Page "Unification Church" Paragraph 15

In 1982 Moon was convicted in United States federal court of willfully filing false Federal income tax returns and conspiracy.

In 1984 and 1985, while he was serving his sentence in Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury, Connecticut, American UC members launched a public-relations campaign claiming that the charges against him were unjust and politically motivated.

They mailed booklets, letters and videotapes to approximately 300, 000 Christian leaders.

Many signed petitions protesting the government's case.

Among the American Christian leaders who spoke out in Moon's defense were conservative Jerry Falwell, head of Moral Majority, and liberal Joseph Lowery, head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Michael Tori, a professor at Marist College ( Poughkeepsie, New York ) suggested that Moon's conviction helped the Unification Church gain more acceptance in mainstream American society, since it showed that he was financially accountable to the government and the public.