Plymouth Cult Member to Be Sentenced for Child Rape and Indecent Assaults

FALL RIVER (WBSM) — A Plymouth man who is an “elder” in the Twelve Tribes religious organization often described as a cult is set to be sentenced today in Fall River Superior Court for multiple child rapes and indecent assaults.

The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office said Nehemya Smith, 37, was convicted last month of 25 different indictments charging him with multiple child rapes and indecent assaults on two girls that took place in Raynham, Hyannis and Milton.

The indictments included 12 counts of aggravated rape of a child, eight counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, four counts of indecent assault and battery on a person under 14, and one count of rape.

“The defendant was an ‘elder’ with the Twelve Tribes, which is an international religious based organization with multiple locations in New England,” the D.A.’s Office said. “When members join the Tribe, they give up their possessions and live communally.”

Cult experts such as Rick Ross of the Cult Education Institute and the Southern Poverty Law Center have categorized Twelve Tribes as a cult. The group owns properties in Rayham, Hyannis, Milton and Plymouth. They also operate the Yellow Deli in Plymouth.

The D.A.’s Office said that in both cases, siblings who had left the tribe contacted police once they became aware of the allegations. Both victims were still residing with their parents in the tribe when the disclosures were made.

All of the incidents occurred between 2016 and 2020, when one of the victims was 14-16 years old and the other was 12-15.

The D.A.’s Office said that the incidents in Barnstable and Norfolk Counties were all transferred to Bristol County in order to try all the cases together.

Smith was found guilty on all 25 indictments by a jury on September 3 in New Bedford Superior Court following a two-week trial.