Stories about the Amish as victims – or perpetrators – of crime.
From a story just published: Some Amish are asking for a life sentence for the man convicted of beard cutting attacks. The U.S. Attorney in Cleveland has received 14 letters from Amish in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, in which a “long” or “life” sentence for renegade Amish bishop Sam Mullet, Sr., is requested. Fourteen letters is more than just one or two isolated people writing. No…
A reporter from the Cleveland Plain Dealer visited Bergholz recently, and has given us a look at the community from a different perspective. Unlike most previous coverage, this article provides a rather sympathetic look at the group: Last week, members of the Bergholz community scoffed at the government’s portrayal. They said they were tired of being treated like zoo animals by others in different Amish…
Over the past weekend a driver apparently purposely drove his car into a horse pulling a buggy full of Nappanee, Indiana -area Amish teenagers. Francisco Gonzalez was captured on a Wal-Mart parking lot camera turning around and returning to the road to run into the buggy horse, which was killed instantly. The boys were shaken but unhurt; what the driver left behind was described as…
You have probably heard by now that the Bergholz beard-cutters were convicted in the federal hate crimes trial last week. They will have to wait four months for sentencing, however, until January 24 (appeal remains a possibility as well). Now attention has shifted to whether some of the convicts should remain free or be imprisoned leading up to sentencing. According to the lead of this…
The big Amish news this week is the trial of 16 members of the Bergholz group, which opened in a Cleveland federal court Tuesday. The accused are charged with hate crimes for their roles in the beard and hair-cutting attacks. Some face sentences of 20 years or more if convicted. Defendants have rejected plea bargain deals offering much shorter sentences, and have argued that their…
It’s been some time since we’ve covered the Bergholz beard-cutters, though pieces of news have been trickling out here and there. The trial of the 16 defendants in the case is fast approaching, with proceedings set to begin August 27. The accused have sought certain allowances in the lead-up to the trial. The latest objection is over language used to describe the group: Members of…
Unfortunately harassing the Amish happens often enough that it even goes by a few colorful terms such as “Amo-bashing”. It can range from petty vandalism to verbal abuse to even assault. A pair of recent incidents go a step further into felony criminal territory. Two Amish couples in Geauga County, Ohio were held up a week ago in separate incidents on the same road. The…
The news came yesterday that Monroe Beachy, Ohio Amishman and investment fund manager, received a 6-and-a-half year sentence for fraud. Investors in Beachy’s popular fund lost around $17 million, around half of its total value. U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach described it as “fraud on a massive scale.” Beachy, 78, requested to serve his sentence at home, but this was rejected, and he will be going…
Chances are you’ve heard of the recent attacks on Amish by now. Members of a small Ohio group have been entering Amish homes and cutting off men’s beards and men’s and women’s hair. Authorities have gotten involved and now there are serious charges – kidnapping and burglary – against the perpetrators. The group in question is located near the town of Bergholz in Jefferson County…
Attacks against Amish have a long history. These have ranged from verbal abuse to more serious offenses such as theft, vandalism, and arson. In some cases, Amish have been injured or even killed. A series of barn burnings in Big Valley, PA in the early 1990s, or targeted assaults and robberies against Amish in the Nappanee, Indiana area, are just a couple of the more…