Was Scout leader,
Unknown result,
updated Jan 18, 2025 - request update
John Doe (pseudonym) was a Mormon church member and Cub/Boy Scout leader in the United States. In the 2020s, a sexual abuse survivor identified Doe as part of a “proof of claim” submission in the massive Boy Scouts of America (BSA) bankruptcy case. The claim was one of 2,854 that directly identified the Mormon church, according to an expert analysis of the LDS church’s potential total liability for the sexual abuse allegations. The alleged abuse took place prior to the bankruptcy filing in February 2020, and may have dated back as early as the 1940s. FLOODLIT is seeking court documents and more details about these cases.
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Other Mormon sex abuse cases
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- Fred Willie was a Mormon church member and Boy Scout leader in Idaho; convicted of charges related to child sexual abuse
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- John Doe was an LDS church member in California; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church
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- Anastasia Dawson (1993 – ) was a Mormon church member in Missouri; arrested in 2023 and charged with several counts relating to sexual abuse of a minor
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- Jason Strong was an LDS church member in Utah; accused of sexual abuse; a victim sued the Mormon church after a bishop and stake president allegedly failed to report the abuse to police; the claims against the church were dismissed by a trial court, and the Utah Supreme Court upheld the dismissal in 2001, citing the First Amendment
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- Keith Gillins (1947 – ) was a former mayor, LDS bishop and high school teacher in Fillmore, Utah; arrested on charges of having sex with a 17-year-old girl; convicted in 2009 of first degree felony attempted rape, first degree felony attempted sodomy and second degree felony forcible sexual abuse; sentenced in 2009 to three sentences of three years to life in prison
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- John Doe was an LDS church member in California; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church
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- Bob UNKNOWN was a Mormon church member and Melchizedek priesthood holder in Lancaster, California; a 2024 civil lawsuit said he took part with a Mormon bishop and another Melchizedek priesthood holder in sexually assaulting an underage boy inside an LDS church building on a weekly basis from 2001 to 2003, starting when the victim was 15 years old
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- Orson Wright (1928 – 2017) was a Mormon mission president in Sydney, Australia from 1978 to 1980; accused of grooming some of the sister missionaries in his care to be his polygamous wives; removed early from his mission assignment; LDS church leaders in Salt Lake City, Utah allegedly covered up the reasons for Wright's removal
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- John Doe was an LDS church member in California; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church
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- David McGhie (1963 – ) was an LDS church member in Utah; convicted in 2000 of child sexual abuse; an LDS bishop was accused of failing to report the abuse
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- James Denos (1929 – 2017) was a former LDS bishop and junior high school teacher in Utah; previously lived and served as a Mormon bishop in 1970 in Westminster, Orange County, California; sentenced in 2002 to a minimum of 20 years in a Utah state prison for sexually abusing four minor girls living in Utah; allegedly began molesting kids as early as 1950
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- Dennis Empey (1957 – ) was a Mormon church member in Driggs, Idaho and scout leader in Provo, Utah; accused of sexually abusing many children between 1981 and 1990; a stake president and four Mormon bishops allegedly failed to report abuse for years; convicted in 1991 in Utah of child molestation; sentenced to one year in jail and three years probation; charged in 2025 in Idaho with sex crimes
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"This man has molested so many children that it involved four Bishops from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints."— Joe Empey's neighbor, pre-sentencing letter to Utah County judge George Ballif, Sept. 13, 1991-
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- John Doe was an LDS church member in California; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church
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- UNKNOWN Ross was an LDS high priest and stake seventy in California; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church
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- Nefi Rubalcava was a Mormon bishop in Norwalk/Cerritos in southern California; accused of child sexual abuse in two lawsuits filed against the Mormon church in 2025; he was the foster father of one of his alleged victims and the bishop of both of them; he allegedly participated in a sex trafficking ring involving at least one other bishop and a stake president
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- Nelson Bogero (1953 – ) was an LDS church member and Primary children's teacher in Cordoba, Argentina; accused in 2017 of sexual abuse of two girls who were in his Primary class; a local LDS leader allegedly knew about the abuse but failed to report to police; in August 2024, Bogero was sentenced to 16 years in prison
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- Ryan Whitaker (1953 – ) was an LDS church member and divorce lawyer in Vancouver, Washington; charged with sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl in his Sunday School class during church meetings; convicted in 2013 and sentenced to prison; registered sex offender
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- John Doe was an LDS church member in California; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church
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- Joseph Bishop was a Mormon church member and president of the Provo, Utah Missionary Training Center (MTC) in the 1980s; allegedly sexually abused multiple sister missionaries; not criminally charged because the statute of limitations had expired (in 1984, the legal deadline in Utah for filing a rape charge was four years); civil lawsuit was dismissed after an agreement by the plaintiff and the LDS church
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- William Schubeck was a Mormon church member in California; accused of sexual abuse
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- John Doe was an LDS church member in California; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church
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- Timothy McCleve (1956 – ) was a former Mormon bishop in Harrisville, Utah when he was charged with sexually abusing three children; some of the abuse took place while he was bishop; sentenced in 2008 to up to 30 years in prison for child sexual abuse; in 2024, charged in Utah with threatening a witness in a parole violation investigation
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- Geoffrey Ashdown was a Mormon bishop and deputy school principal in Australia; allegedly sexually abused two children while he was a bishop; died
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- Joseph Blodgett (1975 – ) was a former Mormon bishop in Tennessee; accused of sexual abuse; ongoing case as of 2025
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- John Doe (2006 – ) was an LDS church member in Moses Lake, Washington; accused of child sexual abuse
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- Craig Ford was a Mormon church member in Oregon; convicted of sexual abuse; in 2025, a $25 million lawsuit against the Mormon church said a Vancouver, Washington bishop knew of the abuse but failed to report to police
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- Vernon Sanford was an LDS church member in San Diego, California; died in 2000; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse, along with his son, Vernon Sanford Jr; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church; the alleged abuse occurred between 1961 and 1970; the Sanfords were the plaintiff's LDS home teachers
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- Craig Nebeker (1960 – ) was a Mormon church member in California and St. George, Utah; accused of sexual abuse and convicted of three counts of AGGRAVATED SEX ABUSE OF A CHILD and one count SODOMY ON A CHILD
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- Derek Layton was an LDS church member in Arizona; accused of sexual abuse in the late 1980s; convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for "sexual conduct with minor and dangerous crimes against children"
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- Ronald Phelps was an LDS bishop and stake executive secretary, and attorney, in Oklahoma; arrested for indecent exposure before becoming an LDS bishop; accused of child sexual abuse; Mormon church leaders allegedly covered up the abuse
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- John Doe was an LDS church member in Queensland, Australia; accused of sexual abuse
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- Douglas Hall (1952 – ) was an LDS bishop and retired Utah Highway Patrol sergeant in Monticello, Utah; pleaded guilty in 2001 to two third degree felony counts of attempted forcible sexual abuse; pleaded guilty in 2002 to one second degree felony count of sex abuse of a child
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- John Doe was an LDS church member in California; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church
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- Allen Brinkerhoff (1929 – 2019) was a Mormon bishop and stake president and manager of an LDS stake welfare farm in Nevada; arrested in Nevada in 2007 and admitted to sexually abusing two children; was convicted and sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison for battery with intent to commit sexual assault, and 12 to 32 months in prison for sexual abuse of a child; died in 2019
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- David Farley (1958 – ) was a former doctor and LDS church member in West Linn, Oregon; accused of sexually abusing over 200 patients; the alleged abuse occurred over a span of many years, during which Farley was an LDS stake high council member for some time; never criminally charged; in February 2024, the city of West Linn, Oregon released a report about the way its police department investigated Farley
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"When I was assaulted, I thought I was alone, I thought I had misread things."— Katie Medley-
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- Jane Doe was an LDS church member; accused of sexual abuse
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- John Doe was an LDS church member in California; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church
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- James B was an LDS bishop in Newport Beach, California in about 1990 to 1995; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of sexually abusing a boy in his office at church every week from 1990 to 1995, when the victim was 12 to about 17 years old; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church
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- Karey Zimmerman (1962 – ) was a Mormon church member in Utah and Nevada; in 2025, was accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse that allegedly took place in Nevada and Utah; the Mormon church was also named as a defendant; the lawsuit said a Utah bishop failed to report abuse allegations to police
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- Spencer Dixon (1964 – ) was a Mormon bishop in Salt Lake City, Utah; accused in 2002 of touching a 13-year-old girl inappropriately inside the LDS chapel of the Monument Park 7th Ward; acquitted in a jury trial
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- John Doe was an LDS church member in California; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church
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- Jack Loholt was an LDS church member and Boy scout leader in Kent, Washington; accused of sexual abuse in the 1970s; court records show that two Mormon bishops knew about the abuse allegations but did not tell police; the Mormon church was court-ordered in 2006 to pay $87,500 to one victim after it settled with three others for undisclosed sums
- View report »
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- Robert Stevenson was an LDS church member in Las Vegas, Nevada; accused of sexual abuse
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- DeRon Olsen (1944 – ) was a former Mormon bishop and stake presidency counselor in Spokane, Washington; in 2024, pleaded guilty to one felony count of child molestation and one felony count of child rape; sentenced to prison
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- David O'Connor (1953 – ) was an LDS church member and high school wrestling coach in Tacoma, Washington; convicted of sexual abuse in 1977; once reportedly confessed his sexual abuse in an LDS sacrament meeting; in 2021, a victim sued the Mormon church
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- LaVar Withers (1936 – 2005) was a Mormon and physician in Rexburg, Idaho; accused of sexually abusing at least 133 women and children as young as 13 years old over a period of 30 or more years; admitted to sexual abuse; in 1996, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery; sentenced to 30 to 60 days in jail and two years probation; the Mormon church placed him on probation and took his temple recommend; died in 2005
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- Jonathon Moser (1981 – ) was an LDS church member and middle school teacher in Rawlins, Wyoming; found guilty of sexually abusing two minor girls; sentenced to a minimum of 36 years in prison; a source told FLOODLIT that North Dakota LDS church leaders knew about the abuse but "did nothing"
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- Shonn Ricks was an LDS church member in Benson, Cache County, Utah; accused of sexual abuse; found guilty by a jury in 1997; served about 14 months in prison; attempted to serve a Mormon mission and was supported by his stake president, Jerry Toombs; his mission call was withdrawn
- View report »
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- Brandon Manning (1973 – ) was an LDS church member in Utah and Georgia; convicted three times of sex crimes: Scotland in the 1990s, Utah in 2001, Georgia in 2020; assigned to be a young men's president in a Georgia LDS branch in 2017; arrested in 2019 and charged with eight felony counts of child sexual exploitation; convicted; as of November 2023, lives in Fort Valley, Georgia as a registered sex offender
- View report »
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- Albert Carlson (1944 – ) was a Mormon church member in Utah, New Mexico and Texas; arrested in the 1980s in Utah on a molestation charge after allegedly molesting an underage boy who he met through the church; the case was dropped to a lewdness charge which did not require him to register as a sex offender; in 2025, sentenced in Texas to life in prison for child sexual abuse
- View report »
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