16 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
Alleged crime: 2010s, 
Alleged crime state:
Arizona,
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LDS positions: Not active LDS, 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 church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Excommunicated, Ward official accused of failure to report, - View report »
Alleged crime state:
2025: Arizona Court of Appeals reinstated a lawsuit v. the Mormon church
"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
- Convicted:
2024,
- LDS positions: Branch president, Other leader, Ward executive secretary,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Registered sex offender,
- Alleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Released from church position, Ward official accused of failure to report, Ward officials restricted accused from working with children,
- View report »
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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- Wade Christofferson (1953 – ) was accused, per Floodlit's sources, of sexually abusing up to 12 children in Illinois, Ohio and Utah between 1985-2025, including while in bishopric; excommunicated in 1996 for child sexual abuse; rebaptized in 1997, was bishopric counselor 2006-11, 2016-19; charged in 2025 with child sexual abuse (alleged between 2016-25); his brother, apostle Todd Christofferson, knew by around 2020 of abuse
- Alleged crime: 1980s, 1990s, 2010s, 2020s,
- Alleged crime state:
Illinois, Ohio, Utah,
LDS positions: Bishopric counselor, Missionary, Sunday school, Ward clerk, 
Criminal case(s): Not convicted, Ongoing, Police investigation, 
Alleged failure to report
Alleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Church position after excommunication, Excommunicated, High-level official accused of failure to report, Rebaptized, Ward official accused of failure to report, "I am deeply sorry for what I have done and will be meeting with my bishop to start the repentance process." - Wade Christofferson, Nov. 6, 2025 text message to the father of a girl Wade allegedly sexually abused
"The Church strongly condemns and does not tolerate abuse and honors the courage and respects the rights of survivors. Regarding the history of Wade Christofferson: President D. Todd Christofferson was never in a position to know about and, in fact, did not know about or influence the ecclesiastical decisions regarding his brother’s membership. While he and other family members were told of Wade’s... excommunication, he was not informed of the specific reasons and had no reason to suspect it was for abuse. It was not until around 2020 that President Christofferson first learned of — through family disclosure — some of his brother’s history of abuse from thirty years earlier; he respected the adult victims’ wishes not to involve law enforcement at that time. However, upon learning of a recent allegation involving a minor, President Christofferson immediately reported it to legal authorities."
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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
- Crime: 1980s,
- Crime state:
Washington,
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 reportAlleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Excommunicated, Ward official accused of failure to report, Stake president and two LDS bishops allegedly covered up abuse allegations
"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
- Crime: 1990s, 2000s,
- Crime state:
Nebraska,
Convicted:
2002, LDS positions: Bishopric counselor, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Registered sex offender, Unknown result, Alleged failure to reportAlleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Ward official accused of failure to report, -
- Timur Dykes was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Portland, Oregon; accused of sexual abuse; reportedly admitted to molesting 17 boys; convicted multiple times; in 1987, three plaintiffs sued the Mormon church and the Boy Scouts of America; in about 2009, the Mormon church paid $350,000 to a victim to settle its portion of a civil lawsuit
- Crime: 1980s,
- Crime state:
Oregon,
LDS positions: Scout leader, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Jail, Probation, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement, Alleged failure to reportChurch paid $350,000Alleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to protect victims after learning of possible abuse, Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Excommunicated, -
- 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
- 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 reportAlleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Counseling/therapy for victim, Ward official accused of 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
- Crime: 1950s, 1960s, 1970s,
- Crime state:
California, Iowa,
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 reportAlleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Church position after conviction, Excommunicated, 2024 lawsuit said Mormon church excommunicated Forrester after child sex abuse conviction, then later re-baptized him and assigned him to work with kids
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- 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
- 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 reportAlleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Church position after conviction, Excommunicated, Rebaptized, Released from church position, Ward official accused of 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
- Crime: 1990s, 2000s,
- Crime state:
Washington,
Convicted:
1993, LDS positions: High priest, Seminary teacher, Ward Santa Claus, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Died awaiting trial, Jail, Prison, Registered sex offender, Suicide, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing, Alleged failure to reportAlleged church actions: Church members wrote letters of support, Church officials accused of allowing interaction with children after notice of wrongdoing, Church officials accused of failure to protect victims after learning of possible abuse, Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Excommunicated, Rebaptized, Ward official accused of pressuring victim not to seek accountability, one boy estimated that Herget abused him 1,400 times
"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
- 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 reportAlleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Church position after conviction, Excommunicated, Rebaptized, -
- 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
- 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 reportChurch paid $32,000,000Alleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn stake members, Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Excommunicated, Stake official accused of pressuring victim not to seek accountability, Ward official accused of failure to report, Ward official accused of pressuring victim not to seek accountability, -
- 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
- Alleged crime: 1960s, 1970s,
- Alleged crime state:
California, Utah,
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 reportChurch paid $unknownAlleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Excommunicated, Officials allegedly gave the accused a church duty after admission of wrongdoing, Rebaptized, Ward official accused of failure to report, excommunicated, rebaptized with a church record flagging him as a sex offender; top Mormon officials later removed the annotation
"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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- Daniel Nelson (1954 – ) was a Mormon church member in Bountiful, Utah; pleaded guilty to lewdness & lewdness involving a child in 1989; pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted forcible sexual abuse in 1993; pleaded guilty to failure to register as sex offender in 2004; victim was granted a protective order against Nelson in 2019, recorded court notes state sexual violence protective order
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s,
- Crime state:
Utah,
Convicted:
1989, 1993, LDS positions: Elders Quorum President, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Alleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, No church discipline, nothing, Ward official accused of pressuring victim not to seek accountability, -
- 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
- Convicted:
2007,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison,
- Alleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Excommunicated, Rebaptized,
- View report »
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- G S was a male Mormon church member in Little Rock, Arkansas in the Pinnacle Mountain Ward; convicted in 1993 of felony sexual abuse of a minor in the third degree; allegedly abused a victim from 1981 to 1993 (from age 4 to 15); in January 2026, the victim filed a lawsuit against the LDS church naming G.S. as the perpetrator and accusing church officials of multiple failures
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s,
- Crime state:
Arkansas,
Convicted:
1993, LDS positions: Unknown position, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing, Alleged failure to reportAlleged church actions: Church officials accused of allowing interaction with children after notice of wrongdoing, Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Unknown church action, Ward official accused of saying victim was responsible, the alleged abuse lasted for nearly 12 years, beginning when the victim was 4 years old
"[Church officials] gave a convicted child rapist a position of authority in the Church [...] and allowed him to interact regularly with the children of the Pinnacle Mountain Ward."
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