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Six members of a Kansas-based cult have been convicted over a conspiracy in which they forced children as young as eight to work 16-hour days under the threat of “eternal hellfire.”
The former members of the United Nation of Islam kept dozens of victims in “deplorable conditions” in overcrowded facilities that were often overrun with mold and rats, according to the Department of Justice.
Victims’ food and water intake was so heavily policed that a girl drank water from a toilet because she was so thirsty, the department said.
Kaaba Majeed, 50, Yunus Rassoul, 39, James Staton, 62, Randolph Rodney Hadley, 49, Daniel Aubrey Jenkins, 43, and Dana Peach, 60, were convicted of conspiracy to commit forced labor following a 26-day trial.
The six defendants were all former high-ranking members of the cult, or were wives to the organization’s founder, Royall Jenkins.
According to the federal prosecutors, the Nation and its members had promoted themselves as a “beacon of hope for the community” but had committed “heinous atrocities” against vulnerable youngsters.
Principles of the cult included strict adherence to the rules, required “duty” or unpaid labor and emphasized the negative eternal religious consequences of noncompliance, federal prosecutors said.
The organization operated businesses in various cities, including Kansas City, Kansas; New York City; Newark, New Jersey; Cincinnati, Ohio; Dayton, Ohio; and Atlanta.
According to prosecutors, in their former leadership roles, the defendants agreed to “compel the labor and services of over a dozen victims, including multiple minors, some of whom were as young as eight years old,” between October 2000 and November 2012.
The victims worked in cult-owned and operated restaurants, bakeries, gas stations, a laboratory and a clothing and sewing factory, often up to 16 hours a day. The victims also provided child care and domestic services inside the defendants’ homes.
None of the victims was ever compensated for the years of work they performed at the Nation businesses or at the behest of the defendants, and all lived in “deplorable conditions.” The overcrowded facilities were often overrun with mold, mice and rats, while the defendants and their immediate families lived comfortably.
The defendants used coercive techniques on the victims, including separating them from their families, controlling what they ate and how they dressed and threatening that they would burn in “eternal hellfire” if they disobeyed.
In addition, prosecutors said, the defendants required some victims to undergo colonics, which is a procedure designed to cleanse the colon by streaming gallons of water through a tube inserted into the victims’ rectums.
At the same time, the victims were rarely permitted to receive outside medical attention for illnesses. They were punished for breaking rules which included beatings, isolation or extra work.
“The defendants even held one victim upside down over train tracks because he would not admit to stealing food when he was hungry. Another victim drank water from a toilet because she was so thirsty after not being permitted to drink,” according to prosecutors.
Sentencing hearings are scheduled for February 18, 2025.
As well as conspiracy to commit forced labor, Majeed was convicted of five counts of forced labor – and faces a maximum of 20 years behind bars. The rest of the defendants each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
”The bravery shown by victims of the United Nation of Islam is inspiring, because they spoke up about heinous atrocities committed against them as vulnerable children,” said US Attorney Kate E. Brubacher for the District of Kansas on Monday.
“In childhood, they suffered physical and emotional abuse, were denied a proper education, and were subject to forced labor. As adults, these victims found the strength and courage to pursue justice and face their abusers.”
Stephen Cyrus, Special Agent in Charge, of the FBI Kansas City Field Office, added: “Under the guise of false pretenses and coercion, these victims, some of whom were as young as eight years old, endured inhumane and abhorrent conditions.
“Today’s convictions should serve as a stark warning that forced labor will not be tolerated by the FBI.”
