TEXARKANA, Ark. - A prosecutor told federal jurors yesterday that society cannot tolerate sexual predators like evangelist Tony Alamo and that they must convict him on charges that he took five young girls across state lines for sex.
At times while she spoke, Alamo fell asleep.
“Your crimes have been exposed in this courtroom,’’ Assistant US Attorney Kyra Jenner told Alamo after turning away from jurors and toward the defense table.
Awake at this point, Alamo sneered and waved her away.
Alamo, 74, is facing a 10-count indictment. Defense lawyers argued the girls traveled the country for legitimate church business and told jurors they could only convict if prosecutors proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Lawyer Phillip Kuhn told jurors not to swayed by testimony unrelated to the indictment - that Alamo may have had multiple wives, or that he may have set up businesses to evade taxes. He said prosecutors deliberately strayed from the specific charges against Alamo.
Jurors were set to begin deliberating this morning.
Jenner said the girls Alamo is accused of abusing were too young to be of much use to his 100- to 200-member church, which espouses an apocalyptic form of Christianity. They had no clerical experience, she said, adding that the few church members who testified on the preacher’s behalf were following “blindly and loyally.’’
“What church business does a child conduct?’’ Jenner asked.
Jenner recalled the testimony of a young follower who said she was taken to the back of Alamo’s tour bus: “The only thing he used me for was sex.’’
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