The Slatest

Minuteman Border Patrol Founder Found Guilty of Molesting a 5-Year-Old Child

Minuteman founder Chris Simcox (center) speaks to reporters in Apr. 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Joshua Lott/Getty Images

The founder of the Minuteman border patrol group was convicted by an Arizona jury Wednesday of molesting a 5-year-old girl and showing her pornography. Christopher Allen Simcox represented himself in the case and is now awaiting sentencing next month. The 55-year-old faces a prison term of 10 to 24 years for each of his two felony molestation convictions. Simcox was acquitted on another, more serious sexual conduct charge with another young girl that would have carried a mandatory life sentence.

“Prosecutors said Simcox preyed on the 5-year-old girl, who was the friend of one of his daughters, during scheduled parental visits with his children. He also showed the victim explicit films, prosecutors said,” according to Reuters. “A former kindergarten teacher from California, Simcox helped start the border watch group to highlight what he said was the government’s failure to secure the porous southwest border with Mexico.”