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.
Do you know them? Add info or contact us
FLOODLIT.org compiles reports on sexual abuse in the LDS church to raise public awareness and help survivors heal. Learn more » or Get involved »
Sponsored Content
Other Mormon sex abuse cases
-

- James Carnegie was a Mormon bishop in Silverdale, Washington in the mid-1980s (Silverdale 3rd Ward, Silverdale Washington Stake); convicted in 2009 and sentenced to jail for child molestation
- View report »
-
-

- John Doe was a Mormon church member in Vernon, Utah; accused of sexual abuse
- View report »
-
-

- Thomas Schofield (1955 – ) was a Mormon bishop in Elk Grove, Sacramento County, California; accused in a 2024 civil lawsuit of sexually abusing a 16-year-old child in 2004-05 while he was a Mormon Bishop; some of the alleged abuse took place in the Salt Lake City and Oakland LDS temples and the bishop's office at church
- View report »
-
-

- Byron Poelman (1934 – 2014) was a bishop and stake president in Utah and partner in a law firm that represented the LDS church; arrested in 1994 for soliciting a prostitute; pleaded guilty to a class B misdemeanor charge of patronizing a prostitute
- View report »
"President and sister Poelman's lives need to be private now. [...] We are a family. A family keeps things private. A family draws close together. These things are to be kept private."— Boyd Packer, Mormon apostle-
-

- 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
- View report »
-
-

- 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
- View report »
-
-

- John Doe (1961 – ) was an LDS church member and former Mormon bishop in Alabama, Alaska and Texas; in 2022 or 2023, confessed to child sexual abuse to his LDS bishop and stake president in Texas, according to a person familiar with the case; they reported him to local police in 2023; in 2024, a plaintiff filed a civil lawsuit against him; Doe and the church settled with the victim in 2025
- View report »
-
-

- Douglas Bowen (1950 – ) was an LDS church member and Boy Scout leader in Washington, California, Utah and Idaho; was convicted of attempted aggravated sexual abuse of a child
- View report »
-
-

- Keith Bergstresser (1975 – ) was an LDS church member in Oregon and Idaho; convicted in 2002 in Oregon of contributing to sexual delinquency of a minor; made a registered sex offender; in 2019, was assigned a position in an elders quorum presidency in Idaho
- View report »
-
-

- Jack Schofield (1923 – 2015) was an LDS church member, school administrator and state senator in Las Vegas, Nevada; accused of sexual harassment; died in 2015; a victim told FLOODLIT he sold her repeatedly to sex trafficking clients at a motel in Las Vegas
- View report »
-
-

- 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
- View report »
-
-

- UNKNOWN Smith was a Mormon church member and high priest in the Azusa 1st Ward in Azusa, California (Glendora California Stake); accused of sexual abuse in a 2024 civil lawsuit along with his ward's former bishop, Timothy Monzello
- View report »
-
-

- Kendall Traxler (1969 – 2015) was an LDS church member in Gallman and Hazelhurst, Mississippi; died in 2015; a victim told FLOODLIT that Traxler sexually abused them when they were a child; the abuse allegedly took place during Sunday branch meetings; the branch president and stake president allegedly knew about the abuse but failed to report it to law enforcement
- View report »
-
-

- Paydan Bussey (1998 – ) was a Mormon church member in Washington and Utah; convicted of child sexual abuse charges while a minor in Washington; removed from sex offender registries in Washington and Utah; allegedly molested a child in 2019 while on a trip to Spain paid for by the Mormon church; charged in Washington and Utah in 2024 with child sexual abuse felonies; named in a 2025 lawsuit against the Mormon church
- View report »
-
-

- 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
- View report »
-
-

- 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
- View report »
-
-

- 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
- View report »
-
-

- Kevin Curlew was an LDS church member in Methuen, Massachusetts; accused of sexually abusing a child in an LDS chapel; convicted and sentenced to prison; in 2008, a victim's mother filed a civil lawsuit against the the Mormon church, claiming the church allowed the accused to babysit children despite his prior convictions for child sexual abuse, and that LDS leaders failed to report her child's abuse to police
- View report »
-
-

- Todd Edwards (1964 – ) was a Mormon bishop in Menifee, Riverside County, California; in 2013, sentenced to three years in prison for sexual abuse of one teenage girl in 2006 and another in 2012; was bishop at the time of the 2012 abuse; in 2024, two victims sued the LDS church in separate lawsuits; one said a stake president and LDS law firm Kirton McConkie hindered police
- View report »
-
-

- 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
- View report »
-
-

- Ralph Neeley (1949 – 2020) was an LDS church member in the Beaumont, Texas area; was sentenced in January 1994 to life in prison in Texas for repeated sexual abuse of an 8-year-old girl in an LDS chapel during church meetings and in other locations; died in prison in 2020; the Mormon church reportedly paid several million US dollars in a settlement to the victim
- View report »
-
-

- Keith Knutson (1968 – ) was a Mormon church member in Seattle, Washington; pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse charges in 1995; a Mormon bishop allegedly failed to report abuse allegations to police
- View report »
-
-

- Stephen Davis was a Mormon bishopric counselor in Orange County, California; accused of sexual abuse
- View report »
-
-

- George Lee (1943 – 2010) was a Mormon general authority in Utah; member of the First Quorum of the Seventy from 1975 to 1989; in 1994, pleaded guilty to attempted sexual abuse of a child, a third-degree felony; registered sex offender; died in 2010
- View report »
-
-

- Lon Kennard (1941 – 2019) was a former Mormon bishop in Heber City, Utah; in 2011, pleaded guilty to three felony counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child; sentenced in 2011 to three consecutive terms of five years to life in the Utah State Prison
- View report »
-
-

- 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
- View report »
-
-

- Keith McDowall (1925 – 2018) was a Mormon church member in Canberra, Australia; accused of sexual abuse of relatives, including an infant
- View report »
-
-

- 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
- View report »
-
-

- 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
- View report »
-
-

- Mark Webster was a branch president in New Mexico; accused of rape in a civil lawsuit
- View report »
-
-

- 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 »
-
-

- Matthew Wallis (1984 – ) was a Mormon church member in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana and in Ogden, Utah; pleaded guilty to a charge related to child sexual abuse
- View report »
-
-

- Timothy Monzello was a Mormon bishop in Azusa, California (Azusa 1st Ward, Glendora California Stake) from about 2005 to 2010; accused in a 2024 civil lawsuit of sexual abuse that allegedly took place between 2008 and 2010, starting when the victim was seven years old; the alleged abuse took place in the bishop's office at church and at Monzello's home
- View report »
-
-

- John Misseldine (1982 – ) was a Mormon missionary in Nevada; charged with sexually abusing two children at an LDS chapel in the Las Vegas area; in 2005, made a plea deal to avoid prison, via an Alford plea to two counts; a lawsuit said a local Mormon leader failed to report abuse to police; in 2008, sentenced to prison after violating the plea deal; as of 2024, lives in Las Vegas, Nevada as a registered sex offender
- View report »
-
-

- Kip Later was an LDS church member and scout leader in Idaho; accused in the 1980s of sexual abuse; Mormon church leaders allegedly failed to tell police about abuse allegations
- View report »
-
-

- John Doe was a Mormon church member in Tacoma, Washington; allegedly sexually abused a preschooler in his ward in the 1980s; the LDS church settled with the abuse survivor for $1.1 million in 2023
- View report »
-
-

- David Williams (1948 – ) was an LDS church member in West Valley, Utah; in 2019, found guilty of sexually abusing seven little girls for 14 years; the abuse was reported to parents and bishop and they allegedly did not report to police
- View report »
-
-

- Michael Adamson (1945 – ) was a Mormon church caretaker and organist in York, England; allegedly abused at least four children as young as seven years old between 1966 and 1982; sentenced to prison in England in 2008 for child sexual abuse
- View report »
-
-

- Larren Arnold (1935 – 2017) was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Idaho; in 1984, arrested for lewd conduct with a minor under 16; convicted, received a five-year suspended sentence and three years probation; Mormon leaders allegedly covered up Arnold's abuse; the Mormon church made a $50,000 settlement payment to a victim in 2001, and a payment to another victim in 2012; died in 2017
- View report »
-
-

- 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
- View report »
-
-

- Gary Jones was a Mormon ward clerk in Cerritos, California; accused in a 2025 lawsuit against the Mormon church of sexually abusing a child as part of a sex trafficking ring, and of covering up the abuse; the plaintiff said she was abused over 200 times at the Cerritos LDS stake center from 1979 to 1983
- View report »
-
-

- William Gillespie (1936 – ) was an LDS church member in Montgomery, Alabama; accused of reaching inside the swimsuits of two girls and fondling them in his backyard pool in 1987; convicted in 1988 of three charges of first-degree sexual abuse and sentenced to one year in prison, plus four years of probation; conviction was reversed on appeal, then upheld; was allegedly excommunicated from the Mormon church
- View report »
-
-

- Todd Summers was an LDS church member and videographer for local children's events in Costa Mesa, California; accused of child sexual abuse that allegedly took place in a Mormon chapel and other locations; a 2009 civil suit against him ended with a $100,000 settlement payment by the Mormon church to the plaintiff
- View report »
-
-

- Michael Coleman (1960 – ) was an LDS bishop and former sound recording engineer in Mesa, Arizona (Lehi 2nd Ward); arrested in 2014 for sexual solicitation of a minor online; the alleged crime took place while he was bishop
- View report »
-
-

- Melvin McKinney was an LDS church member in California; accused of sexual abuse
- View report »
-
-

- Peter Brackner was second counselor in an LDS bishopric in Purvis, Mississippi, and a scoutmaster; accused of sexual abuse
- View report »
-
-

- Philander Smartt was a Mormon mission president in Puerto Rico; accused of sexually manipulating some of his sister missionaries; in 2014, the LDS church sent him home and called his behavior "immoral and sinful," but no criminal charges or civil lawsuits resulted
- View report »
-
-

- 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
- View report »
-
-

- Larry Deutsch (1966 – ) was a Mormon bishop in Missouri; arrested in 2020 and charged with possession of child pornography (child sexual abuse material, or CSAM) and accused of luring an underage teenager from Arizona to Missouri; pleaded guilty; sentenced in 2021 to 12 years in federal prison plus a lifetime of supervised release; in 2024, the victim filed a civil lawsuit against the LDS church
- View report »
-
-

- 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
- View report »
-
Help Floodlit raise awareness about sexual abuse in the Mormon church
Your donations help us cover costs, create reports and make court documents available.
We've accomplished a lot in 2025 thanks to you!
Donate »Donate to support FLOODLIT.org
Your support enables us to conduct research, publish case info, and make documents freely available.
Our relentless reporting honors survivors, assists researchers, and empowers those who protect the vulnerable.
We're an independent non-profit newsroom.
Donate »Sources
No sources available. Please contact us to request an update.
Documents
Have docs or info? Add information
Criminal case documents
Floodlit does not have information regarding whether a related probable cause affidavit exists. Please check back soon or contact us to request that we look for one.Civil case documents
Floodlit does not have information regarding whether a related civil complaint exists. Please check back soon or contact us to request that we look for one.Other documents
Floodlit does not have information regarding whether other related documents exist. Please check back soon or contact us to request that we look for some.Add information
If someone you know was harmed by the person listed on this page, or if you would like us to add or correct any information, please fill out the form below. We will keep you anonymous. You can also contact us directly.
"*" indicates required fields




























