Temple of Love Cult Neighborhood

The Nation of Yahweh set up its headquarters in Liberty City, Florida in 1979. Mitchell emphasized that God and all the prophets of the Bible were black and blacks would gain the knowledge of their true history through him. He also emphasized whites and particularly Jews as infidels and oppressors. Lastly, he emphasized loyalty to himself as the son of God YHWH. He became the living Messiah of the Nation of Yahweh.

At the time, his business and charity efforts earned him respect in the community. The mayor of Miami, Florida declared on October 7, 1990, "Yahweh ben Yahweh Day", a month before his indictment for alleged crimes.

Although his followers remained devoted to him, by the 1990s, he was in trouble with the law. From 1990 until his release on September 26, 2001, he served 11 years of an 18-year sentence on a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) conviction after he and several other Nation of Yahweh members were convicted of conspiracy in more than a dozen murders.

The indictment charged 18 specific instances of racketeering, including 14 killings, two attempted killings, extortion and arson. He was acquitted of first degree murder charges in 1992.

Yahweh ben Yahweh only faced conviction for conspiracy to murder. A primary component of the prosecution's case was the testimony of Robert Rozier, a former NFL player and Yahweh ben Yahweh follower, who admitted to several of the murders and testified in return for a lighter sentence. Rozier would later enter the Witness Protection Program, but would return to prison after being given a 25 years to life sentence under California's three strikes law, following a check kiting conviction.