A couple in Michigan have been convicted of abusing their adopted and fostered children by withholding food and beating them.
A Clinton County jury found Tamal Flore guilty of six counts of first-degree child abuse, two counts of second-degree child abuse and three counts of third-degree child abuse, while Jerry Flore was found guilty on one count of second-degree child abuse.
Jerry, 61, was acquitted on seven counts of first-degree abuse, as well as two additional counts of second-degree abuse.
Each first-degree count is punishable by up to life in prison, while Tamal, 59, and Jerry could face up to 10 years in prison for the second-degree child abuse charge.
The Michigan Attorney General announced the couple’s convictions in a Friday, October 30, following a six-week trial at the state’s 29th Circuit Court.
The pair were arrested after authorities learned of their mistreatment of children, whom they adopted or fostered beginning in 2007. During the trial, prosecutors argued that Tamal and Jerry took the children in “for financial gain and subjected the children to abuse under the guise of discipline.”
“Tamal and Jerry Flore subjected their foster and adopted children to prolonged, routine and systemic mental and physical abuse all for personal financial gain,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said. “Children who become wards of the state are some of the most vulnerable and they must be protected. Today’s conviction ensures that no other children will be subjected to the Flores’ abuse again. I want to offer my heartfelt thanks to Clinton County Sheriff Sean Dush and the prosecutors in my office for their years of effort towards justice.”
They were accused of abusing seven out of 16 children that they fostered or adopted, according to The Detroit News. The children spoke to investigators and reportedly claimed they had been whipped by belts, beaten with spoons and locked in rooms or the garage for days at a time.
The children also claimed they were occasionally forced to sit and sleep in an area of the kitchen, which was known as “the square,” for several weeks and the couple had them do “strong sitting” exercises as a form of punishment.
Following the trial, Jerry’s attorney David Carter said he and his client were “deeply grateful” for the jury’s time after he was only charged with the lone second-degree child abuse conviction.
“They sat through weeks of highly charged, emotional allegations and did exactly what the law required: they looked for independent, verified proof,” Carter said in a statement to the Lansing State Journal. “By returning ‘not guilty’ verdicts on nearly every single count in this indictment, the jury completely rejected the state’s overreached narrative and the deeply flawed, unverified investigation that built it.”
Tamal and Jerry were initially arrested in 2021 and charged with multiple counts of child abuse. Prosecutors dismissed the case in 2023, citing the need for additional investigation. The couple was charged again in December 2025.
“This has been a long and in-depth investigation and without the help of the Michigan Attorney General’s Office we would not have been able to bring this case to a successful completion,” Clinton County Sheriff Sean Dush said following the verdict.
Tamal and Jerry will be sentenced during a hearing on January 11.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
