Verdict on polygamous sect: Religion is not a shield for criminal activities
(The Christian Science Monitor) The federal prosecution of criminal and civil rights violations in two remote towns on the Utah-Arizona border suggests that law enforcement agencies are erasing cultural taboos against prosecuting polygamous sects in the United States.
The two-pronged action by the Department of Justice against a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sect, legal scholars say, shows a deepening sophistication among Americans when it comes to drawing a distinction between religious activities and criminal activity.
A federal jury in March found two FLDS-run towns guilty of multiple civil rights violations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation rounded up 11 FLDS leaders on felony welfare fraud charges. The jury found that the towns sabotaged people who were considered threats, that the police departments harassed and intimidated nonbelievers, and that local officials denied services to new residents from outside of the faith.
