Yesterday I posted a video that shows how the Amish regularly work together to build monuments to community, cooperation and good craftmanship. Though many positive aspects of the Amish way of life exist, this insular religious community is not immune to the scourges of the human existence; greed and betrayal, for instance.
Pictured above is Monroe Beachy, a man familiar in the ways of greed and betrayal. An Amish version of Bernie Madoff, this investment broker is responsible for losing $16.8 million of his Amish clients' money on high-risk stocks. Beachy lied continually to the investors as their money was disappearing.
Even in the face of such criminal fraud and dishonesty, when Beachy was arraigned, the judge in his case was flooded with letters from the Amish community demanding lenience. They asked that the disgraced broker be freed in order for the Amish elders to mete out punishment within their community, as they do with most bad behavior and crimes, from excessive drinking to rape. The judge refused, and the 78-year-old Beachy was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison.
Read about other instances of Amish oddity — from faceless dolls and "Amish" computers to homicide — here.
Image credit: Fraud Times
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