PHOENIX 鈥 A jury convicted a founder of the Minuteman border-watch group of molesting one young girl, but it acquitted him Wednesday of engaging in sexual conduct with another.
Christopher Allen Simcox was found guilty on charges that he molested a 5-year-old girl and showed her pornography. He escaped a mandatory life sentence when the jury acquitted him on charges that he engaged in sexual conduct with a 6-year-old girl.
A molestation conviction carries a sentence of 10 to 24 years in prison. Simcox, who was convicted on two molestation counts, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 5.
An attorney who assisted him at trial said Simcox, 55, will still likely spend the rest of his life in prison, given 蜜柚直播鈥檚 tough sentencing guidelines.
In closing arguments, a prosecutor scoffed at Simcox鈥檚 claim that the girls were pressured by adults to bring the allegations.
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Simcox, who isn鈥檛 a lawyer but represented himself at trial, told jurors that he didn鈥檛 abuse the girls.
His case was also noteworthy for Simcox鈥檚 insistence that he should be allowed to personally question the girls on the witness stand.
Prosecutors argued that letting Simcox question the girls would cause them emotional distress. In the end, Simcox got an attorney to pose the questions.
County Attorney Bill Montgomery, whose office prosecuted Simcox, said he commended the victims for having the courage to come forward.
Kerrie Droban, the lawyer who served as Simcox鈥檚 adviser, said she was unsure whether Simcox would appeal the verdict.
鈥淭he jury listened attentively,鈥 Droban said. 鈥淭hey gave him a fair trial.鈥
Simcox鈥檚 arrest in 2013 came after his career as an advocate for tougher immigration policies had fizzled.
The Minuteman movement stepped into the spotlight in 2005 when illegal immigration heated up as a national political issue. Minuteman volunteers fanned out along the nation鈥檚 southern border to watch for illegal crossings and report them to federal agents.
The movement splintered after Simcox and another co-founder parted ways and headed up separate groups.
Simcox, who once served as publisher of the Tombstone Tumbleweed newspaper, went on to briefly enter 蜜柚直播鈥檚 2010 U.S. Senate primary against incumbent John McCain but dropped out of the race. His name didn鈥檛 appear on the ballot.
More than a decade ago, Simcox was sentenced to two years of probation for misdemeanor convictions in federal court for carrying a concealed handgun at the Coronado National Memorial near the 蜜柚直播-Mexico border in January 2003.