George Feigley was born in 1940 and established the Neo American Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1971. He taught that sexuality was a direct expression of divinity and that sexual activity was the highest human act. Law enforcement later concluded that these teachings were used to justify and enable the sexual abuse of children.
Feigley built a small group of committed followers, primarily women. At its largest, the group included more than 20 members, later declining to only about ten adults. Feigley required complete obedience, directing followers, including wives and children, through letters to subordinate their will to his instructions.
In 1975, Feigley was arrested and convicted of the statutory rape of two teenage girls and sentenced to ten to 20 years in prison. His wife was also convicted of corrupting the morals of minors. Investigators determined that a school that his church operated functioned as a front to shield illegal activities under claims of religious practice. Victims later reported physical abuse, confinement, and exploitation within the group.
In 1976, Feigley escaped from State Correctional Institution Rockview and traveled to West Virginia, where followers had established a commune. He remained a fugitive for two years before being recaptured in 1978. Within a month, he escaped again with the assistance of another prisoner, who later joined Feigley’s church. Feigley remained at large for two months before being apprehended by the FBI in Tennessee.
Efforts by followers to secure his release continued. In 1981, authorities uncovered a plan to extract Feigley from prison using a helicopter, leading to his transfer to another prison. In 1983, two followers died while attempting to reach him through a sewer system during another escape attempt. That same year, a raid on his Harrisburg residence uncovered child pornography and led to further convictions involving his wife and other associates.
Feigley continued directing activities from prison. In 1994, he was convicted of conspiracy to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse after using a prison telephone to instruct others to assault a 14-year-old girl. This conviction extended his sentence, and he was denied parole multiple times.
During his incarceration, Feigley also engaged in advocacy efforts. In 1996, he and his wife Sandra co-founded a prisoners’ advocacy website that provided information for inmates and their families. Feigley also used it to publish writings under pseudonyms that denied harm associated with his actions.
Feigley was released from prison on August 15, 2008, at the age of 68, after serving his maximum sentence. Because his earlier convictions predated Pennsylvania’s sex offender registration laws and the 1994 conviction did not fall under applicable statutes, he was not required to register as a sex offender and was not subject to parole supervision. Community members organized petitions opposing his return, and victims spoke publicly about long-term effects. Officials noted that he did not acknowledge wrongdoing.
Feigley died of natural causes on April 13, 2009, less than eight months after his release. The prisoners’ advocacy website he helped establish remained active for several years before becoming inactive by 2019.
Key Sources:
The Associated Press. (1983, December 4). Inmate Said to Lead Cult Mixing Sex and Religion.
CNN.com. (2008, August 15). Terms of sex cult leader’s release anger community.
Harki, G. (2008, August 22). Sex Cult Leader Lived in West Virginia. The Charleston Gazette.
Whitcraft, L. G. (2008, August 14). Child sex “cult” leader freed from prison. ABC News.