was an LDS church member and scout leader in Michigan; served 9 years in prison in New York for charges of engaging in criminal sexual conduct with a person below the age of 17; sentenced to prison in 2022 in Michigan for sexually assaulting two children; some of the abuse took place at an LDS chapel

Case report

Mark Chapman was a Mormon church member in New York and Michigan.

Chapman served 9 years in prison in New York for charges of engaging in criminal sexual conduct with a person below the age of 17.

FLOODLIT is trying to determine whether Chapman was given LDS church roles working around children after his prison time in New York.

from a news article:

“MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (AP) — A former troop leader was sentenced to 12 to 20 years in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to two counts of criminal sexual conduct stemming from Michigan’s review of child sexual abuse lawsuits against the Boy Scouts of America.

Mark Chapman, 51, of New York was accused of sexually assaulting two boys at the time he was a scoutmaster in the Detroit suburb of Roseville, where he also worked in and attended The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Chapman received sentences of 12 to 20 years and 10 to 15 years to be served concurrently.

Chapman pled guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct and second-degree criminal sexual conduct.

“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that those who prey upon children will be punished,” Michigan Attorney Geneneral Dana Nessel said in a statement. “As our review of allegations made against adults in the Boy Scouts of America continues, I encourage those with information to come forward and share their story.”

Starting in 2000, one victim was abused at the church — where the troop sometimes met — and other places from the time he was 13 or 14 until he was 17, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

The second victim was assaulted for years beginning when he was about 11.

The Michigan charges were announced March 9, before Chapman’s parole from a New York prison where he served more than nine years for child abuse convictions there. A victim in New York also is one of the alleged victims in Michigan.

The attorney general’s office and the Michigan State Police last year launched a joint review of what now are 5,000 civil claims forwarded by the Boy Scouts. A completed review of 550 claims resulted in roughly 60 inquiries being sent to state police for further investigation.

The Boy Scouts in February reached a tentative settlement with a bankruptcy committee representing more than 80,000 men who say they were molested as children by Scout leaders and others. All told, the compensation fund would total more than $2.6 billion, which would be the largest aggregate sex abuse settlement in U.S. history.”

Case facts

Browse the Mormon Sexual Abuse Database

FLOODLIT.org has a free public database of hundreds of reports about people who committed or allegedly committed sex crimes, including sexual abuse, while they were active Mormon church members. You can browse the entire database in all sorts of ways, including by LDS church position, number of victims, places where crimes took place, or criminal/civil case result.

View the Mormon Sexual Abuse Map

International map of locations where active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints perpetrated or allegedly perpetrated sexual abuse or other sex crimes, or where LDS leaders failed or allegedly failed to help abuse survivors.

 

Add information

Search the Mormon Sexual Abuse Database