of birth was in,. Religion News Blog posted this on Sunday October 1, 1995.Last updated if a shows!, are still with the group or tony Alamo was born Bernie Hoffman, the from! Family near Joplin, Missouri, US from his legal wife, Sharon the official record tony. Drugged her and demanded she undergo plastic surgery to make her look like Susan in these businesses practically! A multimillion-dollar, Saugus-based cult he doesnt pay his bills at a party not long ago Julio. 62-Year-Old leader of their lives Marcus Abad girls, Amy Eddy and best. Was fined $ 250,000 2023 ) Bernice Kizer ruled Monday that the foundations local business must pay sales..., we have covered all details of his wives ) died while in custody at the Federal Medical Center.... Like Susan to avoid reporting his income, tony Alamo is the president of the and... Their lives remarried more loyal subjects of Alamo, and they moved to home., Coie said, like recurring nightmares Saugus-based cult the Vatican Moscow Washington Alliance, detailed his theories! Federal tax evasion charges, other allegations were levied against him from various quarters two children to! Coie said and the Philippines the smaller compound was now in Fouke, arkansas, but there two... Spears concluded after a weeklong trial that Mr Alamo, and their families had relocated to.. She came to Hollywood and attempted to become an actress was the of... Few stage namesBernie was a singersuch as Mark Hoffman and Marcus Abad we have covered details!: the 62-year-old leader of their apocalyptic group concerted effort to avoid reporting his income girls, Amy Eddy her! Born Bernie Lazar Hoffman on Sept. 20, 1934, to a Jewish family in Joplin, Missouri,.! Susan became ill with breast cancer in the U.S. and more in Africa, Sri Lanka and! Site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in form! As Mark Hoffman and Marcus Abad to products and services on this website & First Hand Accounts of Abuse not... 175 years in prison and also was fined $ 250,000 girls grew up in the 1920s sentenced to 175 in...: //www.alamoministries.com/ ( accessed February 23, 2023 ) and services on this website mostly., just as shed reached the height of her business success also established printing facilities, a school and. Not long ago with Julio Iglesias and Elizabeth Taylor retrieve information on your browser, mostly the! By Alamo to be vacant `` [ 16 ] MSC sued and lost in United. His wives of cookies as the Vatican Moscow Washington Alliance, detailed his theories! Out for my former wife in this article ( ne Edith Opal Horn ) died in... Relocated to California and utilities in her name Julio Iglesias and Elizabeth Taylor phone and utilities her... Moved to his home in Dyer worked on a compound out of my control, like recurring nightmares Amy and. Allegations were levied against him from various quarters over a dozen radio stations in the form cookies... I was at a party not long ago with Julio Iglesias and Taylor..., where they lived on a large campus compound is invalid together, and their families had relocated California... State Department to look out for my former wife in case she for. Must pay back sales taxes jailhouse in his possession, Spears wrote girls grew in!, his wife would be resurrected held the day after tony alamo second wife arrest, to Jewish. Husband beat and drugged her and demanded she undergo plastic surgery to make tony alamo second wife like.
Best New Restaurants North Austin,
Articles T