This is a list of religious leaders or founders who have been convicted or indicted of serious crimes. This list is not limited to living leaders of movements. It is not limited to religions deemed "cults." Indeed the leader of a religion being on this list certainly does NOT mean the religion is deemed a cult. Although enough of them are listed as "cult leaders" to warrant it's inclusion, so far, in the cult category.
However for a variety of reasons certain restrictions might prove useful. The most obvious being restricting it to crimes committed during or after their period as religious leader. There are cases of ex-convicts founding religions, but if they did not commit their crimes in the period as religious figures it is inaccurate to say they were "convicted or indicted religious leaders." In the cases of early religious leaders there are also issues of documentation, the lack of religious freedom, and the definition of crime that would make their inclusion problematic. Hence it seems wise to limit it to founders or leaders convicted or indicted after 1880.
Violent crimes
- Tony Alamo - Tax evasion, suspected of child abuse. He currently resides in a halfway house in Texarkana
- Shoko Asahara - Founder of Aum Shinrikyo sentenced to death by hanging under Japanese law for involvement in Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway.
- Alice Auma - Head of Holy Spirit Movement which had both religious and para-military aspects. Implicated with child-trafficking in 2004 and likely accused of war crimes.
- Maria Devi Christos - Leading figure in Great White Brotherhood for criminal vandalizing a Church and the brawl which followed that act.
- Matthew F. Hale - Former leader of Creativity Movement sentenced to a 40-year prison term for soliciting an undercover FBI informant to kill federal judge Joan Lefkow.
- Johnny and Luther Htoo - Mascots of God's Army in their pre-teen years. They later peacefully surrendered to the Thai authorities and were reunited with their parents.
- Warren Jeffs - Once President of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, he was charged with conspiracy to commit sex crimes and was recently put on the FBI's most wanted fugitive list.
- Jim Jones - Head of Peoples Temple arrested in Los Angeles on December 13, 1973, and charged with soliciting an undercover police officer for sex. Also fled allegations of tax evasion, murder, and the group later committed cult suicide.
- Luc Jouret - A founder of the Order of the Solar Temple. He had been arrested for stockpiling firearms illegally in the center of Quebec before his death linked to cult suicide.
- Meir Kahane - Orthodox Jewish rabbi and founder of Kach and Kahane Chai, imprisoned for plotting the bombing of a mosque.
- Joseph Kibweteere - Former teacher and deceased leader of Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God. The group was sanctioned for child labor violations in 1998 and despite likely being dead in a cult suicide the Associated Press states that at the time "Government officials are treating movement leader Kibwetere as a fugitive and all the deaths as murder."
- David Koresh - Deceased leader of the Branch Davidian for weapons violations and possible child abuse. The group is suspected of cult suicide.
- Alice Lenshina - Head and founder of the Zambian Lumpa Church. Conflicts with the government over their rejection of taxes led to a violent confrontation and her subsequent arrest. The arrests were in least partly political, but the group apparently did use fortifications and have a hostile attitude to the law.
- Kuzma Lisin - Later era Skoptzy, possibly imprisoned before period dealt with or for a non-violent offense.
- Jeffrey Lundgren - Headed splinter group from Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, on death row for multiple murders.
- Charles Manson - Leader of Manson Family who is serving life for first degree murder
- Monte Kim Miller - Founder of Concerned Christians, arrested by Israeli authorities on charges of plotting to cause a violent incident at the Temple Mount.
- Fred Phelps - Leader of Westboro Baptist Church, charges for violence are mostly for extortion and assault. Little to no actual jail time.
- Omar Abdel-Rahman - Rahman is the spiritual leader of Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, he is currently serving a life sentence at a federal prison hospital for his involvement in the New York City landmark bomb plot.
- Rajneesh - Deceased figure of Osho, ten year suspended term and told not to return to the US.
- Jacques Robidoux - Leader of defunct group The Body of Christ who is serving time for first degree murder.
- Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar - Listed here as he did serve time for "abetment to murder", but he was later found innocent.
- Paul Schäfer - Former head of Colonia Dignidad, tried and found guilty in absentia of child molestation and also charged with involvement in the 1976 disappearance of the political activist Juan Maino.
- Francis Konrad Schuckardt - Sedevacantist known briefly to followers as Pope Hadrian VII. Charges dismissed in exchange for an agreement to seek drug rehabilitation. (On this sub-list because of sexual and other allegations)
- Florence Storgoff - Listed as a leading figure among the Freedomites who served three years imprisonment on arson charges. (The Freedomites actions are a subject of debate in British Columbia, but she's listed here for historical content in least)
- Roch Theriault - Former head of "Ant Hill Kids commune" serving a life sentence in Canada for the murder of Solange Boislard. Subject of film Savage Messiah
- Mo Wan-Lun - Head of Green Temple Dragon "Cult" charged with running a prostitution ring. Listed here as the charges say the group forced women into prostitution.
- Yahweh Ben Yahweh - Head of Nation of Yahweh for RICO charges and conspiracy to commit murder.
- Dwight York - Head of Nuwaubianism convicted of multiple RICO, child molestation, and financial reporting charges and sentenced to 135 years in prison. It should be noted his case is currently under appeal in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Non-violent crimes
- Jim Bakker - Evangelist convicted of fraud, tax evasion, and racketeering.
- Mary Sue Hubbard - A leading figure, but never the leader, in the Church of Scientology. She was convicted in 1979 of conspiracy against the United States Government. (See article on Operation Snow White for more detail)
- Dr. Henry Lyons - Former President of National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. for racketeering and grand theft
- Sun Myung Moon - Leader of Unification Church, listed here as he was imprisoned for criminal tax fraud in the 1980s.
- Benjamin Purnell - Founder of House of David, arraigned for fraud and morals charges in the mid-1920s.