ATHENS - An alleged victim of child abuse by the jailed leader of the United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors has filed a $1 billion federal lawsuit against him. <br>
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The suit claims Dwight York, 57, repeatedly performed sexual acts with the girl from the time she was 11 until she left the Nuwaubians' Putnam County compound when she was 14. She is now 17 and living in Orlando, Fla., with her father. <br>
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York was arrested in May and has been indicted in federal and state courts on charges of child molestation and transporting children across state lines for the illegal sexual activity. <br>
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York's attorney, Ed Garland, could not be reached for comment, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Saturday. <br>
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The suit was filed in Athens federal court by Athens lawyers Roy Finch and John Barrow. It says the girl lived with her mother, who was a member of the cult, and moved with York from Brooklyn, N.Y., to the group's current base in middle Georgia in 1993. <br>
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The United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors is a predominantly black group whose members live in a rural compound resembling an ancient Egyptian theme park, with huge pyramids and a large gate covered with hieroglyphics. <br>
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In some Nuwaubian literature, York has been referred to as the group's savior. The texts also say he is an extraterrestrial from the planet ``Rizq.'' <br>
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York faces four federal counts involving sexual exploitation of minors. In addition to the federal charges, a Putnam County grand jury has charged York with 74 counts of child molestation, 29 counts of aggravated child molestation and other charges, including one count of rape.
