Six members of a Kansas-based cult were convicted on Monday, Sept. 16, of conspiracy. Federal prosecutors said that they forced children as young as eight to work 16-hour long days and live under “deplorable” conditions. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said the former members of the United Nation of Islam left dozens of child workers in overcrowded facilities with mold and rats.
The children were reportedly under strict dress codes and the cult controlled what they ate. Prosecutors note that one victim was so thirsty that she drank water out of a toilet.
The defendants included former high-ranking members of the Kansas-based cult or wives of the founder, Royall Jenkins, who died in 2021. The organization operated businesses across the country, which included Kansas City, Kansas; New York City; Atlanta; Newark, New Jersey, Cincinnati, Ohio; and Dayton, Ohio. The victims worked in cult-owned and operated restaurants, bakeries, clothing stores and gas stations.
The cult never paid workers for their services and the children rarely saw a doctor, according to the DOJ. The DOJ said that if child workers broke any set rules, they would be punished with beatings, isolation or more work.
Kaaba Majeed, Yunus Rassoul, Jame Staton, Randolph Rodney Hadley, Daniel Aubrey Jenkins and Dana Peach were all convicted of conspiracy to commit forced labor following a nearly-month-long trial. The jury also convicted Majeed on five counts of forced labor. The sentences carry up to 20 years for Majeed and up to five years for the other convicts.
