popular YouTube creator, church member, charged with raping his cousin when both were underage
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Personal information

Case summary

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“In a video posted to TikTok, a user called Truecrimecam told their followers the bombshell news from the YouTube community: Jared Leisek, creator of a popular scuba-diving missing persons team, is facing serious criminal accusations. “The founder of Adventures With Purpose was just charged with two counts of child ‘R,’” Cams says, using an abbreviation for rape to avoid the broadstroke moderation of certain sensitive content on the platform. She holds a tiny microphone as images from the Adventures With Purpose YouTube channel are displayed via greenscreen behind her. The video has been viewed more than 6.7 million times.

Leisek, 47, is charged with raping his cousin when he was 17 and his cousin was nine or 10. According to the charging documents, which were obtained by Rolling Stone, the alleged crimes occurred on two occasions in 1992 in Utah: once at the alleged victim’s home, and once at their grandparents’ house. Since the charges were filed earlier this month, the online community has been grappling with the fall from grace of someone previously respected for being one of the good guys — someone making a difference for victims and their families — and a community of scuba-diving search teams is preparing to move ahead without their leader. Leisek’s lawyer says the allegations are fabricated and he plans to plead not guilty. According to a former friend and fellow YouTuber who spoke with Rolling Stone, Leisek pointed him toward emails with the alleged victim where he does not deny the allegations.”

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LDS/Mormon church membership history

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LDS mission information

The accused did not serve a full-time LDS mission.

LDS temple marriage information

The accused was not married in a Mormon temple.

LDS church positions ever held by the accused:
LDS church positions held by the accused at the time of the alleged crime(s):
LDS church positions held by the accused at the time of being publicly accused:

Alleged crime(s)

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Alleged crime information

  • Description of alleged crime(s): Rape
  • Start date: 1992
  • End date: 2022
  • City: Sanpete County
  • State: UT
  • Country: United States
Alleged crime - other sources
  1. Sanpete County Sixth Judicial District Court, criminal case number: 2216003, statement of probable cause, 2022-11-03

Alleged victim(s)

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  • Number of alleged victim(s) - note if approximate: 1
  • Average age of alleged victim(s) at time of alleged crime(s): 9

Alleged victim information

  • Gender of alleged victim: female
  • Age of alleged victim at time of alleged crime(s): 9
Alleged victim - other sources
  1. Sanpete County Sixth Judicial District Court, criminal case number: 2216003, statement of probable cause, 2022-11-03
  • Notes about alleged victim(s):

Arrest(s)

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Criminal charge(s)

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Criminal charge information

  • Date: November 2022
  • Description: 2 counts, 1st degree felony rape of a child

Criminal verdict(s)

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Criminal sentence

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Prison time

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Other court cases

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LDS church response(s)

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  • Alleged failure to report by local LDS leaders? no
  • Alleged misconduct by local LDS leaders? no
  • Alleged misconduct by global LDS leaders? no

FLOODLIT is not aware whether the Mormon church paid any settlement amounts related to this case.

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