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Brunswick, Ga. -- A jury found cult leader Malachi York guilty on Friday of 10 of the 11 child molestation and racketeering counts against him.
York, 58, was found innocent of one count of transporting minors across state lines for unlawful sexual activity. This charge had claimed York abused children during a trip to Disney World.
The jurors, who reached their initial verdict after seven hours of deliberation, went back into court chambers to consider two remaining counts of property forfeiture. York could face up to 80 years in prison when sentenced, prosecutors said.
During the three-week trial, 14 girls and boys said York molested them from 1998 through 2002, when federal agents raided the compound.
I'm very proud of the victims. I admire them and Im very pleased for them. It is their victory, prosecutor Richard Moultrie said.
The government claimed York recruited older girls to groom younger girls for sex with him, and that he used the cult for his own financial gain. Members of the group werent paid for their work _ instead, York managed the money and decided who to reward and punish, prosecutors said.
If girls pleased York, they would get prizes like diamond rings from Wal-Mart or trips outside the compound to a restaurant, according to testimony. If they angered him, they would be forced to live on rationed food and would have to fill out forms for necessities like sanitary napkins and doctors visits.
Defense attorney Adrian Patrick unsuccessfully argued that the witnesses who claimed they were molested concocted their stories as part of a conspiracy by Yorks son to frame his father. Defense witnesses said Jacob York hated his father because York wouldnt pay for his musical career.
Patrick also said the government was out to get the mostly black Nuwaubian sect because their beliefs were different from the mainstream.
The guilty verdicts could lead to the end of the Nuwaubians because they also allow the government to seize parts of his neo-Egyptian compound in middle Georgia. Some Nuwaubians still live on the 476 acres of land in Eatonton, which is decorated with pyramids, a sphinx and statues of American Indians.
Yorks trial was moved from Macon to Brunswick because of pretrial publicity. He did not testify in his defense.
The anticipated Nuwaubian protests never materialized _ Yorks followers quietly watched the trial on a TV in a separate courtroom, as ordered by Judge Ashley Royal. When the verdict was read, the 40 Nuwaubians watching the television were calm and had little reaction.
Heavily armed police patrolled outside the courthouse to curtail any incidents. At past court hearings, Nuwaubians dressed as Egyptian pharaohs, mummies and birds while beating on drums.
Over the years, York has incorporated Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Egyptian mysticism and space aliens into his quasi-religious teachings. He has unsuccessfully argued he has American Indian heritage and should not be judged by the U.S. court system.