Yahweh Ben Yahweh, who had a following of thousands as the leader of a violent black-supremacist sect in Miami and who later spent years in prison for conspiracy to commit murder, died May 7 of prostate cancer at his home in Opa-Locka, Fla. He was 71.

Yahweh, known for his flowing white robes and jeweled turbans, formed his sect in Miami in 1979. He controlled a multimillion-dollar business empire and once claimed to have 20,000 followers in 45 cities.

Calling himself the "Original Jew," Yahweh adopted a name that means "God, the son of God" in Hebrew. He said he and his disciples were descendants of a lost tribe of Israel.

From the beginning, however, Yahweh's group was associated with an intimidating style that often crossed into violence and murder. He railed against "white devils" and proclaimed himself the messiah.

Still, he managed to cultivate an image as a well-meaning, if eccentric, community builder. Yahweh helped clean up blighted neighborhoods and, at least among his followers, restored a sense of order to a crumbling social structure.

Never lacking in confidence, Yahweh once addressed a group of Miami business leaders: "Egypt has her pyramids ... Miami has the son of Yahweh. The world's greatest attraction is in your midst. I'm here."

In October 1990, Miami declared a Yahweh Ben Yahweh Day. A month later, Yahweh was indicted on federal racketeering and conspiracy charges. He was linked to 14 killings, two attempted slayings and the bombing of an entire block in Delray Beach, Fla., where residents had roughed up his supporters.

When Yahweh went to trial in 1992, lurid details of life in the sect emerged.

Yahweh controlled lives of his followers and bedded many young female followers. "We may be rabbis and nuns here," he once said, "but we don't believe in celibacy."

Yahweh was surrounded by bodyguards. Members of an inner circle were, according to the indictment, required to deliver a white person's severed head or ear to Yahweh.

He was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison and was released on parole in 2001 after serving nine.