Leader of an alleged polygamist worship who often calls himself “3God” and “Nature Boy” is facing a number of charges this week, including false imprisonment and rape.
Bishop Eligio, the 40-year-old leader of the group Carbon Nation, was arrested this week on five counts on April 14 — including rape, false imprisonment and sending sexually explicit electronic transmissions without consent, Dekalb County Sheriff’s Department said. The arrest came after a Wednesday night raid at Georgia home, consisting of dozens of officers and a tactical team, according to WSB-TV.
He is currently being held at the DeKalb County Jail after Judge Abbi Taylor denied his bail during Friday’s court hearing on the seriousness of his alleged crimes. While authorities have not provided details on what led to the allegation, police have confirmed a “special victims unit investigation” into Bishop has been ongoing since March 30. after they received a complaint against him. Wednesday’s raid included a search and arrest warrant, police said.
“There is no additional information at this time,” a police spokesman told The Daily Beast.
According to DeKalb . County prison recordsHowever, the alleged rape and false imprisonment occurred on March 24. Three days later, he was accused of sending sexually explicit images in text messages without the subject’s consent, resulting in two counts of offenses. reputation for the prohibition of nudity because of fees for the electronic transmission of pornography.
“We teach sex education and we believe in nudity. And so that’s one of the accusations trying to be brought against my chief that’s revenge porn, but the woman was here, the woman was here, she agreed to actually develop doing it for sex education, it’s not just like porn, it’s for educational purposes” Daylin Armstead, a current member of the Carbon Nation, alleged Fox5Atlanta.
Bishop did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment and it is unclear whether he will retain his attorney.
Prior to News report Members of the Carbon Nation state are accused of following a vegan diet, believing in nudism and polygamy, and being forced to turn over their financial information to Bishop before relying on “teachings.” your. Bishop — who boasts 25.00 followers on Instagram and another 90,000 on YouTube — describes himself as “The Messiah” and “$Th33God.” Some of the YouTube posts include music videos and self-help videos, and most call for donations to Carbon Nation through CashApp.
Erikka Carroll, former member of Carbon Nation, tell 11Alive on Saturday that the internet was where Bishop first lured her into the alleged cult. She says that in 2006, a Facebook post convinced her to move from New York to Honduras to help build a new community focused on nature. After a few months, Carroll said the group eventually settled in Costa Rica, where they “sleep out in tents” and eat only fruit and vegetables before starting work.
“We’re going to have to sit through these long meetings – he’ll say we’re going to face our demons doing it. But he’s basically just projecting to you what he is. It’s going on inside of him,” Carroll told 11Alive. “It’s a lot of verbal and mental abuse.”
Carroll said she eventually left the group after witnessing verbal and physical abuse, and believes that since she left Carbon Nation, the group has only become more sinister.
“Those people are [still in the cult]Their only hope is [Bishop] locked now. For him is the period of being locked up. There’s so much that he has to let go of,” added Carroll, noting that Bishop “always said he wanted multiple wives”.
On Wednesday, Bishop posted a video at a restaurant in Atlanta. Alongside several of the women, Bishop was seen shouting “Black people are divine” several times before adding “Feel my power Negro, this is your power” in front of the audience. restaurant staff.
“I am here,” he added.
On Thursday, some of his followers posted Instagram videoin which Bishop’s voice is heard on speaker phone explaining the situation to his supporters, noting that he is “trying to help people” and feels “misunderstood”.
“I know that I scared a lot of people. But actually I am a very sweet person,” he said. “They want to crucify me, they want me dead, there is hate around me, you can feel it, just like any other prophet — only me, I am the return of Christ. .”
“We are here to be awakened. So this is not going to turn out like people think this is going to happen,” he added, before being able to hear a number of people agreeing with him. “I also forgive those who accuse me. My heart is as light as a feather. I am in good spirits. No matter what happens… remember, I will be with you forever. ”
But this is not the first time Bishop has faced legal trouble for his role in the alleged cult. In June 2020, Bishop was among 21 people arrested in Hawaii for violating the state’s mandatory 14-day COVID-19 quarantine. In an interview with AP about the arrestBishop admits that he is often described as a cult leader and thinks the distinction is “pretty cool.”
“We are a group of African Americans who are protesting our conditions by leaving them,” he added. “They just make us look crazy on the internet.”
