12 LDS sex abuse cases found
Alleged church action: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members about the accused after learning of possible wrongdoing
- Church action: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members
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- Paul Adams (1982 – 2017) was an LDS church member in Arizona; sexually abused two children for several years after confessing to his bishop; arrested and charged; died by suicide in 2017 while in custody awaiting trial; as of October 2025, a lawsuit against the church is ongoing
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Alleged crime: 2010s, 
Alleged crime state:
Arizona,
2025: Arizona Court of Appeals reinstated a lawsuit v. the Mormon church-
LDS positions: Unknown position, - Criminal case(s): Admitted guilt, Died awaiting trial, Not convicted, Suicide,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
- Alleged failure to report
Alleged crime state:
"They said, 'You absolutely can do nothing.'
"
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- Craig Capron (1965 – ) was a podiatrist; Mormon branch president in Macy, Nebraska (1999-2002), then a stake/ward executive secretary in Wyoming; allegedly sexually abused at least five children over a span of 20-plus years, despite LDS officials allegedly knowing of the first victim and prohibiting Capron from teaching kids; convicted in 2024 in Wyoming; sentenced to six to 12 years in prison; convicted again in 2025
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Convicted:
2024, - LDS positions: Branch president, Other leader, Ward executive secretary,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Registered sex offender,
Mormon officials allegedly assigned Capron to leadership positions despite forbidding him from teaching children - more than 20 years prior to his conviction
"I just want what's best for you."
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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
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- Crime: 1980s,
- Crime city:
WA - Seattle,
- Crime county:
WA - King,
- Crime state:
Washington,
Stake president and two LDS bishops allegedly covered up abuse allegations
Crime city:
Crime county:
Convicted:
1987, 1988, 
LDS positions: High priest, 
Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing, 
Alleged failure to 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."
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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
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- Crime: 1990s, 2000s,
- Crime state:
Nebraska,
Convicted:
2002, LDS positions: Bishopric counselor, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Unknown result, Alleged failure to 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
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- Crime: 2000s, 2010s,
- Crime state:
California,
Convicted:
2013, LDS positions: Bishop, Youth leader, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Registered sex offender, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing, Alleged failure to report-
- Alfred Forrester (1936 – 2013) was a Mormon church member in California; excommunicated in the 1950s after conviction for child molestation; moved to Iowa, reoffended, incarcerated; returned to California, convicted once or twice more, then assigned to be a Mormon church scoutmaster; abused again, caught, sentenced to prison in 1979; a 2024 lawsuit against the LDS church alleged that a bishop failed to protect kids
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- Crime: 1950s, 1960s, 1970s,
- Crime state:
California, Iowa,
2024 lawsuit said Mormon church excommunicated Forrester after child sex abuse conviction, then later re-baptized him and assigned him to work with kids
Convicted:
1956, 1960, 1966, 1979, LDS positions: Scout leader, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Probation, Registered sex offender, Released, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing, Alleged failure to report-
- William Harding (1940 – ) was a Mormon branch president, elders quorum president and ward clerk in Tasmania and Queensland, Australia; charged in or before 2023 with multiple counts of sexual assault of a minor in two states in Australia; allegedly had as many as 40 victims; in 2024, pleaded guilty to reduced charges and was sentenced to 9 months in jail in Brisbane; in 2025, faced new charges in Tasmania
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- Crime: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s,
- Crime country:
Australia,
Crime country:
LDS positions: Branch president, Ward clerk, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Jail, Ongoing, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Alleged failure to report-
- David Herget (1943 – 2005) was a Mormon high priest in Washington; convicted of child rape and child molestation in 1993; sentenced to 180 days in jail and was a registered sex offender; arrested in 2005, died by suicide in jail the next day; detectives identified at least seven victims; one child estimated that Herget abused him 1,400 times; in a 2025 lawsuit against the church, four plaintiffs said officials failed them
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- Crime: 1990s, 2000s,
- Crime county:
WA - King,
- Crime state:
Washington,
one boy estimated that Herget abused him 1,400 times
Convicted:
1993, LDS positions: High priest, Seminary teacher, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Died awaiting trial, Jail, Prison, Registered sex offender, Suicide, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing, Alleged failure to report"This isn't a case of ignorance, it's a case of betrayal. The church knew exactly who this man was and what he had done. Nonetheless, they gave a convicted predator a position of trust and authority, which allowed him to exercise power over young boys. These kids deserved safety. Instead, they were left vulnerable to unimaginable harm."
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- Kenneth Jenks (1941 – ) was an LDS church member in California (Milpitas Ward); was a ward executive secretary and ward librarian; charged with sexual abuse; convicted; served 14 years in prison for sexual abuse of a minor under duress; three victims sued the LDS church, claiming it knew about Jenks's abuse but allowed him to work with children
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- Crime: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s,
- Crime state:
California,
LDS positions: Other leader, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison, Registered sex offender, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing, Alleged failure to report-
- Christopher Jensen (1991 – ) was a Mormon church member in Utah and West Virginia; sentenced to 35 to 75 years in prison for sexually abusing two children; local LDS church coverup alleged; LDS church settled civil lawsuit mid-trial in 2018 for $32 million, also spending over $27 million on legal fees; FLOODLIT.org discovered the settlement details in 2025 and made them public for the first time
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- Crime: 2000s, 2010s,
- Crime state:
Utah, West Virginia,
Convicted:
2013, LDS positions: Missionary, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Found guilty, Jury trial, Prison, Registered sex offender, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement, Alleged failure to report-
- Melvin Johnson (1936 – ) was a Mormon seminary teacher and Brigham Young University (BYU) religion professor; accused by multiple victims of sexually abusing them when they were children; excommunicated and rebaptized; reportedly confessed to sexual abuse, but was not criminally charged; two victims filed lawsuits against him; one named the Mormon church as a defendant; it settled out of court
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- Alleged crime: 1960s, 1970s,
- Alleged crime city:
UT - Provo,
- Alleged crime county:
UT - Utah,
- Alleged crime state:
California, Utah,
excommunicated, rebaptized with a church record flagging him as a sex offender; top Mormon officials later removed the annotation
LDS positions: BYU, Church employee, Other leader, Seminary teacher, Stake high council, Criminal case(s): Admitted guilt, Never charged, Not convicted, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement, Unknown result, Alleged failure to report"We didn't choose this. It happened to us. It wasn't our choice. But we're damn sure going to do something about it."
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- Brett Nichols (1967 – ) was an LDS church member in Arizona; convicted in 2007 of child sexual abuse; sentenced to 10 years in prison; baptized again after excommunication; ward members reportedly were not told of his criminal past when he returned after his prison time
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- Convicted:
2007,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison,
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