Alamo is convicted on sex-abuse counts

TEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) — Tony Alamo, a one-time street preacher who built a multimillion-dollar ministry and became an outfitter of the stars, was convicted Friday of taking girls as young as 9 across state lines for sex.

Alamo stood silently as he was convicted of all 10 charges against him, a contrast to his occasional mutterings during testimony. His five victims sat looking forward in the gallery. One, a woman he "married" at age 8, wiped away a tear.

"I'm just another one of the prophets that went to jail for the Gospel," Alamo called to reporters afterward as he was escorted to a waiting U.S. marshal's vehicle.

He is set to be sentenced in six to eight weeks. The 74-year-old could face a total of 175 years in prison for violating the Mann Act, a law originally aimed at stopping women from being sold into prostitution. Each count also carries possible fines of $250,000.

Jurors were convinced Alamo had had sex with the girls when they were underage but deliberated for more than a day to ensure that they considered everything, jury foreman Frank Oller of Texarkana said.