was an LDS church member; in 1987, was found guilty of sexual abuse of a child and was sentenced to six years in prison
Details

Personal information

  • Allen, Terry George
  • Alias(es): Terry Allen
  • Born: 1943
  • Gender: Male

Case summary

Add info | Back to top

In 1987, California LDS church member Terry Allen was found guilty of sexual abuse of a child and was sentenced to six years in prison.

The local Mormon church was publicly accused of being actively engaged in a coverup of the Terry Allen sex abuse case.

He was appointed as multiple trusted positions, including Sunday School President, after the Mormon church became aware that he had raped a teenager.

According to one of his victims, the ward members were not told of Allen’s conviction for child sex abuse.

He was excommunicated after a victim went to the police.

He was later re-baptized into the Mormon church.

Court documents and newspaper articles suggest there may have been multiple LDS victims.

Two of Allen’s alleged victims later died by suicide.

On 1985-09-09, after moving away from Simi Valley, California, Allen was convicted of indecent exposure in Danbury, Connecticut.

from the Los Angeles Times:

“When “One Terrific Guy,” a CBS movie with Wayne Rogers as a coach who molests a high school girl, aired a year ago, “one of the things that kind of upset us was that a number of critics said it was exaggerated,” said Mike Merrick, who co-produced with Joe Siegman. Now the producers feel vindicated: The film played a direct role in the conviction of a man for a similar crime.

David Jennings, who prosecuted the case, said that Terry George Allen, 43, described as an IBM executive who had been active in the local Mormon church, was sentenced Tuesday in Ventura County Superior Court to six years in prison for molesting his niece in 1982 when she was 13.

Jennings said that “One Terrific Guy” was a catalyst in helping the girl recall her ordeal. The film portrayed a victim doubted and ostracized by friends and family because no one could believe the popular suspect could be guilty of sexual abuse. In the real-life courtroom, according to Jennings, Allen acknowledged that he had molested his niece.

“It’s very typical for young people not to remember that this has happened to them until something triggers their memory,” Jennings said. “In this case, the show helped unlock her memory and get everything moving.””

Support FLOODLIT.org

Donate to help FLOODLIT cover our research expenses, including obtaining court records and police documents.

LDS/Mormon church membership history

Add info | Back to top

LDS mission information

FLOODLIT is not aware whether the accused served a full-time LDS mission.

LDS temple marriage information

FLOODLIT is not aware whether the accused was married in a Mormon temple.

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)

Add info | Back to top

Alleged victim(s)

Add info | Back to top
  • Number of alleged victim(s) - note if approximate: 15
  • Average age of alleged victim(s) at time of alleged crime(s):

Arrest(s)

Add info | Back to top

Criminal charge(s)

Add info | Back to top

Criminal verdict(s)

Add info | Back to top

Criminal sentence

Add info | Back to top

Prison time

Add info | Back to top

Other court cases

Add info | Back to top

LDS church response(s)

Add info | Back to top
  • Alleged failure to report by local LDS leaders? yes
  • Alleged misconduct by local LDS leaders? yes
  • Alleged misconduct by global LDS leaders? unknown

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

View all Mormon sexual abuse settlements

 

"*" indicates required fields

Share details to help us improve our records. To report an unlisted abuser, email us at tips@floodlit.org. We'll keep you anonymous unless you tell us otherwise. Anything you share via this form will be privately reviewed by the FLOODLIT team to see if it's something we can publish.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.