Left to right: Jerry Flore and Tamal Flore (Clinton County Jail).
A husband and wife in Michigan are facing years in prison after being convicted of abusing the children they adopted and fostered "under the guise of discipline."
A Clinton County jury found 59-year-old 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, authorities announced.
Jerry Flore, 61, was found guilty on one count of second-degree child abuse. Jurors acquitted him on seven counts of first-degree abuse and two additional counts of second-degree abuse.
Each first-degree count is punishable by up to life in prison, while second-degree child abuse carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
According to a press release from the Office of the Michigan Attorney General, the Flores were convicted following a six-week trial in the state's 29th Circuit Court. The charges stemmed from the couple's mistreatment of children they adopted or fostered in their home since 2007. Prosecutors said they 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 in a statement. "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."
According to a report from The Detroit News, the Flores were accused of abusing seven of the 16 children they fostered or adopted. In interviews with investigators, the children reportedly described being whipped with a belt, beaten with metal and wooden spoons, and locked in rooms or the garage for days.
The children also said they were sometimes forced to sit and sleep in an area of the kitchen known as "the square" for several weeks and made to do "strong sitting" exercises as punishment.
The parents, particularly Tamal Flore, reportedly required the children to do all of the housework and withheld food if they failed to complete their chores.
Attorney David Carter, who represented Jerry Flore, said he and his client were "deeply grateful" for the jury's time, focus and dedication, calling the lone second-degree child abuse conviction a victory.
"They sat through weeks of highly charged, emotional allegations and did exactly what the law required: they looked for independent, verified proof," he told 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."
The Flores were initially charged with multiple counts of child abuse in 2021, but prosecutors dismissed the case in 2023, saying additional investigation was needed. The Detroit News reported that CPS and police reports were riddled with inaccuracies and false statements, leading the case to be transferred to the Michigan Attorney General. Nessel's office re-charged the Flores 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 in a statement.
The Flores are scheduled to appear for their sentencing hearing on Jan. 11.
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