Summary
Tim Hallows was bishop of the LDS church’s Wellington ward in Kaysville, Utah at the time of his arrest in 2019.
In 2020, Hallows was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), often referred to as child pornography (CP).
In January 2023, Hallows was released from prison.
As of February 2024, Hallows lives in Pleasant View, Utah.
Facts
Alleged coverup- Criminal: Convicted, Prison, Released,
- Positions: Bishop,
- During crime: Bishop,
- When accused: Bishop,
- Crime: 2010s, in Davis County (Utah), Utah,
- Convicted: 2020, 2020s,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
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Born: 1958
- AKA Tim Hallows, Timothy J Hallows
- Mission: unknown
- Locations: Davis County (Utah), Utah,
Sources
- Hallows Pleads Not Guilty To Possession Of Child Pornography In Felony Information Filed In Federal Court ,
- Ex-Latter-day Saint bishop apologizes to family, church, victims in child pornography case,
- Hallows Sentenced To 46 Months In Federal Prison After Pleading Guilty To Possession Of Child Pornography ,
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1. Hallows Pleads Not Guilty To Possession Of Child Pornography In Felony Information Filed In Federal Court
SALT LAKE CITY – Timothy James Hallows, age 62, of Kaysville, pleaded not guilty to possession of child pornography during an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City Friday.
The charges, filed May 8, 2020, allege Hallows possessed material containing an image of child pornography involving a minor who had not attained 12 years of age. A change of plea hearing has been scheduled for June 30, 2020, at 3 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin B. Pead. Hallows is in federal custody.
Prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Davis County Attorney’s Office have worked together to determine the best venue to prosecute the case. Those discussions resulted in the filing of the Felony Information last week. This coordination happens regularly in child exploitation cases because of the significant penalties available in the federal system. Law enforcement officers working these cases are often members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which allows them to work seamlessly with prosecutors in either venue.
“These are cases that motivate all prosecutors because they involve the victimization and exploitation of children,” U.S. Attorney John W. Huber said today. “My office regularly partners with the Office of the Davis County Attorney on child exploitation cases such as this one, as we do with other county attorney offices throughout the state. Together, we seek the best court system to achieve justice for child victims and their families.”
“State court prosecutors and law enforcement officers are experienced and accomplished in developing cases. Unfortunately, and all too often, inadequate state court sentences fail to deliver measured justice that matches the seriousness of the offenses. Federal court convictions can typically bring more appropriate sentences for those who would collect images of sexual violence against children. In this case, state and federal law enforcement partners jointly determined that federal court offered a more appropriate venue for prosecution,” Huber said.
Federal judges consider a number of factors when imposing a sentence for possession of child pornography. They include the number of images, use of a computer, distribution of the images, the defendant’s abuse of a position of trust to conceal the offense, the ages of the children in the images, the defendant’s criminal history, the nature and circumstances of the offense, and the characteristics of the defendant. Multiple counts do not change the sentence because the court is aware of each image possessed by the defendant regardless of how many counts are charged.
As a part of sentencing in a case, prosecutors will ask the judge to impose a term of supervised release for the defendant following the completion of their sentence. In child exploitation cases, it can be up to life with a minimum of five years. (There is no parole in federal court cases.)
A Felony Information is not a finding of guilt. A defendant charged in a Felony Complaint is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in court.
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2. Ex-Latter-day Saint bishop apologizes to family, church, victims in child pornography case
SALT LAKE CITY — A former Latter-day Saint bishop apologized to his family, his congregation and to victims of sexual exploitation before being sentenced to prison Wednesday for having child pornography on his cellphone.
Timothy James Hallows, 62, told a federal judge that he recognizes pornography is a bane on society and possessing underage images “goes beyond pale.” He said he deeply regrets getting involved with child pornography.
“I’m fully aware of my culpability in this case, and I take full responsibility for the things that I have done and for the actions that I have taken. There’s no one else responsible but myself,” he said, appearing in court from the Davis County Jail via video conferencing.
Hallows, 62, of Kaysville, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in an agreement with federal prosecutors in July. He admitted to having images of prepubescent children being sexually assaulted by adults on his cellphone and sending them to a woman in the Philippines last November.
U.S. District Judge Howard Nielson sentenced Hallows to 46 months in federal prison, with credit for the 13 months he has served in jail. He also imposed five years of supervised release and ordered him to register as a sex offender.
Hallows was bishop of the Wellington Ward in the Kaysville Utah Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when he was arrested last year and later charged with eight counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in 2nd District Court.
The state charges were dismissed last June after the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Davis County Attorney’s Office decided to pursue the case in federal court.
Assistant U.S. attorney Carol Dain said prosecutors had “grave” concerns that Hallows’ position in the church gave him access to children. He agreed to a polygraph test that showed he had not committed any “hands-on” offenses, she said.
Defense attorney Tara Isaacson said Hallows had a successful career, loving family and virtuous life but started going down a dark path online with adult pornography that eventually led to underage images.
“He felt wracked with guilt. He felt terrible. He knew what he was doing was wrong,” she said, adding he was relieved when investigators executed a search warrant at his home.
Isaacson said Hallows, a father of five adult children, is fortunate that though troubled by what he did, his family supports him and recognizes he needs help.
Hallows apologized to his wife and said he deeply regrets putting her in a bad light. He said she had no idea what he was doing. He also apologized to his Latter-day Saint ward.
“I love my church congregation. There are so many good people. I loved serving them and I loved serving with them,” he said.
Hallows said he prays for the well-being of the child victims in the images.
“I hope that they can be rescued and receive the help that they need to live a normal childhood,” he said.
A Microsoft Online Operations complaint with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led investigators to a user who uploaded and made publicly available child sexual exploitation material to or from a Skype account. Phoenix police initially investigated the cases because the IP address tracked to a Holiday Inn in Arizona. Investigators determined the address belonged to Hallows.
Eric Hawkins, a spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days Saints, called the allegations serious and deeply troubling after Hallows’ arrest last year.
“When local leaders learned of these allegations, this individual was immediately removed from any position that would place him in close contact with youth or children. This is done to ensure the safety of others and to allow this individual to address these serious allegations,” he said in a statement.
Hawkins said the church has no tolerance for abuse of any kind, including child pornography, and teaches its members and leaders that such behavior is offensive to God and to his church.
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3. Hallows Sentenced To 46 Months In Federal Prison After Pleading Guilty To Possession Of Child Pornography
SALT LAKE CITY – Timothy James Hallows, age 62, of Kaysville, who pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in July, will spend 46 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Howard C. Nielson, Jr., imposed the sentence Wednesday morning in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City.
Local authorities arrested Hallows on Oct. 16, 2019. Federal prosecutors filed a Felony Information in May 2020 charging him with possession of material containing an image of child pornography involving a minor who had not attained 12 years of age. Local charges were dismissed following the filing of the federal charges.
As a part of a plea agreement reached with federal prosecutors, Hallows admitted that in 2019 he knowingly possessed sexually explicit images of children on his cell phone. The images included depictions of prepubescent children being sexually assaulted by adults.
Federal prosecutors agreed to recommend Hallows be given credit for acceptance of responsibility in the case and be sentenced to 46 months in federal prison, the low end of the federal sentencing guidelines in the case. There is no parole in the federal prison system. When he finishes his sentence, he will be on supervised release for five years. He was ordered to pay a $5,000 assessment under the Justice for Victims Trafficking Act as well as a $100 assessment for the count of conviction.
Local and federal law enforcement agencies and prosecutors coordinated the investigation and prosecution of this case, including members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, the Davis County Sheriff’s Office, the Davis County Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. This coordination happens regularly in child exploitation cases because of the significant penalties available in the federal system. Law enforcement task force officers investigating these cases work seamlessly with prosecutors in either venue.
“These are cases that motivate all prosecutors because they involve the victimization and exploitation of children,” U.S. Attorney John W. Huber said today. “My office regularly partners with the Office of the Davis County Attorney on child exploitation cases such as this one, as we do with other county attorney offices throughout the state. Together, we seek the best court system to achieve justice for child victims and their families. We recognize and appreciate the significant work Davis County officers and prosecutors contributed to the successful prosecution of this case.”
Federal judges consider a number of factors when imposing a sentence for possession of child pornography. They include the number of images, use of a computer, distribution of the images, the defendant’s abuse of a position of trust to conceal the offense, the ages of the children in the images, the defendant’s criminal history, the nature and circumstances of the offense, and the characteristics of the defendant. Multiple counts do not change the sentence because the court is aware of each image possessed by the defendant regardless of how many counts are charged.
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