She was already married to Kenya Williams (African American) and pregnant with his child at the time. 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. She said she did not plan to leave the country, although Amrhein thinks she and Alamo and the children were about to take a cruise on the Queen Elizabeth II. [1][2] The Alamo Ministries posted a notice of his death on its website's homepage, but it has not posted a notice of succession nor has it stated what its future plans are. 1A, 10A. By. When Amrhein was arrested last week in New Orleans for trying to leave the country, her marriage license was reportedly not certified. He eventually moved his headquarters to Arkansas with his wife, Susan, where he held secret ceremonies at his compound to authorize his marriage to girls as young as 15-years-old. [8] Converting from Judaism to Christianity, she became an itinerant evangelist before she met Hoffman. [11] Individuals who sought to join the church and become involved in its rehabilitation program took a vow of poverty and agreed to turn all of their money and property over to the church. At its height, the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries had thousands of followers around the country, according to the AP. Around the time of his wifes death, Tony changed the name of the church and consolidated its power. Anyone can use it regardless of ability, approach, or level of acceptance by recognized authorities in the field. Preacher Alamo Told to Return Wife's Remains. Upon his release, the ex-felon returned home: back to his now humbler Tony Alamo Christian Ministries. Sadly, there are many more under age children that were forced by Alamo to be another one of his wives. They say they were planning a honeymoon cruise for later, Amrhein said. Both members of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries, they were forced to follow countless rules and required permission to go outside. She had just turned 16 years old. Pre-European Exploration, Prehistory through 1540, European Exploration and Settlement, 1541 through 1802, Louisiana Purchase through Early Statehood, 1803 through 1860, Civil War through Reconstruction, 1861 through 1874, Post-Reconstruction through the Gilded Age, 1875 through 1900, Early Twentieth Century, 1901 through 1940, World War II through the Faubus Era, 1941 through 1967, Divergent Prosperity and the Arc of Reform, 19682022, https://www.villagevoice.com/2008/05/13/the-barely-legal-empire-of-tony-alamo/, Divergent Prosperity and the Arc of Reform (19682022). In 1982, the same year that Susan Alamo died,[15] the foundation was discontinued and replaced by the newly incorporated Music Square Church (MSC). Tony Alamo's Wife, Girlfriend His marital status is not known. The assistant said there were many Scriptural reasons why they divorced. Online at http://www.religionnewsblog.com/8506 (accessed February 23, 2023). The Alamo Christian Foundation was an American cult founded in 1969 by Christian evangelist Tony Alamo and one of his wives, Susan Alamo. When Tony got back into the business in 1999, he immediately went on the air. For every Chris Coie out there, there are hundreds of people who would say just the opposite with regard to her allegations about the church and about Tony, James said. Tony Alamo Christian Ministries. Then the couple flew to Vegas, where they went through two more marriage ceremonies. Many of the businesses have closed down. Susan became ill with breast cancer in the late 1970s, just as shed reached the height of her business success. The documentary series also features archival footage, including Tony Alamo's videotaped deposition, as well as interviews with former members of the cult and the FBI agent who brought Alamo down.[23][24]. When Bernie LaZar Hoffman was born on Sept. 30, 1934, in Joplin, Missouri, he wasn't born into a particularly religious household. He was born Bernie Lazar Hoffman on September 20, 1934, in Joplin, Missouri. In July 1998, he was transferred to a Texarkana halfway house, from which he was released on December 8 of the same year. He remained in prison until his death in May 2017 . 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. A chancery court judge ordered Alamo to return the body in 1995 in response to a suit filed by Christhiaon Coie, Susan Alamos estranged daughter. The main campus continued to grow, adding gas stations, a restaurant and a hog farm, according to The New York Times. Misheal Eden Jones-Williams Unofficial wife of Tony Alamo. Donations made to the CALS Foundation are tax-deductible for United States federal income tax purposes. She later claimed her husband beat and drugged her and demanded she undergo plastic surgery to make her look like Susan. Tucker, Maria Luisa. But he had to go back to his mother the day before his birthday. Witnesses at his trial described being taken as child brides, with some as young as 9 years old. Preacher Tony Alamo Told to Return Wife's Remains. The various publications his ministry offered, such as The Vatican Moscow Washington Alliance, detailed his conspiracy theories. [13], In 1991 the federal government confiscated the property, finding when its agents arrived that Susan's body had been removed. Among the businesses which Alamo started was decorating denim jackets and airbrushing them with bright, colorful designs. Alamo kicked Kenya out of the group and took his wife. Pictures are unavailable at this time. There the church grew to several hundred members and it also established printing facilities, a school, and a tabernacle. This is how he shows his gratitude? On December 2, 2010, the Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld his conviction and sentence. To show you how much he has changed, at the hearing in New Orleans, he said I would beat him. But the church began to falter in 1985, when the Internal Revenue Service stripped it of its tax-exempt status, charging it was nothing more than a front for Alamo-owned businesses. [22] He sent their record to all my friends in Los Angeles to make me mad. Then in 1991, as federal authorities moved to seize the churchs myriad assets, the mausoleum in Dyer was broken into and Susan Alamos body disappeared. The following month, Susan Alamo was re-interred in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The show related his four-year struggle against the Alamo church on the streets of Hollywood. After a decade of building the church, Susan and Tony moved everyone to Dyer, Arkansas, just outside Fort Smith near the Oklahoma border. Alamos church also lives, if in a far smaller and less organized fashion, said several sources including Alamos own lawyer. Shown here pregnant with Alamos son, Tabor. Sign up to receive breakingFront Page Detectivesnews and exclusive investigations. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. The Alamo Christian Foundation had churches in Chicago, Nashville, Miami Beach and Brooklyn. . [1][2] He was 82 years old. Rate and review titles you borrow and share your opinions on them. [21], The church was Protestant and Pentecostal in nature and it was frequently referred to as a sect of the Jesus movement. In September 2008, Alamo was charged with multiple violations of the Mann Act between 1994 and 2005. She moved into the house with the other wives and was wearing a wedding ring given to her by Alamo, while he was still in prison. Some were forced to become his wives throughout the 1990s. For more on former child brides Amy Eddy and Pebbles Rodriguez, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this weeks issue, on newsstands now. 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. Last week the children were taken away from her in New Orleans when authorities suspected she was trying to leave the country. But after Susan died in 1982, Alamos behavior turned more deviant as he extolled the righteousness of polygamy and marrying young girls. (AP) Amy Eddy and Pebbles Rodriguez are speaking out about how they were controlled by apocalyptic cult leader Tony Alamo in an upcoming documentary. Magazines, Digital Their wives had remarried more loyal subjects of Alamo, and their families had relocated to California. Sharon Ast-Kroopf-Hoffman Legal wife of Tony Alamo. Alamo was charged was violating the Fair Labor Standards Act, went to court, then countersued all the way to the Supreme Court. He accused me of having an ungodly statue of a man and a woman. Alamo was recently convicted by a federal court jury in Texarkana, Ark., on 10 counts of transporting underage girls across state lines for sex. [12], The church published religious tracts and distributed tapes of sermons by the Alamos. Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles, Christian Cult Leader and Child Sex Abuser Tony Alamo Dies in Federal Custody. Son: Mark Anthony Hoffman (b. Nailing Tony Alamo. This Rock 1 (October 1990). In October 2007, Tony Alamo Christian Ministries was listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center on account of its anti-Catholic rhetoric. Bowden, Bill. 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. He claimed that the governments actions against him were merely the machinations of Satan, and his followers continued to attract controversy for distributing his printed literature across the United States and beyond. Every day is a milestone, Amy says. They named the group the Alamo Christian Foundation before forming the . Alamo went on to own a health club and work in the music industry. [1][2] In the 1960s, he worked in Hollywood as a pop singer under the names Mark Hoffman and Marcus Abad. The Daughters Tale: Anti-Catholic Cult Leaders Child Recounts Abuse. Intelligence Report, Spring 2008. Major support provided through a partnership with the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism. He left me with all the bills, she said. Susan Alamo, born Edith Opal Horn, married Hoffman in 1966 after which the two changed their names to Tony and Susan Alamo. The case of the boys went before U.S. District Judge Morris Arnold, who ruled that child abuse had taken place and awarded damages to the plaintiffs. New congregants signed on, then the church transported them to a rural location of Agua Dulce, California, about an hour northeast, for a hot meal and a sermon. Alamo, 74, faces up to 175 years in prison, plus fines that could total $2.5 million. That is one reason why we can provide this research service free of charge. Arkansas authorities report that Alamo (born Bernie Lazar Hoffman) died while in custody at the Federal Medical Center in. When Alamo saw Amrhein at the hearing the evangelist appeared upset. Alamos Fort Smith attorneys say they do not know if Alamo divorced Gyllenhammar and if he properly married Amrhein. He claimed that he recorded a hit record single in the early 1960s, Little Yankee Girl, and that he was asked to manage musical acts including the Beatles, the Doors, and the Rolling Stones. History: In 1989 Alamo married Sharon Kroopf (now Sharon Miriam Hoffman), in her late 30s at the time. In 2007, the Southern Poverty Law Center listed the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries as a hate group, citing its anti-Catholic literature and rhetoric. Tony Alamo (1934-2017), American founder of the Alamo Christian Foundation Antonio Alamo, Jr., known as Tony Alamo, American physician and Nevada gaming official This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. The civil contempt differs from his criminal incarceration in that Mr. Alamo holds the key to the jailhouse in his possession, Spears wrote. Alamo says he married Amrhein in December. It would be three more years before Alamo followers would finally deliver Susan Alamos remains to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for proper burial under Coies supervision. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital 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. Association chose him as entertainer of the year in 1985. He's a convicted tax evader and a flamboyant evangelist who once ran what authorities called a multimillion-dollar, Saugus-based cult. He arrived in Los Angeles in the 1960s, claiming he was a music promoter with clients including the Beatles. Alamo Christian Foundation zeroed in on street kids, and there were no shortage in 1960s Hollywood. A hearing was held the day after her arrest. Tony also faced charges relating to his late wifes body. Chancery Judge Bernice Kizer ruled Monday that the foundations local business must pay back sales taxes. Tony Alamo was born Bernie Lazar Hoffman on Sept. 20, 1934, to a Jewish family in Joplin, Missouri. For years they were side by side, and Anthony said he believes she was the true mastermind of Alamo Ministries. Elizabeth Mercado Unofficial wife of Tony Alamo. He became unhinged and, convinced he could raise her from the dead, kept her embalmed body on display for six months with members of his church praying around it. [11], In 1976, the church relocated to Dyer, Arkansas, where Susan had grown up. In 1975, the Alamos purchased land in Dyer, near Alma, and there established the main branch of the Music Square Church, which later was called the Holy Alamo Christian Church Consecrated before its present name was adopted. 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. [9], Tony and Susan Alamo founded the Alamo Christian Foundation in 1969 in Hollywood, California. Others said they never got paid. The total number of wives he has accumulated is unclear, to be sure. In 2019, the American television channel Sundance TV broadcast the four-part miniseries Ministry of Evil: The Twisted Cult of Tony Alamo, based on the lives of Tony and Susan Alamo. The only thing thats ungodly is if you have a statue of another God., I tried to make the marriage work, Miss Gyllenhammar said. Claiming resurrection was imminent, hed kept Susan displayed in the compound for months before interring her body. I doubled the business at the Alamo of Nashville store. ___ The full weight of the crimes hed committed was finally coming to light, and in 2014, a judge from Miller County, Arkansas, ruled in a case brought by seven ex-cult members. The monthly gross went from $50,000 to $120,000.. Alamos attorneys kept the issue before the courts from 1985 to 1992, arguing that church-owned enterprises were exempt from federal income taxes because they were churches in disguise. The couple first grew a following in Hollywood, preaching peace and salvation. With the assistance of some church members, the Alamos produced records and tapes. The imprisoned Evangelist preacher Tony Alamo, who sexually abused young girls he considered to be his wives, has died after serving more than seven years of a 175-year prison sentence, authorities said. Today, the girl born into the Alamo church is a grown woman, as is her younger sister, and Coies pride in both her daughters is immense. In November of that year, the judge sentenced him to 175 years in prison. Alamo had not been issuing checks to his employees and offered only the most menial financial recompense, leading some disgruntled followers to begin reporting his activities. Families Torn by Their Loved Ones Faith in Tony Alamo. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,June 11, 2000, pp. Communal living was a staple of the Music Square Church. Dear Abby: My boyfriend is using me for sex and money. 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. You know, what gets me about this is [my mother] made him a multimillionaire many times over, Coie said. Tonys behavior after Susans death became troubling, but it turned out he had a long history of shady dealings and violent confrontations dating back to his days in Los Angeles. 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].. 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. Alamo denies it. In 1976, a few unhappy followers reported him to the U.S. Department of Labor, who investigated. Her estranged daughter, Christhiaon Coie, brought a suit against Tony for stealing the body, and her stepfather obtained a court order requiring the body to be returned.[14]. 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. Their partnership brought in more members than ever. "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. 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