Floodlit’s 3 year anniversary

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY FLOODLIT Floodlit.org acknowledging 3 years of documenting sexual abuse in the Mormon church Floodlit launched three years ago today. In our effort to help shine a light on the sexual abuse problem in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we (Floodlit.org) have listed 4,132 documented cases of alleged abuse, written 221…

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URGENT: Help Floodlit.org support survivors of alleged child sexual abuse by Wade Christofferson. We need your info!

URGENT: Please contact Floodlit.org if you are a survivor or know a survivor of alleged sexual abuse by Wade Christofferson, if you have any information about his leadership/membership history in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or if you knew him personally. We (Floodlit.org) are currently helping several abuse survivors to assemble information…

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Wade S Christofferson

BREAKING: Mormon church excommunicated alleged child sexual abuser, rebaptized him, put him in bishoprics, per multiple alleged victims who told Floodlit.org that church officials, including an apostle (the accused’s brother), kept abuse secret for years

URGENT: Please contact Floodlit if you are a survivor or know a survivor of alleged sexual abuse by Wade Christofferson, if you have any information about his history in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or if you personally knew him. Thank you so much! contact Floodlit.org BREAKING NEWS FROM FLOODLIT.ORG Nov. 25,…

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Wade S Christofferson

Wade Christofferson: federal sex abuse charges unveiled; searched “In Ohio do clergy have to report child abuse confessions”, per court records

UPDATE Nov. 26, 2025 – For further updates in this developing story, please see Floodlit’s case report on Wade Christofferson. Wade Christofferson case report » — FLOODLIT.ORG NEWS Nov. 25, 2025, 2:52 pm ET – On Nov. 20, Floodlit.org broke the news that Wade Christofferson, 72, of Dublin, Ohio, was being held in the Salt Lake…

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Mormon church accused of omitting evidence to stop sexual abuse lawsuit after rejected $250 million BSA immunity bid

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 the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, as part of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) bankruptcy proceedings. Report outline “Deeply disingenuous”: a $250 million rejection and an…

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Logan Cornwell

For the second time in four months, an Arizona Mormon dentist has been charged with child sex crimes

Logan Cornwell, a Mormon church member and dentist in the Gilbert-Mesa, Arizona, area, has been accused of child sex trafficking and misconduct involving weapons. Floodlit case report: https://floodlit.org/a/b418/ A review of Cornwell’s social media profiles indicated that he was married in a Mormon temple and was active in the Mormon church as of 2022. Floodlit…

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Mormon officials made a convicted child sex abuser the ward Santa and let him pass out candy, drive kids to activities and help with scout projects. In new Washington lawsuit, four plaintiffs say he met them through church, then sexually abused them hundreds of times.

Floodlit has obtained a copy of a civil lawsuit filed on Oct. 6 against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regarding convicted sexual abuser David Herget (1943 – 2005). In the lawsuit, four men say Mormon church officials allowed Herget to access them repeatedly between 2001 and 2005 in their Mountlake Terrace congregation…

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News: WA state agrees to let Catholic priests keep sex abuse secret, as Mormon church faces three lawsuits that say its clergy knowingly gave convicted abusers access to kids. We got court documents.

Today, the Washington State Attorney General’s office announced that clergy in Washington will remain mandatory reporters under stipulations filed today by the AG‘s office and the plaintiffs (two religious organizations) in lawsuits against Washington over Senate bill 5375, which passed in May 2025. The new agreement protects Catholic priests from having to report abuse they…

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25 more Mormon sexual abusers added to Floodlit database

Floodlit.org has just listed 25 more convicted Mormon sexual abusers, bringing our total to 4,370. Latest updates https://floodlit.org/accused/ – full database Each report contains links to available news sources and/or court documents, made possible by your support. You can report a Latter-day Saint sex abuse perpetrator at: https://floodlit.org/report-abuse/ Report an Abuser   Newly added Mormon…

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1979 Mormon bishop made LDS man scoutmaster despite knowing he was a convicted child molester

Floodlit.org is releasing docs from ONGOING lawsuit. In 1979 criminal case, LDS Bishop said he knew a ward member was convicted child molester when calling him as Scoutmaster. The man said bishop left him alone for months, then assigned 2nd convict as Assistant. Floodlit.org has obtained documents from an ongoing California child sexual abuse lawsuit…

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Latter-day Saint church in Potomac, Maryland

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, July 21, 2025 BREAKING: Mormon church accused of omitting 19 pages of evidence in “deeply disingenuous” attempt to stop sexual abuse lawsuit after rejected $250M immunity bid – Nov. 5,…

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BREAKING: Washington lawsuit says Mormon church covered up child sexual abuse by convicted priest

(pictured above: Francis “Mickey” Cochran, convicted child sexual abuser and Mormon high priest in the 1980s) Paul Diehl, the Seattle stake president during the alleged coverup, was promoted by the Mormon church to a Quorum of the Seventy from at least 1997 to 2000. Floodlit.org obtained a copy of the lawsuit. Read the full details:…

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Mormon sexual abuse news: ex-Utah firefighter arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting at least four young girls for years

To read the full case report please visit: https://floodlit.org/a/b354/ Scott Kidman, a Mormon and former Ogden, Utah fireman, was arrested in September 2025 on suspicion of three counts of object rape, a first-degree felony. Thanks to your donations, Floodlit has obtained a copy of a police probable cause affidavit in Kidman’s case. Floodlit recognizes the…

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BREAKING: Utah Mormon youth leader, 47, arrested for allegedly attempting to meet 13-year-old girl at LDS church to sexually assault her

Case report: https://floodlit.org/a/b345/ Jacob Fisher (Jake Fisher) was a Mormon church member and ward young men’s leader in Eagle Mountain, Utah. Fisher was arrested in August 2025 for allegedly sending explicit videos of himself to, and attempting to meet to sexually assault, a person he thought was a 13-year-old girl (but was actually an undercover…

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Former Mormon bishop, apostle’s biographer released from jail after allegedly sending explicit photos to and attempting to meet to sexually assault a person he thought was a 14-year-old girl. We got copies of 10 letters of support calling for his release. 7 mention the LDS church.

Last week, we here at Floodlit.org added former Mormon bishop Joseph Walker of Utah to our growing database of reports of sexual abuse in the Mormon church. Walker, 70, was the initial editor in 2008 of MormonTimes.com (see https://web.archive.org/web/20080225160640/http://mormontimes.com/contact.php), a publication of the church-owned Deseret News. In 2021, Deseret Book published a biography of then-apostle…

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Former Mormon bishop, “traditional values” columnist charged with child sexual exploitation

Joseph Walker was a former Mormon bishop, stake presidency counselor and LDS Public Affairs employee in Utah; charged in 2025 with three third-degree felony counts related to child sexual exploitation; allegedly “engaged in several sexually explicit conversations within which he sought or attempted to seduce, lure, and entice [a 14-year-old girl] into engaging in multiple…

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400+ times Mormon officials allegedly sexually abused children or failed to report

Full list: https://floodlit.org/failure-to-report/ Floodlit.org, a non-profit reporting on sexual abuse in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon/LDS), has now surpassed 400 documented instances where bishops or branch/mission/stake presidents allegedly sexually abused children or failed to report child sexual abuse to law enforcement.   A Crisis Uncovered This is *not* a comprehensive list…

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BREAKING: “There is no ‘sexual abuse’ file,” Mormon church risk manager declared in 2023 lawsuit

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the Mormon church) has long positioned itself as a leader in handling abuse, with officials claiming its approach is the “gold standard” and that “no religious organization has done more.” But a startling discovery from a 2023 lawsuit challenges that narrative.   A System…

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Mormon-owned KSL omits church’s name from news on suspected child sexual abuse

Today, KSL reported on the arrest of Ronald Charles Jones of West Jordan, Utah: https://www.ksl.com/article/51353482/elderly-west-jordan-man-arrested-accused-of-sexually-abusing-young-girl- The KSL article pulls information from a police probable cause affidavit, but doesn’t mention the name of the church of which Jones is a member – despite the affidavit itself stating he “is an influential member of his LDS ward…

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Jay Toombs released from prison after admittedly molesting at least 53 children

On July 29, 2025, Jay Toombs was released from prison on parole, according to a person familiar with the case. Case report: https://floodlit.org/a/a360/ 2024 parole hearing: Toombs lives in Logan, Utah, according to the Utah state sex offender registry: https://www.icrimewatch.net/offenderdetails.php?OfndrID=707328&AgencyID=54438 Toombs admitted to molesting at least 53 victims, the source said. Toombs was a younger…

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Does the Mormon church consider child sexual abuse a “serious injury?”

Yesterday, the Arizona Court of Appeals reinstated a sexual abuse lawsuit against the Mormon church, citing the church’s leadership handbook, which says prevention of “serious injury” is a justifiable reason for a bishop or stake president to “disclose confidential information without first seeking guidance.” Read the ruling: https://www.appeals2.az.gov/Decisions/CV20230293Memo.pdf From page 11 of the ruling: “Section…

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Two former LDS Social Services commissioners (stake presidents) allegedly failed to report child sexual abuse

Floodlit.org has learned that two former LDS Social Services commissioners (who were also stake presidents) allegedly failed to report child sexual abuse. We’re looking for your stories if you’ve had any interactions with them or with LDS Social/Family Services. Larry Whiting and Harold Brown each led LDS Social Services for the Mormon church – Whiting…

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Kip Crofts Mormon sexual abuse case update

Mormon sexual abuse news: Former Idaho high school football coach charged with sexual abuse of a teenager was a Mormon bishopric counselor twice from 2014 to 2019. Floodlit case report: https://floodlit.org/a/g082/ Dozens of LDS sex abuse cases involving teachers: https://floodlit.org/?s=Teacher&id=5740 Kip Erik Crofts, 59, was a high school football coach in Caldwell, Idaho for many…

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BREAKING: 211 plaintiffs file new lawsuit against Provo, Utah Mormon OB/GYN David Broadbent

Case report: https://floodlit.org/a/a038/ Download: 2025 sexual abuse lawsuit v. Mormon OB/GYN David Broadbent FLOODLIT has covered the unfolding criminal and civil litigation against former Provo, Utah OB/GYN David Broadbent since we launched in 2022, about a year after a woman shared her experience as his patient during a December 2021 Mormon Stories podcast episode (When…

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For 26 years (1963-89), LDS-BSA top execs knew of “perversion files,” but allegedly did not tell LDS church

Part of a series of Floodlit special reports on lawsuits alleging sexual abuse coverups by Mormon officials. 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 position of top liaison between BSA and LDS church. If an LDS official’s…

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Findings re: Mormon official’s declaration on church knowledge of sexual abuse

Part of a series of Floodlit special reports on lawsuits alleging sexual abuse coverups by Mormon officials. 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 to sexual abuse was brought in 1989.” But we found two prior lawsuits…

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A Latter-day Saint sexual abuse survivor sent President Russell Nelson a letter asking for increased safeguards. Here is her letter.

We love to see courageous Latter Day Saints calling for safeguards in their church. This is what we at Floodlit hope for: safety, honesty, accountability and improvement. That is what this brave survivor is doing. May we all be this brave. -Jane Executive Director Floodlit.org Note: The original post by the abuse survivor was published…

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My response to hate mail

We received an anonymous message through our website today: “Floodlit is a group of nasty Anti-mormon people hell bent on trying to destroy the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, by taking those who have done unspeakable things, and smear them, and their families into the ground continually, stirring up contention, or trying…

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FLOODLIT discovers three more Mormon sex abuse settlements, totaling over $2 million

Part of a series of Floodlit special reports on lawsuits alleging sexual abuse coverups by Mormon officials. 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, California (case RIC181995). An employee sexually abused a minor attending daycare on church…

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Utah Mormon sex abuse cases – firefighters, judges, police

FLOODLIT.org is sharing details about Gary Joseph Hawkins (Joe Hawkins), a 44-year-old Aurora, Utah firefighter charged in 2024 with child sexual exploitation, including possessing and distributing child sex abuse material. (pictured above: former Mormon bishop and Utah police officer David Moss) We’re also seeking info: Does anyone know about Hawkins’s religious affiliation or possible Mormon…

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Email from Paul Rytting, Mormon church risk management director, to insurers regarding a sexual abuse case, Mar. 9, 2018.

Timeline: LDS church sued insurers to collect $90 million, after settling 5-year-long child sex abuse suit

Part of a series of Floodlit special reports on lawsuits alleging sexual abuse coverups by Mormon officials. FLOODLIT.org, a non-profit organization investigating sexual abuse in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, broke the story last week that the church spent nearly $60 million over five years to defend and settle a lawsuit filed…

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Mormon apostle’s son, now Utah judge, helped man avoid child sex abuse charges in 1989

Report: https://floodlit.org/a/a780/ Download the court document: https://floodlit.org/bassett-2024-motion-dismiss/ In June 2024, Mormon church member and former air traffic controller Alan Bassett was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing several children between 1977 and 1989 in Fruit Heights, Utah. Investigators said the victims ranged in age at the time between 5 and 10 years old. Bassett reportedly told…

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BREAKING: New lawsuit against Mormon church says temple worker sexually assaulted a man during anointing ritual

In a lawsuit filed Jan. 27 against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a man says he was sexually assaulted by a church volunteer during an anointing ceremony at the Los Angeles California Temple in 1984. The case (2:25-cv-00703-RGK-E) was filed in the Central California District Court. FLOODLIT has obtained a copy of…

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Mormon church references removed from news article on LDS temple prep teacher accused of attempted child sexual abuse

Today, KUTV altered a news headline and article text to remove Mormon church references 3 hours after reporting on an LDS youth temple prep instructor and mission leader charged with multiple felonies stemming from an undercover police sting operation. He allegedly attempted to meet a 13-year-old for sexual assault. The accused, Paul Spencer, was a…

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