‘Twelve Tribes’ elder sentenced in child rape case
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FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) — A Plymouth man was sentenced on Wednesday after he was found guilty of raping and sexually abusing two girls in Massachusetts, according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.
Nehemyah Smith, 37, was convicted last month of 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.
He was sentenced to 30 to 40 years in state prison, plus 10 years of probation. He was also ordered not to contact either victim.
The DA’s office said the abuse happened between 2016 and 2020, while one of the victims was 12 to 15 years old and the other was 14 to 16 years old. Both were living with their parents as members of the Twelve Tribes, an “international religious-based organization” where people give up their possessions and live communally.
At the time, Smith was an “elder” with the Twelve Tribes and visited the girls at properties in Raynham, Hyannis and Milton, according to court documents.
The judge said he used his position as a “trusted leader” in the group to commit the crimes.
In court Wednesday, prosecutors read impact statements from both victims and one of their mothers.
“The damage Mr. Smith has caused by using me to gratify himself when I was a trusting child is beyond measure,” prosecutor Silvia Rudman said on behalf of one of the victims.
“Since then, it has caused me immense pain,” the statement continued. “I have a hard time trusting anyone. I have a lot of mental health issues from what Mr. Smith did to me as an innocent child. Mr. Smith has not only caused me, but also my family, so much pain.”
The abuse came to light after one of the girls told a family member outside of the organization, who contacted police. It was then, according to prosecutors, that the second victim came forward.
Outside court, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III called Smith’s sentence “well-deserved.”
“Difficult to comprehend the abuse and what the victims and their families have gone through,” Quinn said. “And I hope this gives them some consolation.”
