Six members of the United Nation of Islam have been convicted of conspiracy to commit forced labor. This verdict follows a 26-day trial at the federal district court in Kansas City, Kansas. The convicts include wives of late cult founder Royall Jenkins, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The cult, renamed the Value Creators in 2015, subjected children as young as eight to starvation, physical abuse, and forced 16-hour work days. Prosecutors provided accounts of extreme punishment, including one child being dangled over a railroad track for stealing food and another child resorting to drinking toilet water due to severe thirst.
Kendra Ross, now 31, was among the victims. She joined the cult with her family when she was 11. Ross described being starved, beaten, and sexually abused. She feared leaving the cult due to death threats made by Jenkins. She had previously won an $8 million lawsuit against the cult and returned to testify in the criminal trial.
The cult operated under a veil of secrecy until 2018 when it was identified, and its abusive practices were uncovered. The abused children attended an unlicensed school run by the organization, with schooling sessions often interrupted by the labor demands of the cult.
Jenkins founded the cult in Maryland in 1978 as an offshoot of the Nation of Islam before relocating to Kansas City. Jenkins claimed divinity, telling followers aliens had abducted him and that he was the incarnation of Allah. By the time of his death in 2021, he was in a polygamous relationship with 13 women and fathered at least 20 children. Three of his wives were charged in the recent trial.
