An Amish man with a menacing look juts out of a cornfield and fires off a shotgun round.

Another wields a baseball bat and slugs at everything in his path.

The images represent Discovery Channel's newly minted television series "Amish Mafia," which supposedly exposes the unseen workings of Amish law enforcement in Lancaster County.

Lancaster-based Amish folks involved in mafia activity?

Compared to the presumed peace and tranquility that exists among the Amish here, it all seems far-fetched and appears, in the series trailer, a little outrageous.

Yet it's the basis for Discovery's new reality show premiering Dec. 11.

Related: 'Amish Mafia:' Real or fake?

The network touts the series as an exclusive look into the "group of men who protect and maintain peace and order within the Amish community in Lancaster, Pa."

But just how far out there is the idea?

"There's always been talk about it," said local defense lawyer Steven Breit, who was interviewed for the series. "Some Amish who left the church and engaged in this sort of activity."

Going so far as calling it mafia activity, Breit says, might be just that — talk.

According to the series trailer and promotional descriptions from the network, the "mafia" operates independent of official law enforcement, with church elders turning a blind eye.

Previews also mention Amish reluctance to contact authorities in instances of police or medical emergencies.

"That's where the Amish Mafia comes in," a preview article says,  referencing the 2006 massacre at Nickel Mines school as an example of Amish "vulnerability."

Several locals who discussed the series said they've never specifically heard of such a mafia existence.

Donald Kraybill, an Elizabethtown College professor and prominent researcher of the Anabaptist lifestyle, wrote off the show's merit completely.

"My own view is this is trash TV," Kraybill said. "To call these shows documentaries is a fraudulent lie."

Kraybill said shows of this sort, including "Breaking Amish," which premiered this year on Discovery sister-station TLC to rave ratings, are designed to make a buck.

"There is big money to be had, and they pay these people big money to be on the show," he said.

That said, Breit, who has represented several Amish clients, has noticed an increase in criminal acts in the community.

"I see more drug activity, maybe a few more occurrences of violence than I had 20 years ago," Breit said, referencing Amish communities here and in Ohio.

"There is an undercurrent of this activity in the Amish community," he continued. "But I do think it's too strong to label it mafia."

Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman said Wednesday he isn't aware of a spike in crimes committed by Amish.

Locals seemed to agree that calling the players in the show Amish also might be a stretch.

The focal character, group leader "Lebanon Levi," is called a "a full-fledged member of the Amish community." However, the description goes on to say Levi was never baptized and isn't a member of the church.

"Either you're in the community or you're not, in terms of baptism," Kraybill pointed out.

Locals suggested some of the characters, if they are engaged in such activity, might not be genuine Amish — or perhaps have left the church.

"I don't think it's complete fallacy," Breit said. "They might not be Amish anymore, but Amish by birth."

John Pyfer, another local attorney who has taken on Amish clients, said he's never heard of such a mafia group or their alleged activity. But he found, while representing two Amish men in the late 1990s, that crime exists in the community.

Those men pleaded guilty to trafficking cocaine in cooperation with the Pagans motorcycle gang. The men were sentenced in 1999 to a year in federal prison.

Pyfer called the case an "eye-opener" for the entire Amish community.

"There was an initial denial of drug abuse" in the order, Pyfer recalled. "They were certainly not receptive to help, initially." In time, Pyfer explained, it became clear that drug activity was a real problem.

Pyfer said a series of town-hall style meetings then was held to inform the community, with an FBI agent leading the discussions. At one meeting, an Amish woman stood up and said she was addicted to cocaine and pleaded for help, Pyfer recalled.

An FBI study later revealed those meetings — and other awareness efforts — resulted in a 40 percent dip here in drug abuse among Amish, according to Pyfer, who said he hasn't been retained as an attorney for an Amish client since that case.

"Sure, plenty of Amish have been charged with criminal acts," Kraybill said. "I'm not saying Amish are perfect saints and walk on water, but this [show] is a twisted portrayal of the Amish community."

Breit, expected to be a major contributor on the show, acknowledged every TV series needs a hook.

"I do think it's maybe blown out of proportion," he said.
bhambright@lnpnews.com