Evangelist sweats on jury underage sex deliberations

Austin News.Net
Thursday 23rd July, 2009

A jury deliberating the fate of well-known American religious evangelist, Tony Alamo, is deliberating on charges that Alamo transported young girls across state lines for sex.

Jurors have been discussing the case after US District Judge Harry Barnes asked for a decision on a 10 count indictment.

At the end of court proceedings on Thursday, Barnes met the jurors to answer some questions before allowing them to leave for the day.

Alamo, 74, is charged with taking five underage girls across state lines for sex between 1994 and 2005 after supposedly marrying them in a quasi-religious ceremony.

Defence lawyers have claimed the prosecutors have targeted Alamo because the government is anti-Christian.

Alamo has blamed the Vatican for his troubles and refused to testify during his trial, saying he would not testify in a court he saw as being unjust.

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