Parents Gifted Their Daughters To A Cult And Are Now Facing Criminal Charges

When you think of a cult, you think of the Amish, Scientologists, poisoned Kool-Aid, and Helter Skelter. For most of us, the idea of joining a cult is enigmatic yet intriguing, leaving us wondering what it must be like and how a person could think like that. In many ways, cults pray on the weak and desperate to reach some form of sexual, financial, or outright power gain. 

In the case of David and Savilla Stoltzfus, they were raised in the Amish church while residing in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. They broke from the cult after their 14-year-old son was killed in a farming accident. As such, they decided to go out into the modern world with no money. 

They turned to Lee Kaplan, a man who had the financial means to help the Stolzfus. The more money he gave them, the more power he had over their lives. Soon enough, the family believed every word out of Kaplan's mouth. He became their preacher and leader in their every day lives. 

Soon, Kaplan convinced the family that he needed to take their nine daughters as his wives. The underage girls moved in with Kaplan, and one bore two of his children. Six more were sexually assaulted. 

Friends of the family eventually reported Kaplan to the authorities and he, as well as David and Savilla Stoltzfus were arrested for child endangerment among a plethora of other charges. If convicted, the parents could face up to seven years in prison while Kaplan could serve a life sentence. 

According to Kaplan's lawyer, he considered each of these girls his wife. Thus, no sexual assault occurred. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?! We'll see how this plays out in court.