Church action: Ward official accused of failure to report

21 LDS sex abuse cases found

Alleged church action: A ward official was accused of failure to report allegations to civil authorities

Church action: Ward official accused of failure to report

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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,
- Places lived:
- Alleged crime state: Arizona,
- 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
- Bishop Baldwin was a Mormon bishop in Pittsburg, California in 1989; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse that allegedly lasted from 1989 to 1997, when the victim was 5 to 13 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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- Alleged crime: 1980s, 1990s,
- Places lived:
- Alleged crime state: California,
- LDS positions: Bishop,
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
- Alleged failure to report
- 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,
- Niles Carr was a Mormon missionary in Ireland in the late 1980s, originally from California; convicted of child sexual abuse charges; Mormon leaders allegedly assigned Carr to work with Boy Scouts after knowing he was sent home from his mission due to child sex abuse allegations
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- Crime: 1980s,
- Places lived:
- Crime state: California,
- Crime country: Ireland,
- LDS positions: Missionary,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted,
- Alleged failure to report
- 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,
- Places lived:
- Crime city: WA - Seattle,
- Crime county: WA - King,
- 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 report
- Buckland Darrell (1979 – ) was a former LDS Primary teacher in Redmond, Washington; accused of molesting young boys in sacrament meeting and at their homes; charged with first-degree felony child molestation in 2022-23 (5 victims); admitted to sexually abusing around 6 to 8 boys; pleaded guilty; sentenced in 2024 to at least 8 years in prison; faced two additional counts in March 2025 after two more victims came forward
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- Crime: 2010s, 2020s,
- Places lived:
- Crime state: Washington,
- Convicted: 2024,
- LDS positions: Primary,
- Criminal case(s): Admitted guilt, Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Alleged failure to report
- 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,
- Places lived:
- 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,
- Places lived:
- 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
- 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
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- Crime: 1990s,
- Places lived:
- Crime state: Texas,
- Convicted: 2000,
- LDS positions: High priest,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Found guilty, Jury trial, Prison,
- Alleged failure to report
- Russell Harbin (1974 – ) was a Mormon church member in Polson, Montana; convicted of sexual intercourse without consent with an 11-year-old child; the alleged abuse lasted from 2022 to 2024; he allegedly was assigned to be a Primary teacher sometime after the abuse began; sentenced in 2025 to 40 years in prison; the judge suspended 20 years of the 40-year term
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- Crime: 2020s,
- Places lived:
- Crime state: Montana,
- Convicted: 2025,
- LDS positions: Primary,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison,
- 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,
- Places lived:
- Crime country: Australia,
- LDS positions: Branch president, Ward clerk,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Jail, Ongoing, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty,
- Alleged failure to report
- Douglas Holyoak (1960 – ) was a Mormon bishop in Sycamore, Illinois from about 1999 to 2004; accused in a 2024 civil lawsuit of sexual assault of an underage girl in his office at church when she reported sexual harassment by other youth; allegedly covered up the assault with the help of a stake presidency counselor (Michael John Evans)
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- Alleged crime: 2000s,
- Places lived:
- Alleged crime state: Illinois,
- LDS positions: Bishop,
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- 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,
- Places lived:
- 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,
- Places lived:
- Alleged crime city: UT - Provo,
- Alleged crime county: UT - Utah,
- 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 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
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- Alleged crime: 2000s,
- Places lived:
- Alleged crime city: UT - Salt Lake City,
- Alleged crime county: UT - Salt Lake,
- Alleged crime state: California, Utah,
- LDS positions: Bishop,
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
- Alleged failure to report
- Joseph Smith (1805 – 1844) was the founder of the LDS church (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon church); was publicly accused during his life (1805-1844) of sexual misconduct, including adultery and illegal polygamy; in May 1844, a Hancock County, Illinois grand jury indicted Smith for perjury, fornication and polygamy; died in June 1844
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- Alleged crime: 1830s, 1840s,
- Places lived:
- Alleged crime state: Illinois, Missouri, Ohio,
- LDS positions: Apostle,
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- Alleged failure to report
- Murray Stubbs (1965 – ) was a Mormon church member in Canberra ACT Australia; accused of grooming a child using the internet because of sexually explicit texts; was found guilty in 2010 of using the internet in an offensive way
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- Crime: 2000s,
- Places lived:
- Crime country: Australia,
- Convicted: 2010,
- LDS positions: Unknown position,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Found guilty, Hung jury,
- Alleged failure to report
- Robert Tubbs (1952 – ) was an LDS scout leader in Slaterville, Weber County, Utah; admitted he told a Mormon bishop in the early 1970s he had molested multiple boys; Tubbs said the bishop kept the abuse secret; nearly 20 years passed and Tubbs molested others; in the 1990s, Tubbs pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse charges; sentenced to six years to life in prison; paroled in 2000; violated parole; released in 2008
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- Crime: 1990s,
- Places lived:
- Crime state: Utah,
- LDS positions: Scout leader,
- Criminal case(s): Admitted guilt, Convicted, Parole, Prison, Released, Violated parole/probation,
- Alleged failure to report
- Gary Woolstenhulme (1933 – 2002) was a Mormon bishop in Imperial Beach, California in 1978; died in 2002; 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 (plaintiff John Roe JB 65 - San Diego 24CU008107, CASD 3:24-cv-02349-AJB-MSB); allegedly sexually assaulted a 14-year-old boy in his office at church
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- Alleged crime: 1970s,
- Places lived:
- Alleged crime state: California,
- LDS positions: Bishop, Bishopric counselor,
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
- Alleged failure to report
- Brigham Young (1801 – 1877) was the second president of the Mormon church; married 56 women, including a 15-year-old and three 16-year-olds; was publicly accused during his life (1801-1877) of sexual misconduct, including adultery and illegal polygamy; never charged with a sex crime; arrested and charged with adultery in 1871; not convicted
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- Alleged crime: 1840s,
- Places lived:
- Alleged crime state: Illinois, Utah,
- LDS positions: Apostle, Missionary,
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- Alleged failure to report
- 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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- Alleged crime: 2000s, 2010s,
- Places lived:
- Alleged crime county: UT - Salt Lake,
- Alleged crime state: Nevada, Utah,
- LDS positions: Missionary,
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
- Alleged failure to report

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