A Turkish court sentenced an Islamic televangelist and cult leader to 8,658 years in prison in a retrial for running a decades-old cult whose members were accused of crimes ranging from sexual assault to blackmail, money laundering and espionage.

Adnan Oktar, who wrote books on Islamic creationism under the pseudonym Harun Yahya, was previously sentenced to 1,075 years in jail after being tried in Istanbul alongside 236 other alleged members or enablers of his network, a verdict that was overturned earlier this year on procedural grounds.

Wednesday’s sentence includes 891 years for crimes committed in his personal capacity and the rest for those by his followers, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

He became well-known in Turkey over the years, especially for provocative TV shows broadcast on his own channel. On screen, the cult leader surrounded himself with young women he called his “kittens,” who would declare their love for him and were often dressed in revealing clothing while he uttered opinions on religious and political matters.

Oktar, 66, and hundreds of his followers were arrested in 2018 after a police raid on his villa revealed he run a criminal ring under the disguise of an Islamic cult which carried out international antievolution campaigns through various publishing houses and media outlets. His TV channel was also closed. The cult leader has denied wrongdoing and said the case was a set-up.