Michigan couple convicted of abusing foster children for profit

Tamal Flore and Jerry Flore stood before a jury in Michigan on Tuesday, where jurors returned verdicts that found the couple guilty of abusing children they brought into their home. The conviction comes after a long legal process involving 16 foster and adopted children who lived with the pair starting in 2007.

Jurors found 59-year-old Tamal Flore guilty of six counts of first-degree child abuse. She also faced two counts of second-degree child abuse and three counts of third-degree child abuse, according to a press release from the Office of the Michigan Attorney General. Her husband, 61-year-old Jerry Flore, was convicted of a single count of second-degree child abuse, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

The jury acquitted Jerry Flore on nine other abuse charges. Prosecutors alleged that the couple used the guise of discipline to extract financial gain from the state while routinely mistreating the minors in their care. The legal team presented evidence of physical and verbal abuse that spanned nearly two decades.

Seven of the 16 children described specific methods of punishment to investigators. They reported being whipped with a belt and beaten with metal and wooden spoons. Some children were locked in rooms or the garage for days at a time, while others were forced to sleep in a designated kitchen area called the square for weeks.

The children also described performing strenuous exercise as punishment and having food withheld if daily housework was not completed. The case was prosecuted by the state Attorney General, who argued the abuse was systematic and financially motivated. Sentencing for the couple is scheduled for Jan. 11.