KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Six former cult members have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a 12+ year forced labor conspiracy.
According to the United States Department of Justice, the six high-ranking members of the United Nation of Islam (UNOI) forced members into unpaid labor. The DOJ says they did so using beatings, threats, punishments, isolation and coercion.
Additionally, some of the victims, who were forced to work up to 16 hours per day, were as young as eight years old. The DOJ says the conspiracy lasted for over 12 years – from October 2000 through November 2012.
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The DOJ says the victims also performed forced and unpaid childcare and domestic service in the defendants’ homes. Investigation revealed that while the defendants were living comfortably in their homes, the victims were housed in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions with restricted food and water…