Rev. Moon Released From Halfway House

NEW YORK — The Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the Korean evangelist who heads the Unification Church, was released today from a Brooklyn halfway house after serving 13 months of an 18-month sentence for tax evasion.

Moon, 65, was convicted in May, 1982, of failing to report $162,000 in income on his federal tax returns. He appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but it refused to hear his case and he began serving his sentence on July 20, 1984.

Moon maintained his innocence in the tax case, arguing that the money belonged to the church. He accused the government of religious persecution.

He spent 11 1/2 months in the medium-security federal correctional facility in Danbury, Conn., then was moved to the halfway house. He had to report every evening but was allowed to conduct church business during the day.

Jeff Garbow, a spokesman for the Danbury prison, said Moon was given time off for good behavior.

Dr. Mose Durst, president of the Unification Church of America, issued a statement today saying, “Rev. Moon is innocent of any wrongdoing. He is innocent in the eyes of God and will be vindicated in the eyes of history.”