STATE

Prosecutors: Don't overturn Amish leader's hair-cutting case

Associated Press
In this Oct. 10, 2011 file photo, Sam Mullet Sr. stands in the front yard of his home in Bergholz, Ohio. Mullet, the leader of a breakaway Amish group in Ohio convicted in hair- and beard-cutting attacks, is pushing to get his convictions overturned using arguments already rejected in court. An attorney for 72-year-old Samuel Mullet Sr. says Mullet’s previous lawyer made mistakes during trial and in prior appeals. In a Monday, March 19, 2018 court filing, prosecutors say there were no errors that amounted to Mullet’s rights to due process being violated, and a judge should reject his request. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)

CLEVELAND — Federal prosecutors say the leader of a breakaway Amish group in Ohio convicted in hair- and beard-cutting attacks is pushing to get his convictions overturned using arguments already rejected in court.

An attorney for 72-year-old Samuel Mullet Sr. says Mullet's previous lawyer made mistakes during trial and in prior appeals.

In a Monday court filing, prosecutors say there were no errors that amounted to Mullet's rights to due process being violated, and a judge should reject his request.

Defense attorneys say the 2011 hair- and beard-cutting attacks stemmed from family disputes. Prosecutors say the motive was religious, as hair and beards have spiritual significance in the Amish faith.

Mullet is serving an 11-year sentence. Of the 16 Amish community members convicted in the case, only Mullet remains imprisoned.