JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ohio -- Bergholz is a tiny town in rural Jefferson County, but the people here have kept up with the Amish beard cutting saga since the first arrest last fall.
For the sake of the victims, they're glad to see justice served, but there are still questions about what happens next.
Even 100 miles from the federal courthouse in Cleveland, word travels fast.
"They were found guilty, that's all I heard," said Frank Johnston, who lives in Bergholz.
There's respect for the Amish community here, but not for the hate crimes committed by Sam Mullet, Sr. and his group of followers.
"They had it coming to them," said one resident who did not want to give his name.
"If they're supposed to be religious, how can they do what they did?" asked another.
Frank Johnston runs the general store and gas station at the center of town. Among the customers, Sam Mullet and family --right up until their arrests last November.
One person elated with the guilty verdict is Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla.
Sheriff Abdalla had his suspicions about Mullet for years, beyond the beard cuttings.
He had investigated claims that Mullet had ordered family members to beat one another and had sex with married Amish women for religious reasons.
Despite those allegations, Abdalla told Channel 3 he doesn't expect Thursday's verdict to lead to any new cases against Mullet.
The sheriff says many of the Amish in his county lived in fear of the man and were never willing to press further charges.
It's Abdalla's hope those victims will now feel free.
"Everybody should be treated the same. If you do something wrong, you need to pay for what you've done," said Johnston.
One of the defense attorneys in the case says there is great hardship ahead for the families of the convicted.
Of the 16 people arrested, six were couples. The six couples have 49 children between them.
Sentencing for the guilty parties will take place in January.
WKYC-TV