Douglas Grant Richens

BREAKING April 21, 2025:

The Mormon church has been subpoenaed in the case of Doug Richens, who worked for the church for 23 years (2000 to 2023).

Prosecutors are seeking “the full and complete Human Resources (HR) file the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has regarding Douglas Grant Richens.”

Since Richens’s arrest, prosecutors say multiple additional victims have come forward, leading to expanded charges, including rape of a child.

UPDATE: April 15, 2025 Richens was in court and charge #2 SODOMY ON A CHILD – 1st Degree Felony was amended to RAPE OF A CHILD- 1st Degree Felony. Richens is being held without bail and is due back in court June 17, 2025.

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Douglas Richens was a Mormon church member and professional life coach in Tooele, Utah.

Prior to starting his coaching business, Richens worked for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for 23 years. Positions Richens held there included seminary teacher, principal of Eagle Seminary, international director of disability services, and manager of special programs and services regarding crime and incarceration.

On Mar. 19, 2025, Richens, 52, was arrested at his place of business (Gray Space Experts in Tooele) for allegedly manipulating and sexually abusing several of his clients.

Thanks to your donations, FLOODLIT has obtained a copy of the police probable cause affidavit (PC affidavit) in Richens’s case.

Richens was arrested for 13 different offenses: 10 second-degree felony counts of sexual abuse of a child, and one misdemeanor count of sexual battery.

On Mar. 20, Richens was charged with sodomy on a child and two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, first-degree felonies; sexual abuse of a child, a second-degree felony; and sexual battery, a class A misdemeanor.

Doug Richens Arrest and Pending Criminal Charges

Richens ran a business called Gray Space Experts with another person.

A woman who went to him for help told the police that during a session on March 4, Richens smacked her on the backside and made a casual remark about it being inappropriate without saying sorry. After talking it over with her husband, she reported it to the authorities.

The woman also mentioned that she spoke with other women who had seen Richens at his business, and they said he tried to steer their sessions toward sexual behavior, according to the PC statement.

A police officer interviewed these women and found their stories troubling and unprofessional, suggesting Richens might have been trying to groom them, even if what he did wasn’t clearly illegal. The officer heard there were more women with similar experiences but hasn’t spoken to them yet.

On Mar. 17, the same officer started looking into another case where a teenage girl said Richens touched her inappropriately during their sessions. She described being made to do odd stretches that didn’t make sense to her and felt wrong, though she wasn’t sure how to stop him.

While investigating, the officer discovered a third case from 2020, where a young girl claimed Richens abused her at his home. At that time, Richens refused to speak to police without a lawyer, and the girl’s family eventually asked to drop the case because it was too hard on her, the PC affidavit said.

But on Mar. 18, police reached out again, and the family said the girl, now a teenager, felt ready to move forward with charges.

After arresting Richens on Mar. 19, police reported that “a search of the [Utah] state website showed that Mr. Richens has no license to practice medicine or any kind of counseling.”

The probable cause statement also noted that other people had said Richens tried to groom them at his business, and they believe he could harm more women and children if let out, given his upcoming appointments.

If anyone has been victimized by Richens or knows of someone who has, they can call police at 435-882-5600.

Douglas Richens LDS Church History

A search of several online profiles of Richens showed numerous references to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including posts by him or a relative saying he attended Brigham Young University – Hawaii, taught Seminary (religious education for high school aged children) and visited a Mormon church building in Rwanda.

According to a LinkedIn profile which had recently been deleted as of Mar. 21, 2025, Richens held the following positions:

Current Job: [worked at lds church for 23 years]
Global Organization Manager – Impact of Crime & Incarceration at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Previous Jobs:
Manager – Special Programs and Services – Crime and Incarceration at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Manager – Special Services – Priesthood and Family Department at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Executive, Leadership and Life Coach at Hygge Solutions Group
Certified Life Coach and Business Consulting at Doug Richens-Coach, Speaker and Creator of the Ruthless Life series
Gray Space Experts- Owner & Founder at Gray Space Experts
Gray Space Experts- Founder & CEO at Gray Space Experts – Reinventing Life & Business
Global Senior Manager – Special Populations at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Senior Manager – Special Populations at The Church
Manager – Disability Services – Seminaries and Institutes of Religion at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Seminaries and Institutes of Religion
International  Director – Disability Services at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Global Education Manager – Supporting Students with Disabilities at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
School Principal  & Area Disability Administrator at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Adapted Needs Area Advisor at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Seminaries and Institutes of Religion
Religious Educator at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Seminaries and Institutes of Religion
Regional  Educational  Director at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
President at Straightline Automotive

Education:
Applied Compassion Training Certification from Stanford University
Master of Business Administration – MBA from Utah State University
Neuroscience of Applied Compassion & Ascendancy, The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research & Education (CCARE) at Stanford from Stanford University
Master of Business Administration – MBA from Purdue University
Bachelor of Science (BS), History from Brigham Young University – Hawaii

Richens spoke at a December 2018 chaplain training event for the LDS church. He said:

About a year ago, a little over a year ago, we were with the Quorum of the Twelve discussing the suicide prevention and ministering website. The name of the site was “Suicide Prevention,” and we knew that that title did not address or call out to those who had lost a loved one. If you had lost a loved one, you wouldn’t think to go to a site called “prevention.”
We needed a broader name. It was then, in that meeting, when President Nelson, then President of the Quorum of the Twelve, gave us the title that you see on the screen now. Everyone in the room looked at the word “ministering” and thought, “Well, that’s not us; that’s not our language.” But we said, “Yes, we would,” and we changed the site. And then of course, as this last year has unfolded, that word has become so significant to us and is improving our capacity to serve. I’m grateful for prophetic leadership at every step of this process.

Richens went on an LDS mission to Argentina, including Rosario, in the 1990s.

Richens married in the Salt Lake Temple in approximately 1996.

If you know anything about Richens’s history in the Mormon church, please contact us. You will remain anonymous.

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THIRD JUDICIAL DISTRICT – TOOELE DISTRICT COURT
TOOELE COUNTY, STATE OF UTAH
STATE OF UTAH vs. DOUGLAS G RICHENS
CASE NUMBER 251300170 State Felony

CHARGES:

Charge 1 – 76-5-402.1 – RAPE OF A CHILD – 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: July 20, 2017
Location: Tooele County
Mandatory Appearance

Charge 2 – 76-5-403.1 – SODOMY ON A CHILD – 1st Degree Felony / *(04-15-2025 UPDATED Charge 76-5-403.1 Severity F1 was amended to 76-5-402.1) RAPE OF A CHILD- 1st Degree Felony*

Offense Date: May 21, 2017
Location: Tooele County
Mandatory Appearance

Charge 3 – 76-5-404.3 – AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD – 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: March 14, 2025
Location: Tooele County
Mandatory Appearance

Charge 4 – 76-5-404.3 – AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD – 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: March 14, 2025
Location: Tooele County
Mandatory Appearance

Charge 5 – 76-5-404.3 – AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD – 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: July 20, 2017
Location: Tooele County
Mandatory Appearance

Charge 6 – 76-5-404.3 – AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD – 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: January 01, 2024
Location: Tooele County
Mandatory Appearance

Charge 7 – 76-5-404.3 – AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD – 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: January 01, 2024
Location: Tooele County
Mandatory Appearance

Charge 8 – 76-5-404.3 – AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD – 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: January 01, 2024
Location: Tooele County
Mandatory Appearance

Charge 9 – 76-5-404.3 – AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD – 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: January 01, 2024
Location: Tooele County
Mandatory Appearance
04-18-2025 01:55 PM Page 1 of 5

Charge 10 – 76-5-404.1(2) – SEX ABUSE OF A CHILD – 2nd Degree Felony
Offense Date: May 21, 2017
Location: Tooele County
Mandatory Appearance

Charge 11 – 76-5-404.1(2) – SEX ABUSE OF A CHILD – 2nd Degree Felony
Offense Date: July 20, 2017
Location: Tooele County
Mandatory Appearance

Charge 12 – 76-5-404.1(2) – SEX ABUSE OF A CHILD – 2nd Degree Felony
Offense Date: July 20, 2017
Location: Tooele County
Mandatory Appearance

Charge 13 – 76-9-702.1 – SEXUAL BATTERY – Class A Misdemeanor
Offense Date: March 04, 2025
Location: Tooele County
Mandatory Appearance