Former Mormon bishop in California charged with child sexual abuse
Michael Morris (1950 – ) was a Mormon church member and former bishop in Livermore, California; accused of sexually abusing 4 young men in his...
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has not published a list of its sex offenders. So far, FLOODLIT has documented:
- 4,212 reports of sex abuse
- 402 times LDS officials allegedly hid abuse
- 138 accused former bishops
May 29: FLOODLIT is preparing to release a special investigative report on sexual abuse in the LDS church. Please subscribe or donate, and tell a friend! We are 100% reader supported. Thank you so much!
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Mormon Sexual Abuse News
Former Mormon stake presidency member, temple worker sentenced to prison in Utah for child sexual abuse
David John Keller (1970 – ) was a Mormon temple worker, Sunday school teacher and former stake presidency member in Paradise, Cache Valley, Utah; admitted...
Former Mormon stake president and bishop faces child sex abuse charges in Texas, Utah
Bryan Randall Brown (1972 – ) was a former Mormon stake president 2009-2015 Corpus Christi, TX and active bishop in Copperas Cove, TX area when...
Mormon sexual abuse: Utah prep school teacher, convicted 2011; in letter of support, former BYU law school dean called him “a man of principle and integrity”
Matthew Kennington (1970 – ) was a Mormon church member and high school teacher at Maeser Preparatory Academy in Lindon, Utah; was convicted of four...
Mormon bishop and seminary teacher allegedly failed to report child sex abuse by temple worker
Dennis Crawford (1946 – ) was a Mormon church member in Twin Falls, Idaho and in Utah; convicted in 2022 of AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF...
Mormon sex abuse case: Utah man abused woman with special needs after allegedly confessing abuse of previous victim to two LDS bishops, who reportedly did not report to police because they “didn’t want to ‘ruin his life'”
Dale Heckel (1976 – ) was a Mormon church member in West Valley, Utah; convicted of sexual abuse in 2009; is a registered sex offender...
Latter-day Saint sexual abuse: Nephi, Utah man convicted of exploitation
Jay Forscutt (1958 – ) was a Mormon church member in Nephi, Utah; convicted in 2022 of sexual exploitation of a minor; sentenced to eight...
LDS child sexual abuse pending case: Utah man reportedly confessed to his bishop
Jason Kilgore (1982 – ) was a Mormon church member in Mountain Green, Utah; charged in 2024 with four felony counts of aggravated child sexual...
Mormon sexual abuse case: former Arizona wrestling coach sent to prison
Daniel Scott Larsen (1982 – ) was a Mormon church member in Winslow, Arizona; convicted of sexually abusing 4 minors from ages 5-15, some dating...
Mormon church appeals denial of insurance coverage for $32 million child sexual abuse settlement
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is appealing a federal court ruling that denied insurance reimbursement for a $32 million settlement paid to...
LDS sexual abuse case: non-compliant Utah registered sex offender
Andrew Bowers (1988 – ) was a Mormon church member in Salt Lake City, Utah; convicted of SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD/2ND DEGREE FELONY in...
LDS sexual abuse case: Utah child rapist, registered sex offender
Scott Bowers (1955 – ) was a Mormon church member in Salt Lake City, Utah; April 2006 was convicted of 2 counts of: SEXUAL ABUSE...
LDS sexual abuse case: Utah man convicted of lewdness, 2026
Daniel Mooy (1972 – ) was a Mormon church member in St. George, Utah; pleaded guilty to two counts of lewdness and intoxication in April...
Mormon sexual abuse case: ex-police officer in Utah, Arizona, convicted; LDS church excommunicated him in 2006, but church officials allegedly never told police
Gerald Salcido (1954 – ) was a Mormon church member and police officer in Mesa, Arizona and in Provo, Utah; accused of child sexual abuse...
Mormon sexual abuse case: Utah man “abused so many children that he can’t keep his victims straight”
Arvid Oakley (1943 – ) was a Mormon church member in Springville, Utah; accused of sexually abusing several girls who were between 4 and 6...
Mormon child sex abuse case: Utah serial killer, 1980s
Arthur Bishop (1952 – 1988) was a Mormon boy scout leader in Utah; was excommunicated in the 1970s; later molested multiple children and killed five...
Mormon sexual abuse: serial killer’s brother convicted of CSA
Douglas Bishop (1960 – ) was raised Mormon; arrested in 1983 and convicted in 1984 of three counts of sodomy on a child and one...
Mormon sexual abuse: Utah mental health counselor convicted of raping a teenage patient
Jason Calder (1976 – ) was a Mormon church member and mental health counselor in Utah; accused of raping a teenage patient; pleaded guilty; sentenced...
Mormon child sex abuse case: Nevada CSAM, convicted 2023
Kent Schank (1986 – ) was a Mormon church member in Henderson, Nevada; pleaded guilty to POSSESSION OF VISUAL PRESENTATION DEPICTING SEXUAL CONDUCT OF A...
BYU sexual abuse news: professor arrested, charged
Stephen McKean (1993 – ) was a Mormon church member in Springville, Utah and a BYU professor; arrested in April 2026 and charged with distributing...
LDS Sex Abuse: Special Reports
BREAKING: Mormon church accused of omitting 19 pages of evidence in “deeply disingenuous” attempt to stop sexual abuse lawsuit after rejected $250M immunity bid
Floodlit, an independent newsroom reporting on sexual abuse in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has obtained documents revealing a legal battle in...
Rinse & Repeat: Mormon church trying to force BSA victim to dismiss sex abuse lawsuit
Floodlit case report: Richard Kent James Complaint: John Doe v. LDS Church, Bill Marriott, Mormon officials John Doe Objection to LDS Church Motion, BSA Bankruptcy,...
For 26 years (1963-89), LDS-BSA top execs knew of “perversion files,” but allegedly did not tell LDS church
Floodlit.org has learned that from 1963 to 1989 (26 straight years), five Mormon men who knew of the Boy Scout perversion files held the paid...
Uncovering the Mormon Church’s Knowledge of Child Sexual Abuse: The 1984 Lawsuit
Yesterday, we mentioned the disturbing case of Richard Kenneth Ray, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS church) who admitted...
Findings re: Mormon official’s declaration on church knowledge of sexual abuse
Floodlit.org has learned that in 2012, LDS church risk management director Paul Rytting declared under penalty of perjury, “the first lawsuit against the Church relating...
Where are the letters? Alleged sex abuse coverup by Mormon First Presidency
Did you know there is a current lawsuit accusing the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of aiding a sex...
FLOODLIT discovers three more Mormon sex abuse settlements, totaling over $2 million
FLOODLIT has learned of three more settlements the Mormon church paid after alleged sexual abuse of children. 1. $1.5 Million in 2019 in Riverside County,...
BREAKING: Mormon church files appeal after losing civil suit against sex abuse insurers
Part of a series of Floodlit special reports on lawsuits alleging sexual abuse coverups by Mormon officials. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
BREAKING: Mormon Church Nears Massive Settlement of Over 100 Sexual Abuse Claims
Part of a series of Floodlit special reports on lawsuits alleging sexual abuse coverups by Mormon officials. FLOODLIT.org, an independent newsroom investigating sexual abuse in...
Mormon church loses civil suit against insurers over sexual abuse settlements
Part of a series of Floodlit special reports on lawsuits alleging sexual abuse coverups by Mormon officials. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
Mormon Sexual Abusers: Examples
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- Douglas Stoddard (1949 – ) was an LDS bishop in Hurst, Texas; convicted in 1992 of a felony child sexual abuse charge of indecency with a child by contact; sentenced to 8 years of probation; a lifetime registered sex offender in Texas; named publicly in August 2023 by a victim who said Stoddard molested him and three other boys in his Mormon ward while serving as bishop .
During crime: Bishop, - Alleged:
4 victims, Multiple victims,
- View report »
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- Ronald Phelps was an LDS bishop and stake executive secretary, and attorney, in Oklahoma; arrested for indecent exposure before becoming an LDS bishop; accused of child sexual abuse; Mormon church leaders allegedly covered up the abuse .
- View report »
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- Larry Deutsch (1966 – ) was a Mormon bishop in Missouri; arrested in 2020 and charged with possession of child pornography (child sexual abuse material, or CSAM) and accused of luring an underage teenager from Arizona to Missouri; pleaded guilty; sentenced in 2021 to 12 years in federal prison plus a lifetime of supervised release; in 2024, the victim filed a civil lawsuit against the LDS church .
Convicted:
2021, - During crime: Bishop,
- Alleged:
1 victim,
- Alleged crime scenes:
LDS building, Online/computer/phone,
- View report »
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- John Parkinson (1931 – ) was a Mormon stake president (1981-1991) and physician in Fairfield, California; sentenced to prison in 1997 for sexually abusing two female patients, but the judge delayed the sentence pending an appeal; his conviction was later reversed .
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s,
Crime state:
California,
- During crime: Stake presidency counselor, Stake president,
- Alleged:
10 or more victims, Multiple victims,
- Alleged crime scenes:
Perpetrator's workplace,
- View report »
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- Mark Swanson was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Idaho; convicted in the 1980s of child sexual abuse; in 1988, Darwin Matthews, a Mormon bishop in Shelley, Idaho, recommended Swanson for a scout leader position, reportedly because he felt Swanson was "completely rehabilitated" .
- Alleged:
Unknown number of victims,
- Alleged crime scenes:
Unknown crime scene,
- View report »
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- Wendell Thompson (1963 – ) was a former LDS bishop and stake presidency member in Clinton, Mississippi; convicted in 2011 of felony child sexual abuse (gratification of lust); some of the abuse took place while Thompson was in an LDS stake presidency role .
- Crime: 2010s,
- Crime state:
Mississippi,
- Convicted:
2011,
- During crime: Stake presidency counselor,
- Alleged:
Unknown number of victims,
- View report »
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- Erik Hughes (1966 – ) was a Mormon bishop in Mapleton, Utah and a Mormon church senior product manager when he sexually abused two underage children in his LDS ward dozens of times; was sentenced to prison in 2017; released in 2023; as of 2024, registered sex offender living in Utah .
- Convicted:
2017,
- During crime: Bishop, Church employee,
- Alleged:
2 victims, Multiple victims,
- View report »
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- Rex Furness (1923 – 2005) was a former Idaho state senator and Mormon bishop in Idaho; in 1996, pleaded guilty to sexual battery for fondling an underage girl; was sentenced to 60 days in jail; given a withheld judgment: if he did not violate the terms of his probation, the felony conviction would be kept from his record .
- View report »
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- Dennis Empey (1957 – ) was a Mormon church member in Driggs, Idaho and scout leader in Provo, Utah; accused of sexually abusing many children between 1981 and 1990; a stake president and four Mormon bishops allegedly failed to report abuse for years; convicted in 1991 in Utah of child molestation; sentenced to one year in jail and three years probation; charged in 2025 in Idaho with sex crimes .
- Convicted:
1991,
- During crime: Cub/Boy Scout leader,
- Alleged:
10 or more victims, Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Alleged crime scenes:
LDS activity, LDS building, Perpetrator's home, Scout activity, Victim's home,
- View report »
"This man has molested so many children that it involved four Bishops from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints."-
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- David O'Connor (1953 – ) was an LDS church member and high school wrestling coach in Tacoma, Washington; convicted of sexual abuse in 1977; once reportedly confessed his sexual abuse in an LDS sacrament meeting; in 2021, a victim sued the Mormon church .
- Crime: 1970s,
- Crime state:
Washington,
- Alleged:
3 victims, Multiple victims,
- View report »
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Crime: 
Crime state:
During crime: 
Alleged:
Alleged crime scenes:
As an independent investigative newsroom, Floodlit is 100% supported by readers. (Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!) Your generous support enables us to obtain court documents, write original reports and maintain our website as we raise awareness about sexual abuse in the LDS church. If you'd like to shine a light with us, please consider making a donation today.
Mormon sexual abuse statistics
So far, Floodlit has found:
- 4,212 reports of sex abuse by Latter-day Saints
- 402 times church officials allegedly hid abuse
- 199 lawsuits against the LDS church
- 138 accused former Mormon bishops
- 90 reports of abuse in LDS churches/temples
- $52.2 million paid after alleged failures
- 265 ongoing criminal cases and civil suits
- 33,475 documents
Mormon sexual abuse map
See our map of over 1,000 places where Latter-day Saints allegedly perpetrated sex crimes and where LDS sex offenders live.
Special report: Mormon sexual abuse lawsuits
In 2025, Floodlit learned that the Mormon church spent nearly $60 million to defend and settle a 2013 West Virginia lawsuit by child sexual abuse victims.
In an ongoing series, we examine lawsuits alleging that Mormon officials failed to report sexual abuse or protect victims.
LDS sex abuse survivor resources and stories
If you need help right now, please visit our Resources page.
Please consider sharing your story (anonymously) in our Survivor Stories area.
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View court documents in LDS sex abuse cases
Floodlit provides free access to court documents related to sex crimes allegedly committed by Mormon church members and claims of mishandling by church officials.
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What is Floodlit.org?
Floodlit is a non-profit organization reporting on sex crimes allegedly perpetrated by Mormon church members.