FOUKE — The FBI raided the Fouke, Arkansas compound of apocalyptic cult leader Bernie Hoffman, also known as Tony Alamo. Armed agents surrounded the property and blocked all exits during the operation.
Hoffman led a religious group that relocated from California to Fouke, near the Texas border, in the 1970s. The compound served as the base for a ministry he and his wife Susan Alamo founded in Hollywood in 1969. After Susan Alamo’s death, Hoffman directed followers to pray over her decaying body in an effort to resurrect her.
Children in the group were sometimes forced to go days without food, according to accounts from former members. Hoffman claimed divine instruction for his actions, including the use of violence against followers. On one occasion, he physically assaulted Matthew Broderick during a breakfast encounter after accusing him of showing disrespect.
Alexis Broderick, Shaina Broderick, and Matthew Broderick are siblings who grew up in the cult. Their father joined the ministry after meeting one of its members while hitchhiking. “Armed men surrounded the property during the FBI raid,” Alexis Broderick recalled.
Matthew Broderick said that Tony Alamo told him, “The Government controls everything and wants to catch him.” He also recalled Hoffman saying, “I really didn’t want to do that, but the Lord told me to, so I had to do it. You understand, right?”
Shaina Broderick said their father “was in a difficult moment of his life” when he joined the cult, and that Bernie Hoffman “preyed on people like that.” The group operated a custom clothing business that produced jackets worn by celebrities including Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley. Matthew Broderick said Bernie Hoffman “loved to show off the celebrities who wore them.”
Hoffman wore dark glasses due to glaucoma. Local residents of Fouke reportedly disliked him and shouted insults at cult members during night patrols.