Amish Beard-Cutters Guilty of Hate Crimes

Bishop Sam Mullet, 15 followers face 10 years in prison for attacks

By John Johnson

Posted Sep 20, 2012 4:03 PM CDT

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Amish Beard-Cutters Guilty of Hate Crimes — Sam Mullet Sr. stands in the front yard of his home in Bergholz, Ohio, in this file photo from last year. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)

Prosecutors got convictions today in one of the most unusual hate-crime cases on record. An Ohio jury found an ultra-conservative Amish bishop and 15 of his followers guilty of forcibly shaving the beards and hair of their Amish enemies, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer. In one case, the assailants shaved their own parents. Bishop Sam Mullet didn't take part in the actual assaults, but the jury ruled that he orchestrated them. Because prosecutors successfully made the case that they were religious-motivated hate crimes, Mullet and the others face 10 years in prison or more.

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