A Riverside, California man was sentenced to seven life terms plus sixteen years for torturing and abusing members of his family. Mansa Musa Muhammed, originally from Virgina, was accused of horrific abuses by seven of his nineteen children. Two of Muhammed’s three wives also testified against him, saying that they suffered extreme spousal abuse and were kept in a garage without heat, water or air conditioning.

The wives said that Muhammed would sell the family’s food stamps, and that they lived on Social Security benefits. They also testified that the family moved often, and sometimes lived in cars. Muhammed’s children testified that they were often forced to go without food for days and were beaten for minor infractions. The abuses came to light when one of Muhammed’s wives passed a plea for help disguised as a letter to a postal worker. Shortly afterward, police raided family home in Aguanga in 1999 and arrested Muhammed.

Most of Muhammed’s children were pulled from school or had never been enrolled. One of Muhammed’s daughters, Sharon Boddie, was 18 at the time she was found and weighed just 48 pounds. She testified against Muhammed at his trial, which ended last June. Legal maneuvering by Muhammed delayed the trial for nearly 10 years. Judge F. Paul Dickerson III, who sentenced Muhammed last week, said that Muhammed’s “reign of terror” deserved the harshest possible punishment.

If you’ve been accused of spousal abuse, child abuse, welfare fraud, or robbery, you need the assistance of a qualified, experienced criminal defense attorney like Robert Michael Helfend.

Mr. Helfend has practiced criminal defense exclusively for nearly 25 years in Southern California, and has established a reputation in the local court systems as being a fair, tough criminal defense attorney who fights aggressively for his clients’ rights.

If you’ve been arrested on a criminal matter, get the legal assistance you need to defend yourself. Contact Robert Helfend today.

Photo Credit: H Berends