- Crime: Unknown timeframe, in California,
- Convicted: 2020s, 2021,
- Church positions: Bishop,
- Crime scenes: LDS activity, LDS building,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Jail, No contest, Prison,
- Civil lawsuit(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Unknown result,
Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
Summary
In June 2020, 72-year-old Joseph Neipp, a former Bishop in San Jose, was accused of sexually abusing two sisters. A lawsuit was filed against the Church itself as well, claiming they knew about the abuse and could have prevented it from happening but failed to do so.
LDS ward of accused at time of alleged crime(s): Branham
crimes allegedly took place between 2009-16 in or near San Jose, CA.
Alleged victims: 2
Neipp was bishop of the Branham Ward in 2005.
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Neipp was married in the Oakland Temple a year after he converted to Mormonism.
There were two Jane Does who each separately reported Neipp’s sexual abuse about 15 years after it happened, without either knowing the other had experienced the same thing.
There were three other victims who came forward, admitting that Neipp had never actually touched them, but saying they felt like they were being groomed, according to FLOODLIT’s sources. A civil lawsuit filed against the LDS church and Neipp was dropped in 2020 (case 20CV366443 in Santa Clara Superior Court).
Neipp served as an LDS bishop until he was excommunicated for having an extramarital affair, per our sources. He was re-baptized almost 10 years later.
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Criminal case documents
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