Convicted:
2018, 
LDS positions: Unknown position, - During crime: Unknown position,
- LDS mission:
unknown
- Alleged:
4 victims, Multiple victims,
- Alleged crime scenes:
Unknown crime scene,
Criminal case(s): Convicted, Registered sex offender, Released, - Alleged church actions: Unknown church action,
updated Apr 30, 2026 - request update | add info
Convicted:
LDS positions: 
Alleged:
Alleged crime scenes:
Criminal case(s): 
Richard Saunders was a Mormon church member in Newtown, Connecticut.
Saunders was convicted in 2018 of crimes related to child sexual abuse. His sex offender registry listing says he “engaged in inappropriate touching of 4 minor female victims ages 13 – 5 and also exposed himself to the 4 minor victims.”
As of April 2026, Saunders was a registered sex offender living in Torrington, Connecticut.
A person familiar with Saunders’s case said that Saunders was convicted of sexual abuse of four LDS children.
Have any info on this Mormon sex abuse case? Contact us.
Sources
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1. Newtown man sentenced for sexually assaulting children
DANBURY — A Newtown man who sexually abused four children was sentenced Wednesday in Superior Court to six years in prison.
Richard Saunders, 73, had previously pleaded guilty to seven charges including risk of injury to a minor and third-degree sexual assault. Court officials said Saunders abused the four children on multiple occasions for more than three years. The agreement with prosecutors called for up to eight years in prison with Saunders having the right to argue for less.
Saunders, according to testimony Wednesday, was helping to care for the children while a family member was undergoing life-threatening medical procedures. Instead, he used it as an opportunity to victimize the children that were placed in his care.
The mother of two of the victims pleaded for a lengthy prison sentence noting the impact the abuse has had on their children and family. Her children, the mother said, need to know that their bodies are their own.
Documents
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Criminal case documents
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