Cult News

New York Times editors and researchers have selected a fugitive sex offender as an official resource about polygamists.

Anton Hein, a former U.S. resident and registered sex offender with an outstanding warrant issued for his immediate arrest regarding a parole violation, runs a Web site called “Religion News Blog.”

Hein recently announced that his site “has been selected (see listings under “Warren Jeffs Navigator”) as a resource by researchers and editors of the New York Times (selection by NY Times has been pulled since this report appeared on-line).

Sure enough a hyper link at Hein’s blog takes visitors to a page about polygamists within the New York Times proclaiming his site at the top of its “list of resources about Warren Jeffs as selected by researchers and editors of The New York Times.”

Isn’t it just a bit ironic though that the man (see photo) supplying news about polygamists who allegedly have sexually abused minor girls plead guilty himself to the charge of a “lewd act upon a child” in 1994? Hein then served jail time, but was eventually released to serve probation.

However, after completing his jail sentence in the U.S. Hein soon left the country heading home for Holland.

Subsequently, California authorities issued a felony warrant (see Anton Willem Hein) in 1996, which remains outstanding for his immediate arrest without bail.

Hein has admitted that he will “never again be able to enter the USA.”

Didn’t the editors of the The New York Times and its researchers, research this information?

Not unlike some of the more notorious polygamists recently in the press, Hein sexually abused his niece, who was at the time 13-years-old.

Hein also claims he is religious and says he operates an “independent, personal ministry.”

However, CultNews could not find any official recognition of Hein as a “minister,” other than his name listed as one of the “various ministers” that have “sexually abused children” at Reformation.com.

Today Hein largely seems to target Americans through his for-profit Web site Apologetics Index, which is in English. Mr. Hein solicits gifts, which he prefers to call “donations.”

Again, much like the polygamists in Texas, Mr. Hein rails against what he perceives as the injustice of American law enforcement.

He says, “anyone who researches the U.S. justice system…knows the system’s shortcomings, and anyone who finds him or herself in a situation similar to mine will understand.”

Understand?

Hein is a registered sex offender in the State of California. His offense is described at that state’s official Web site as “lewd or lascivious acts with child under 14 years.”

But like some polygamists Mr. Hein refuses to acknowledge that he is a sex offender. Instead, he prefers to bash the country that he relies upon for an income.

Hein has devoted an entire subsection within his Web site to what he calls “America’s…human rights violations” and “faulty ‘justice’ system.”

Nevertheless he wants to sell advertising to Americans and collect ad revenue from American companies like Amazon.com and Google.

Kind of like the polygamists that have often damned the “system” outside of their communities, while collecting welfare and food stamps.

Can it be there is some sort of strange logic as to why the New York Times editors selected Anton Hein as a source for information about polygamists?

Does the New York Times feel that since Hein has so much in common with the polygamists he can provide a unique perspective?

Note: Since this report was filed the New York Times has apparently reconsidered recommending Anton Hein as a news source about polygamists. CultNews can’t find any links at the NY Times Web site to Hein. If any readers see something new pop up please let CultNews know.