LDS church building

50 Mormon sexual abuse cases

Crime scene: LDS church building

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Michael Adamson
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was a church caretaker and organist in York, England; abused at least four children as young as seven years old; convicted; sentenced to prison in England in 2008 for child sexual abuse.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 4 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Case report »
Bishop Baldwin
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- 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.
- Criminal case: Never charged,
- Civil case: lawsuit against LDS church, Ongoing civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS bishop's office, LDS church activity, LDS church building, Recreational trip/outing,
- Crime years: 1980s, 1990s,
- Convicted in: Never convicted,
- Case report »
Joseph Layton Bishop
- was a Mormon church member and president of the Provo, Utah Missionary Training Center (MTC) in the 1980s; allegedly sexually abused multiple sister missionaries; not criminally charged because the statute of limitations had expired (in 1984, the legal deadline in Utah for filing a rape charge was four years); civil lawsuit was dismissed after an agreement by the plaintiff and the LDS church.
- Criminal case: Police investigation,
- Civil case: Civil case dismissed, Civil case dismissed with prejudice,
- Victims: Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Crime years: 1970s, 1980s,
- Convicted in: Never convicted,
- Case report »
Nelson Bogero
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was an LDS church member and Primary children's teacher in Cordoba, Argentina; accused in 2017 of sexual abuse of two girls who were in his Primary class; a local LDS leader allegedly knew about the abuse but failed to report to police; in August 2024, Bogero was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Police investigation, Prison,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Crime years: 2010s,
- Convicted in: 2020s, 2024,
- Case report »
David Bromley
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was an LDS church member in Illinois; accused of sexual abuse.
- Civil case: lawsuit against LDS church, Unknown result,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Case report »
Robert D Campbell
- was an LDS church member in Nebraska; accused of sexual abuse.
- Criminal case: Unknown,
- Civil case: Unknown result,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church activity, LDS church building,
- Crime years: 1980s,
- Convicted in: Never convicted,
- Case report »
Mark Chapman
- was an LDS church member and scout leader in Michigan; served 9 years in prison in New York for charges of engaging in criminal sexual conduct with a person below the age of 17; sentenced to prison in 2022 in Michigan for sexually assaulting two children; some of the abuse took place at an LDS chapel.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Plea agreement, Prison, Registered sex offender,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building, Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
- Case report »
Kevin F Curlew
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- 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.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Prison,
- Civil case: Civil judgment in favor of plaintiff, Claims against LDS church dismissed, Unknown result,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Crime years: 2000s,
- Convicted in: 2000s, 2006,
- Case report »
John Scott d'Aquin
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was an LDS church member; convicted in 1994 in Louisiana of contributing to the delinquency of juveniles performing sexually immoral acts; convicted in 2007 in Louisiana of indecent behavior with juveniles.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Unknown,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Crime years: 1990s,
- Convicted in: 1990s, 2000s, 2007,
- Case report »
Buckland Lee Darrell
- was an LDS church member and former LDS Primary children's teacher in the Redmond, Washington area; charged with first-degree felony child molestation in 2022 and 2023 (5 total victims, all young boys); admitted to sexually abusing around 6-8 children; pleaded guilty; sentenced in September 2024 to at least 8 years in prison.
- Criminal case: Admitted guilt, Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 6 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building, Victim's home,
- Crime years: 2010s, 2020s,
- Convicted in: Never convicted,
- Case report »
George S Davis
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was an LDS church member in Rhode Island; accused of sexual abuse that allegedly took place in an LDS chapel.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Jury trial, Prison,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Crime years: 1980s, 1990s,
- Convicted in: 1990s,
- Case report »
Larry Deutsch
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- 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.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Civil case: lawsuit against LDS church, Ongoing civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building, Online,
- Crime years: 2010s, 2020s,
- Convicted in: 2020s, 2021,
- Case report »
John Doe
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was a Mormon church member in Tacoma, Washington; sexually abused a preschooler in his ward in the 1980s; the LDS church settled with the abuse survivor for $1.1 million in 2023.
- Criminal case: Never charged,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Crime years: 1980s,
- Convicted in: Never convicted,
- Settlement paid by LDS church: $1,100,000
- Case report »
John Doe
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was an LDS church member in Australia; accused of sexual abuse.
- Criminal case: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Case report »
Cesar Duran
- was a Mormon bishopric member in Salt Lake City, Utah; arrested for alleged sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl in his ward.
- Criminal case: Unknown,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Crime years: 2010s,
- Case report »
Frederick Merlin Edvalson
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was a Mormon in Utah and Camp Springs, Prince George's County, Maryland; convicted 3 times of sexual abuse in Maryland in the 1980s; third conviction: while on probation, groomed a 10-year-old girl and sexually assaulted her in a room inside a Mormon chapel on multiple occasions from 1983 to 1984; reportedly told her he was giving her "special religious training;" sentenced to 8 years in prison.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Civil case: lawsuit against LDS church, Ongoing civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Case report »
Dennis Joe Empey
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Blackfoot, Idaho; accused of sexually abusing many children; his stake president allegedly knew Empey was abusing kids; convicted of child molestation in May 1991; sentenced to two years probation.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Probation,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Crime years: 1980s, 1990s,
- Convicted in: 1990s,
- Case report »
Christopher Lee Fleming
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was an LDS church member in Chesapeake, Virginia; found guilty of 10 counts of various sexual abuse to a minor; currently incarcerated in Virginia.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Case report »
Armando Flores
- was a Mormon branch president in West Valley City, Utah for five years; accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl on two separate occasions at their local LDS chapel: once in his office and once in another room; convicted in 2012 of misdemeanor forcible sexual abuse and unlawful detention; sentenced to zero to one year in jail.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Jail,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS bishop's office, LDS church building,
- Crime years: 2010s,
- Convicted in: 2010s, 2012,
- Case report »
Samuel Howard Gardner
- was an LDS bishop in the Oklahoma City First Ward in the early 1960s; accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy in the bishop's office at a Mormon chapel in about 1961; died in 1968.
- Criminal case: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 4 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS bishop's office, LDS church building,
- Case report »
Gene Audra Guinn
- was an LDS church member; accused of sexual abuse.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building, Victim's home,
- Crime years: 1990s,
- Convicted in: 2000, 2000s,
- Case report »
Larry E Harmston
- was an LDS church member in Utah; accused of sexual abuse which allegedly took place at a Mormon chapel in Orem, Utah; convicted; charged again (result unknown).
- Criminal case: Convicted, Unknown,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Crime years: 2000s, 2010s,
- Convicted in: 2000s, 2005, 2010s,
- Case report »
Craig Allen Harward
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was a Mormon ward executive secretary and former elementary "teacher of the year" in Santa Clara County, California; accused of sexual abuse of at least 10 children; pleaded guilty to charges related to sexual abuse of four children over a six-year period; sentenced to 14 years in prison; in 2024, a lawsuit said the LDS church failed to report abuse; as of 2024, lives in St. George, Utah.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Registered sex offender, Released,
- Civil case: lawsuit against LDS church, Ongoing civil case,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church activity, LDS church building, LDS Sunday meetings, Recreational trip/outing,
- Crime years: 1990s, 2000s,
- Convicted in: 2000s, 2004,
- Case report »
James Hayes
- was an LDS bishop in the Timmins - North Bay area, Ontario, Canada; convicted of sexual exploitation in November 2001; molested an underage girl in his ward while serving as her bishop.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS bishop's office, LDS church building,
- Crime years: 2000s,
- Convicted in: 2000s, 2001,
- Case report »
Brandon Osorio Hernandez
- was an LDS church member in Tempe, Arizona; accused of sexually abusing a victim inside a Mormon church; convicted of four fourth degree felony counts of abuse of a child or vulnerable adult.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Unknown,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Convicted in: 2010s, 2019,
- Case report »
James Francis Hogan
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Oregon; in 1989, was sentenced to five years in prison for child sexual abuse; released in 1994; in 2011, a victim filed a civil lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America, seeking $5.2 million.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Released,
- Civil case: Settlement,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Crime years: 1970s, 1980s,
- Convicted in: 1980s,
- Settlement paid by LDS church: Yes (undisclosed amount)
- Case report »
Douglas Edwin Holyoak
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- 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).
- Criminal case: Never charged,
- Civil case: lawsuit against LDS church, Ongoing civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS bishop's office, LDS church building,
- Crime years: 2000s,
- Convicted in: Never convicted,
- Case report »
Houska
- was an LDS church member in California; accused of sexual abuse.
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Case report »
Kenneth Enos Jenks
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was an LDS church member in California (Milpitas Ward); accused of 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.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Prison, Registered sex offender,
- Victims: 3 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church activity, LDS church building, Recreational trip/outing,
- Case report »
Christopher W Kite
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was an LDS church member in Chicago, Illinois; accused of sexual abuse.
- Criminal case: Unknown,
- Civil case: lawsuit against LDS church, Unknown result,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Case report »
James Steven Larsen
- was a Mormon church member in Magna, Utah; accused of putting cameras in LDS church bathrooms as well as a private rental; pleaded guilty; sentenced in 2018 to prison.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building, Victim's home,
- Crime years: 2010s,
- Convicted in: 2010s, 2018,
- Case report »
Chester Lewis Meek
- was a Mormon bishop in Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada when he sexually abused a woman; convicted of sexual assault against a female church member; there were several victims in this case over a period of five years; at least one reported abuse taking place in the bishop's office inside an LDS chapel.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS bishop's office, LDS church building, Victim's home,
- Settlement paid by LDS church: Yes (undisclosed amount)
- Case report »
John Allen Midgett
- was a Mormon church member and Sunday school teacher in the San Diego area, California; also was a Navy petty officer first class; initially pleaded not guilty to 43 felony counts of child molestation; later pleaded guilty; sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing eight girls ages 5 to 10 in his LDS sunday school class; as of 2024, lives in Bountiful, Utah as a registered sex offender.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Registered sex offender,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 5 victims, 8 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building, Victim's home,
- Case report »
Ronald Albert Mills
- was an LDS church member in Orange, New South Wales, Australia; accused of sexual abuse; convicted; sentenced in or around 1982 to 3 years in jail.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Prison,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Case report »
John Misseldine
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was a Mormon missionary in Nevada; charged with sexually abusing two little 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 local LDS leader allegedly failed to report the 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.
- Criminal case: Alford plea, Convicted, Probation, Registered sex offender,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Settlement paid by LDS church: $782,000
- Case report »
Aaron Marcos Montoya
- was a Mormon primary teacher in Utah; pleaded guilty to sexually abusing children; as of March 2024, is out of prison on parole and lives in Woods Cross, Utah as a registered sex offender.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Prison, Registered sex offender, Released,
- Victims: 5 victims, Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building, LDS Primary activity,
- Case report »
Ralph Edward Neeley
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- 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.
- Criminal case: Admitted guilt, Convicted, Prison,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building, LDS Sunday meetings,
- Crime years: 1980s, 1990s,
- Convicted in: 1990s,
- Settlement paid by LDS church: $5,000,000
- Case report »
Gordon Ariel Neeley
- was an LDS church member and daycare owner in Salt Lake City, Utah; plead guilty to ATTEMPTED - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD; convicted; died in 2018.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Victims: 3 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building, Perpetrator's workplace,
- Case report »
Joseph H Neipp
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was a former LDS bishop in San Jose, California; in 2021, pleaded no contest to four molestation counts and was given an 18-year prison sentence, with credit for the three years he spent in county jail prior to his sentencing; father of convicted Mormon child sexual abuser Samuel Neipp.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Civil case: lawsuit against LDS church, Unknown result,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church activity, LDS church building, LDS Primary activity,
- Convicted in: 2020s, 2021,
- Case report »
Carl Dee Pratt
- was a Mormon bishop in San Manuel, Arizona; allegedly sexually abused a boy in his ward, in the bishop's office at an LDS chapel; died in 2006.
- Criminal case: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS bishop's office, LDS church building,
- Case report »
Daniel Roy Robison
- was a Mormon church member and bankruptcy attorney in St. George, Utah; charged in 2024 with 11 felonies related to sexual abuse of four children.
- Criminal case: Ongoing,
- Victims: 4 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Case report »
Thomas Theron Schofield
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- 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.
- Criminal case: Never charged,
- Civil case: lawsuit against LDS church, Ongoing civil case,
- Victims: 1,
- Crime scenes: LDS bishop's office, LDS church activity, LDS church building, LDS temple,
- Crime years: 2000s,
- Convicted in: Never convicted,
- Case report »
Michael Simms
- was a Latter-day Saints (LDS) church member, organist and music teacher in Oregon; accused in a civil lawsuit of sexually abusing a boy about 100 times between 1974 and 1976.
- Criminal case: Unknown,
- Civil case: Unknown result,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Crime years: 1970s,
- Case report »
Todd Summers
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- was an LDS church member in Costa Mesa, California; accused of child sexual abuse in a Mormon chapel and other locations; civil suit against him ended with a $100,000 settlement payment by the Mormon church to the plaintiff.
- Criminal case: Unknown,
- Civil case: Settlement,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Settlement paid by LDS church: $100,000
- Case report »
John William Tonks
- was a Mormon church member in Pocatello, Idaho; accused and charged with two counts of rape.
- Criminal case: Ongoing,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Case report »
Kendall Doyle Traxler
- Leaders allegedly hid sex crimes
- 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.
- Criminal case: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building, LDS Sunday meetings,
- Case report »
Thomas Michael Wallin
- was a Mormon church member in South Jordan, Utah; admitted to sexually abusing a child within an LDS chapel.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Crime years: 2010s,
- Convicted in: 2020, 2020s,
- Case report »
Ryan Dee Whitaker
- 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.
- Criminal case: Convicted, Prison,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building, LDS Sunday meetings,
- Crime years: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s,
- Convicted in: 2010s, 2013,
- Case report »
Ruth Zurcher Worthen
- was a Mormon church member in Hyde Park, Cache County, Utah; accused of child sexual abuse by one adult in a 2019 civil lawsuit and in 2023 by four adults (one of whom was the 2019 plaintiff); arrested and charged in June 2024 with numerous felonies related to child sexual abuse.
- Criminal case: Ongoing,
- Civil case: Civil case dismissed with prejudice,
- Victims: 4 victims, Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building, Public building,
- Crime years: 1980s, 2000s,
- Convicted in: Never convicted,
- Case report »
Jeffrey Aaron Young
- was a Mormon church member in Lehi, Utah; convicted of 12 counts of VOYEURISM BY ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT CONCEALED OR DISGUISED, one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of obstructing justice.
- Criminal case: Convicted,
- Civil case: No civil case,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Crime years: 2010s,
- Convicted in: 2010s, 2016,
- Case report »

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International map of locations where active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints perpetrated or allegedly perpetrated sexual abuse or other sex crimes, or where LDS leaders failed or allegedly failed to help abuse survivors.

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