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Valley lawyers represent Amish on trial
CLEVELAND
Five Youngstown-area lawyers are among the 18 attorneys representing 16 people who are on trial in federal court on charges they engaged in beard-and hair-cutting attacks on fellow Ohio Amish people in a religious dispute.
Jurors were seated Monday for the trial of the group members led by Sam Mullet Sr., 66, of Bergholz, in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster.
All the defendants rejected plea-bargain offers of leniency from the U.S. attorney last month.
One of the attacks occurred in Mesopotamia in northern Trumbull County, and others in Holmes, Carroll and Jefferson counties, the FBI said.
Mullet contends that group members should be allowed to handle what they see as internal church disciplinary matters.
The trial is expected to last two to three weeks, said Mike Tobin, spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office.
The area lawyers and their clients are:
Atty. Robert E. Duffrin of Boardman represents Johnny S. Mullet, 38, of Bergholz, a son of Sam Mullet Sr.
Atty. Samuel G. Amendolara of Boardman represents Daniel S. Mullet, 37, of Bergholz, another son of the Amish bishop, Sam Mullet Sr.
Atty. Damian A. Billak of Canfield represents Lester S. Mullet, 26, of Hammondsville, another son of the elder Mullet.
Atty. Neal G. Atway of Youngstown represents Levi F. Miller, 53, of Bergholz.
Atty. James S. Gentile of Youngstown represents Eli M. Miller, 32, of Bergholz.
Other defense lawyers are from Cleveland, Akron and Wadsworth.
Alleging the attacks violated a federal hate crimes prevention law, the indictment says the manner in which Amish men wear their beards and Amish women wear their hair are symbols of their faith.
Members of the Bergholz group are charged with carrying out the attacks last fall by forcibly cutting the beards and hair of Amish men and women and then photographing them to shame them.
Some of the defendants face prison terms of 20 years or more if convicted.
Federal prosecutors filed a trial exhibit list on Friday, which includes hair clippers, eight-inch horse mane shears, and photographs recovered from a disposable camera.
The case is being prosecuted by Bridget M. Brennan and Thomas E. Getz, assistant U.S. attorneys in Cleveland, and Kristy L. Parker, deputy chief of the U.S. Department of Justice civil rights division in Washington, D.C.
Contributor: Associated Press