Word: koresh
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Koresh had stricter rules for his flock than for himself. Beer, meat, air conditioning and MTV, taboo for others, were available to him. So were any of the female members, though the other men were quartered separately from the women and sworn to celibacy. Some of the women whom Koresh termed his wives were already married to male cult members. Others were perhaps as young as 11 or 12. "He was fixated with sex and with a taste for younger girls," says Marc Breault, who belonged to the group in 1988 and 1989. "He began to teach that...
Allegations surfaced that Koresh physically abused the children with frequent harsh beatings for infractions as minor as crying after a nap. But child-welfare authorities who investigated last year found no evidence at the time to support those charges. By 1991 Koresh was also traveling to La Verne, California, where in a gated house he established what police called a "women's dormitory" for 18 "wives." When neighbors reported that one of them was 12 years old, police launched a child-molestation investigation against Koresh that is still open...
Paul G. Fatta, a resident of the compound who was out of town on the morning of the raid, told the New York Times last week that firearms were kept there merely to defend against potential attack by disaffected members who have left the group. He also said that Koresh's followers regarded his polygamy as a Biblical trial for the rest of them. "Do not judge a person by his actions, but by the message that he has," Fatta insisted...
...failure of the assault led to criticisms that ATF had fatally underestimated its adversary -- or overestimated its own capabilities in a bid for the media spotlight. Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen, whose department includes the bureau, promised a full inquiry. ATF officials claim that the raid failed largely because Koresh was tipped off. About 45 minutes before the shooting began, an agent who had infiltrated the cult's worship services saw Koresh get a phone call that he believes warned him that attackers were on their...
Among the questions that remain is why ATF agents did not try to nab Koresh on the frequent occasions when he left the compound to jog, shop or eat in local restaurants. And with children in the buildings, why didn't they treat the whole operation as a delicate hostage situation? "When these groups are confronted by law enforcement they should be handled gingerly," said Marc Galanter, a professor of psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine, who has studied cults. "You should establish communication rather than confront them head...