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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- Francis Cochran (1921 – 2005) was a Mormon high priest in the Seattle 6th Ward in Seattle, Washington in the 1980s; convicted twice in the 1980s of crimes related to sexual abuse of multiple children; allegedly assaulted multiple young girls on LDS property, including during church meetings; a 2025 lawsuit (Floodlit broke the story) said stake president Paul Diehl & multiple ward bishops covered up allegations against Cochran
- View report »
"Despite numerous red flags, Defendants continued to give High Priest Cochran access to minor church members. Defendants allowed High Priest Cochran to continue to attend and volunteer at church events, including those attended by minors. Defendants also allowed High Priest Cochran to continue to transport young girls, including vulnerable refugee girls, to and from church events."— civil complaint filed Sept. 17, 2025 (case 2:25-cv-01797)-
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- 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
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- Franklyn Curtis (1903 – 1995) was a Mormon church member in Pennsylvania and Oregon; excommunicated in 1983 in Pennsylvania for sex abuse; rebaptized in 1984; molested five boys in Oregon; local LDS bishop knew but didn't report to police; convicted in 1995 in Oregon of sexual abuse; died in 1995
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- John Doe was an LDS church member in Cambridge, Massachusetts; 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
- View report »
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- Richard Ray (1942 – 2019) was an LDS church member in Arizona; sentenced in 1984 to 61 years in prison for molesting five girls; allegedly had more than 30 victims; the LDS church was involved in a lawsuit regarding clergy-penitent privilege; the church settled out of court for an undisclosed amount just before trial
- View report »
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- 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 »
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- Christian Bearnson (1963 – ) was a Mormon church member in Los Angeles, California in the early 1990s; molested a 13-year-old girl; in 1993, the Mormon church was found liable for child sexual abuse by a jury in a civil lawsuit; the LDS church then settled with the two plaintiffs, reportedly for millions of dollars (US), and had the court records sealed
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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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- William Knox was a Mormon church member and scout leader in California; accused of sexually abusing multiple children
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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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- John Doe was a Mormon temple worker in Los Angeles, California; accused in a 2025 lawsuit against the LDS church of sexually assaulting a man in 1984 while performing a private anointing ritual in the Los Angeles LDS temple
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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
- View report »
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- Juan Flores Atenco (1955 – ) was a Mormon branch president in West Valley City, Utah for five years, including in the early 2000s; accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl in his office and another room at an LDS church building; convicted in 2012 of misdemeanor forcible sexual abuse and unlawful detention; sentenced to zero to one year in jail; in March 2025, charged with rape and object rape (alleged crimes in 2002)
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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
- View report »
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- Gene Guinn (1932 – 2008) was an LDS church member in the Dallas Seventh Ward, Texas; in 2000, found guilty by a jury of indecency with a child and sentenced to 68 years in prison; the victim was 10 years old at the time of the crime; Mormon officials allegedly knew about the abuse but failed to report to police
- View report »
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- John Doe (1955 – ) was a Mormon church member in Lake Elsinore, California; arrested in 1997; pleaded guilty to committing lewd acts with a child under age 14; spent three years in state prison; in December 2022, the LDS church paid $995,000 to settle its part of a related civil lawsuit wherein a jury awarded the victim $2.28 billion
- View report »
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- 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-
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- Robert Metcalf (1949 – ) was a Mormon in California, Arizona; convicted of child sexual abuse in 1974; sentenced in 1979 to six years in prison; excommunicated; after prison, was rebaptized, made a scout leader and allegedly molested a scout on a campout in about 1987, according to a 1990 civil lawsuit against the LDS church; sentenced in Arizona in 1989 to 37 years in prison; 2020 lawsuit vs. LDS church
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- Thomas Evans-Southall was an LDS bishop in Charlottesville, Virginia; originally from England; accused of sexual abuse; convicted in 2018 and sentenced to two consecutive terms of two years in prison
- View report »
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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
- View report »
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- Matthew Anderson was an LDS church member in West Haven, Utah; accused of sexual abuse; convicted
- View report »
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- Trevor Milton (1982 – ) was a Mormon church member and former technology billionaire (Nikola) in Utah; accused in a 2020 lawsuit of sexual assault of two minors
- View report »
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- Keith McDowall (1925 – 2018) was a Mormon church member in Canberra, Australia; accused of sexual abuse of relatives, including an infant
- View report »
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- James Adams (1954 – ) was a Mormon church member in Beckley, West Virginia; sentenced to prison in 1994 for sexually abusing multiple children; in 1996, a $750 million lawsuit was filed against the Mormon church alleging coverup; the suit was settled out of court in 2000
- View report »
"The church is not in the business of covering up."— Church spokesman Don LeFevre-
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- Daniel Taylor (1979 – ) was an LDS church member and seminary teacher in New Zealand; found guilty in 2013 of sexual abuse of multiple underage boys; local Mormon leaders allegedly failed to report Taylor's abuse
- View report »
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- Tim Ryan was allegedly an LDS church member in Idaho; accused of sexual abuse; pleaded guilty in 2008 to a felony charge of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 16; detectives said the victim's family reported the abuse in 1999, but that it was dropped when they wouldn't cooperate with investigators
- View report »
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- Mark Stevens (1956 – ) was a Mormon bishop in West Jordan, Utah in 2006; charged in 2025 with sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl that allegedly took place in his office at church
- View report »
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- Edwin Dyer (1935 – 1986) was a Mormon church member and scoutmaster in central Oregon; accused of sexual abuse; allegedly molested as many as 15 boys over a 28-year period; shot and killed in 1986 by one of his victims; the Mormon church settled out of court for $200,000 with one victim
- View report »
"Until we use names, until people understand that this happened to Johnny next door, it will keep on happening."— Judith Powell, mother of abuse survivor Keith Powell-
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- G N was a Mormon church member; accused of sexual abuse
- View report »
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- David Blain (1970 – 2015) was an LDS church member in Washington; accused of sexual abuse
- View report »
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- Luis Gonzales was a Mormon bishop in Sacramento, California; charged with 20 counts of child molestation, battery, rape, bigamy, stalking, and fraud; in 2002, was found guilty of bigamy, spousal abuse (battery) and child molestation
- View report »
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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
- View report »
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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
- View report »
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- William Evans (1909 – 1991) was a prominent Mormon church member in Salt Lake City, Utah; was bishop twice of the Grant 6th ward; from 1957 to 1962, was in the Utah State Legislature; served as Salt Lake County Clerk from 1968 to 1983; died in 1991; allegedly raped a relative in Salt Lake City in the early 1980s
- View report »
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- Randall Deaton (1959 – ) was an LDS church member in the Holmes Lake Ward, Lincoln Nebraska Stake; convicted in 2002 of attempted 1st degree sexual assault of a minor; the abuse took place before Deaton joined the LDS church; subsequently called as counselor in a YSA ward bishopric
- View report »
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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
- View report »
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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
- View report »
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- John Doe was a Mormon bishop in Pocatello, Idaho; an abuse survivor told FLOODLIT that Doe sexually abused them in his office at church in late 1999
- View report »
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- 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 »
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- John Doe was a Mormon church member in Vernon, Utah; accused of sexual abuse
- View report »
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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
- View report »
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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
- View report »
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- John Goodrich (1959 – ) was a former Mormon bishop and dentist in Idaho; accused of child sexual abuse and of having nonconsensual sex with a woman he admitting to drugging; given a withheld judgement; in December 2023, the AP reported that the Mormon church had offered $300,000 to a victim and her mother to not use her story to sue the church, and to keep the NDA secret; arrested in Virginia in March 2024
- View report »
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- Kim Nelson was a Mormon church member in St. George, Utah; pleaded guilty to charges of child sexual abuse and was sentenced to prison; LDS leaders allegedly knew about the abuse and failed to report to police
- View report »
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- George Koford was a Mormon bishop 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 »
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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
- View report »
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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
- View report »
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- 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 »
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- Keith Williams (1956 – ) was a Mormon church member in Clearfield, Utah; accused of sexual abuse; allegedly molested a boy for three years; Mormon leaders allegedly failed to report the abuse to police, but approved Williams for an LDS temple wedding; convicted in 1991
- View report »
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Documents
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Criminal case documents
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