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Donate »33 Mormon sexual abuse cases found
George Aaron
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- was a former Mormon bishop in a college ward in Provo, Utah; allegedly sexually abused his two teenage daughters in the 1980s and early 1990s; found civilly liable in 2001 to have "inflicted emotional distress," "breached fiduciary duty," and behaved with "reckless disregard" toward his younger daughter; paid $25,000 in punitive damages.
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Alleged coverup- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: Judgment for plaintiff,
- Positions: Bishop,
- Alleged crime: 1980s, 1990s, in Utah,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
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James Adams
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- 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.
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- Alleged coverup
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LDS church payment: Undisclosed amount
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Civil: Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement,
- Positions: Other leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in West Virginia,
- Crime scenes: Victim's home,
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Paul Adams
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- 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.
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- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Died awaiting trial, Not convicted, Suicide,
- Civil: Dismissed,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Alleged crime: 2010s, in Arizona,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
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Robert Berchtold
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- was a Mormon church member in Idaho; sexually abused a child; in 1986, was found guilty of rape of a child and spent one year in jail.
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- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Missionary, Temple worker,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s, in Idaho,
- Crime scenes: Victim's home,
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Raphael Caccioppoli
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- was a Mormon church Sunday school teacher, lawyer and Justice Ministry judicial officer in New Zealand; confessed sex crime behavior to a Mormon bishop in 1998; LDS leaders did not tell police or local parents of children he was left alone to supervise; turned himself in to police in 2007; sentenced to five years in jail for child sexual abuse and animal sex abuse (bestiality).
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- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Sunday school,
- Crime: 1990s, 2000s, in New Zealand,
- Crime scenes: Victim's home,
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Mark Chapman
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- was an LDS church member, church janitor 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.
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- Criminal: Convicted, Plea agreement, Prison, Registered sex offender,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime scenes: LDS building, Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
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Stephen Coleman
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- was an LDS church member and analyst in the Utah state Office of Planning and Budget; accused of sexual abuse in 2011; convicted and sentenced to prison; as of 2016, was serving two sentences of 15 years to life in prison in Utah.
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- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
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Richard Cook
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- was a Mormon church member and former LDS nursery leader in Boise, Idaho; arrested in 2020 on suspicion of sexually abusing young boys.
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- Criminal: Ongoing, Unknown result,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Nursery,
- Crime scenes: Victim's home,
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Buckland Darrell
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- 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.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Admitted guilt, Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Primary,
- Crime: 2010s, 2020s, in Washington,
- Crime scenes: LDS building, Victim's home,
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Anthon Ellsworth
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- was an LDS bishopric counselor and returned missionary in Arizona; in 2021, pleaded guilty to three felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
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- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Missionary,
- Crime: 2020s, in Arizona,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
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Carlos Escalante
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- was an LDS branch president in San Nicolas, Argentina; sexually abused his stepdaughter for 5 years, including while branch president; the victim asked local LDS leaders for support, but allegedly received none; she was punished by the church for "refusing to forgive" and for "failing to comply with worthiness standards;" the accused was sentenced in 2018 to 14 years in prison.
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- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Branch president,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
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John Goodrich
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- 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.
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- Alleged coverup
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LDS church payment: $300,000
- Criminal: Charges dropped, Convicted, Withheld judgment,
- Civil: Settlement,
- Positions: Bishop,
- Crime: 2000s, in Idaho, Virginia,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
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Gene Guinn
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- was an LDS church member; accused of sexual abuse.
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- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: High priest,
- Crime: 1990s, in Texas,
- Crime scenes: LDS building, Victim's home,
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David Hamblin
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- was a Mormon church member and former elders quorum president in Utah; arrested in 2022 and charged with child sexual abuse in three separate cases; investigated along with ex-wife Roselle Stevenson (arrested in 2023) for alleged ritualistic sexual abuse; in 2025, a court dismissed one case with prejudice after "discovery issues;" one case remained as of March 2025.
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- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Ongoing, Police investigation,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Elders quorum,
- Alleged crime: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, in Provo (Utah), Utah, Utah County (Utah),
- Crime scenes: Health appointment, Perpetrator's home, Perpetrator's workplace, Public, Recreational trip/outing, Victim's home,
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Arlin Hatch
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- was a Mormon church member in California; accused of sexual abuse in a 2025 lawsuit against the Mormon church.
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- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: Dismissed, Dismissed without prejudice, Lawsuit v. LDS church,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Alleged crime: Unknown timeframe, in California,
- Crime scenes: Victim's home,
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Christopher Jensen
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- 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.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
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LDS church payment: $32,000,000
- Criminal: Convicted, Found guilty, Prison, Registered sex offender,
- Civil: Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement,
- Positions: Missionary,
- Crime: 2000s, 2010s, in Utah, West Virginia,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home, Victim's school,
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Melvin Johnson
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- 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.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
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LDS church payment: Undisclosed amount
- Criminal: Admitted guilt, Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement, Unknown result,
- Positions: BYU, Church employee, Other leader,
- Alleged crime: 1960s, 1970s, in California, Utah,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
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David Keller
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- was a Mormon temple worker, Sunday school teacher and former stake presidency member in Paradise, Cache Valley, Utah; admitted in May 2024 to child sexual abuse and was charged with seven first-degree felony counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child.
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- Criminal: Admitted guilt, Ongoing,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Stake presidency counselor, Sunday school, Temple worker,
- Alleged crime: 2000s, 2010s, in Cache County (Utah), Utah,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
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Timothy Kimball
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- was an LDS church member in San Antonio, Texas; charged in 2022 with child sexual abuse; died by suicide in June 2023 while awaiting indictment.
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- Criminal: Died awaiting trial, Not convicted, Suicide,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Missionary, Other leader,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
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James Larsen
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- 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.
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- Criminal: Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Crime: 2010s, in Utah,
- Crime scenes: LDS building, Victim's home,
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Robert Longman
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- was a Mormon missionary in Corpus Christi, Texas; molested a three-year old in a bedroom while two other missionaries talked with the mother; pleaded no contest to charges filed in May 1989 of indecency with a child; sentenced to eight years probation, a $1,000 fine, and required to pay $400 in court costs.
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- Criminal: Convicted, No contest, Probation,
- Positions: Missionary,
- Crime scenes: Victim's home,
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Timothy McCleve
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- was a former Mormon bishop in Harrisville, Utah when he was charged with sexually abusing three children; some of the abuse took place while he was bishop; sentenced in 2008 to up to 30 years in prison for child sexual abuse; in 2024, charged in Utah with threatening a witness in a parole violation investigation.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Positions: Bishop,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, in Utah,
- Crime scenes: Victim's home,
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David McConkie
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- was a former Mormon stake president, Mormon bishop and deputy district attorney in Colorado, and paternal grandson of former Mormon apostle Bruce R. McConkie; arrested in August 2023; charged in September 2023 with felony sexual assault on a child by someone in a position of trust; in November 2023, granted permission by the judge to move to Utah; pleaded not guilty in February 2024.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Ongoing,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, Bishopric counselor, Missionary, Scout leader, Stake president, Youth leader,
- Alleged crime: 2000s, 2010s, in Colorado,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
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Maynard McFarland
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- was an LDS church member in California and Minnesota; sentenced in 2005 to 32 years in prison for sexually abusing his daughter for many years; released from prison in 2020; as of 2024, lives in Chula Vista, California as a registered sex offender.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison, Registered sex offender,
- Civil: Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
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Chester Meek
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- 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.
- Learn more »
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LDS church payment: Undisclosed amount
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Bishop, Other leader,
- Crime scenes: Bishop's office, LDS building, Victim's home,
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John Midgett
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- 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Registered sex offender,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Primary,
- Crime scenes: LDS building, Victim's home,
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Shawn Mortensen
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- was a former Mormon bishop and stake presidency member in Albuquerque, New Mexico; in February 2021, admitted to police that he had sexually abused an 11-year-old girl in January 2021; convicted of child sexual abuse; sentenced in 2022 to prison in New Mexico.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Admitted guilt, Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, Other leader,
- Crime: 2020s, in New Mexico,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
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Jason Pedersen
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- was an LDS church member in Heber City, Utah; found guilty of first degree felony attempted aggravated sex abuse of a child; as of April 2024, lives in Riverton, Utah as a registered sex offender and is an LDS elders quorum president.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Elders quorum, Missionary, Scout leader, Ward clerk,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
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Jeremy Rose
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- was a Mormon church member in Tremonton, Utah; accused and charged with 16 charges in Box Elder, County; case was transferred to Ogden, Utah courts.
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- Criminal: Convicted,
- Crime: 2010s, in Utah, Weber County (Utah),
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's workplace, Victim's home,
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William Shubeck
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- was a Mormon church member in San Bernardino, California; accused 2003 of sexual abuse in a civil lawsuit against the LDS church.
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- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: Lawsuit v. LDS church, Unknown result,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Alleged crime: 1960s, in California,
- Crime scenes: Victim's home,
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Arthur Stout
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- was a Mormon church member in Littlerock, California; in 2024, a civil lawsuit said he sexually assaulted a girl "on a weekly basis" from 1991 to 1997, starting when she was 5 years old; some of the alleged abuse took place in an LDS church building.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
- Positions: Other leader,
- Alleged crime: 1990s, in California,
- Crime scenes: LDS building, Perpetrator's home, Vehicle, Victim's home,
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Todd Summers
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- was an LDS church member and videographer for local children's events in Costa Mesa, California; accused of child sexual abuse that allegedly took place in a Mormon chapel and other locations; a 2009 civil suit against him ended with a $100,000 settlement payment by the Mormon church to the plaintiff.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
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LDS church payment: $100,000
- Criminal: Never charged,
- Civil: Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement,
- Positions: Missionary,
- Alleged crime: 1990s, in California,
- Crime scenes: LDS building, Public, Victim's home,
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Karey Zimmerman
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- 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.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
- Positions: Missionary,
- Alleged crime: 2000s, 2010s, in Nevada, Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
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View the Mormon Sexual Abuse Map
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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