A Butte County jury today found a religious cult leader guilty of molesting four young girls and raping two women, all of whom were followers of his movement.
OROVILLE, Calif. — A Butte County jury has convicted a self-proclaimed prophet and religious leader of sexually assaulting six of his followers, including four children, after a seven-day trial that exposed years of abuse within a secretive Hmong religious community based at the foot of Table Mountain.
Sansue Bee Vang, 58, was found guilty Friday of eight counts of child molestation and three counts of rape. The verdict, delivered by a jury of ten men and two women, came after testimony from six victims who described systematic sexual abuse disguised as religious obligation and enforced through threats of violence against them and their families.
Vang, who founded the organization “Kev Ntseeg Leej Niam Kee Tiam Vaj Lis Thum” (translated as “Belief in the Mother”), now faces a life sentence when he appears in Butte County Superior Court on April 14 for formal sentencing. He remains in custody without bail.
The case began unraveling in 2024 when an 11-year-old girl and her mother reported sexual assaults to authorities. The investigation subsequently uncovered four additional women who described a pattern of abuse spanning years, with victims as young as six years old.
According to testimony presented by Supervising Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Bennett, Vang established the religious organization in Appleton, Wisconsin, before relocating to Fresno in 2015 and ultimately selecting families from Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Fresno to establish a temple community in Oroville in 2020. As the organization’s sole authority—writing its readings, songs, and requirements—Vang wielded absolute spiritual control over his followers.
Evidence presented at trial detailed escalating sexual abuse of one child between ages eight and ten, with Vang allegedly threatening to beat the victim if she disclosed the assaults. Adult victims testified that Vang used his position as “prophet” to justify rape, claiming divine vision of “terrible things” that would befall victims’ families and the broader Hmong community if they refused his sexual demands.
Three additional witnesses testified that as children—ranging from six to twelve years old—they were required to attend religious ceremonies where Vang repeatedly touched them, commented on their bodies, and informed them they would eventually marry him.
Vang did not testify in his own defense. During closing arguments, his attorney suggested the victims were lying or mistaken, but Bennett argued that Vang had constructed the organization specifically to exploit vulnerable followers and used its structure to silence victims until they “found the courage to come forward and speak their truth.”
Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey described the conviction as a measure of justice for victims who endured years of manipulation and fear.
Vang is scheduled for sentencing at 1:30 p.m. on April 14, 2026, where he faces a life term in state prison.
