21 matching Mormon sex abuse cases

  • Criminal case result: Police investigation
    • Timothy Ballard was a Mormon anti-sex trafficking activist; claimed to be friends with LDS apostle Russell Ballard (no relation); accused in 2023 of sexual misconduct by at least eight women and a couple; in June 2024, one civil case was dismissed; in July 2024, a lawsuit said his DNA was found on a victim’s skirt
    • Church discipline: Excommunicated,
    • Joseph 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
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • Nelson Bogero 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
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • William Carstensen was a Mormon church member in Bountiful, Utah; accused of child sexual abuse; charged; died by suicide
    • David Hamblin 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
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • Melvin Hansen was a Mormon church member, school music teacher and former Tabernacle Choir member in Utah; convicted in 2021 in Utah of first degree felony attempted aggravated child sexual abuse; also accused of sexual abuse in Arizona
    • Collin Hawkins was a Mormon church member and adjunct Russian professor at Brigham Young University-Idaho; was a Mormon missionary in St. Petersburg, Russia from 2015 to 2017; arrested in 2025 on suspicion of 20 felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor; the charges were related to CSAM (child sexual abuse material)
    • Paul Jellum was a Mormon scout leader in Logan, Utah in the 1980s; suspended by the BSA in 1987 after being accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old Boy Scout in his troop during a 1986 Scouting event at Camp Hunt near Bear Lake, Utah; in 1990, Jellum became a scoutmaster in a Nevada LDS ward despite his prior suspension; in 1991, Jellum admitted to the abuse
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • Robert Kempton was a former Mormon bishop and stake president in Arizona; was an attorney and served a mission as a legal counsel for the LDS church in Africa; arrested in 2014 in a police sting for prostitution
    • Seth Lyon was a Mormon church member and returned missionary in Utah; arrested in 2006 in a police sting operation and charged with enticement of a child over the internet
    • Mikel Massey was an LDS church member in Lufkin, Texas; accused of child sexual abuse; police investigated, but no charges were filed
    • Michael Otten was an LDS church member in Murrieta, California; took his computer to a tech repair shop and child sexual abuse material (CSAM) was found; police searched his home and found more CSAM
    • Bryce Ray was a Mormon church member and former bank officer in West Haven, Utah; arrested in July 2024 and charged with enticing a minor and sexual solicitation of a child
    • Douglas Richens was former international director of the Mormon church's disability services and prison ministry; worked for the LDS church for 23 years; retired, became a professional life coach in Tooele, Utah; charged with sodomy on a child and aggravated sexual abuse; court ordered him held without bail as of Mar. 21, 2025
    • Paul Spencer was a Mormon church temple prep instructor and mission leader in Riverton, Salt Lake County, Utah; charged in December 2024 with multiple felonies related to arranging to meet a police detective posing as a 13-year-old girl for sexual assault in Lehi, Utah
    • Thomas Stanger was an LDS church member in Helena, Montana; arrested four times for indecent exposure; accused of watching pornographic material while masturbating looking at women nearby
    • James Victor was a Mormon missionary in Canada in the 1980s; allegedly sexually abused a 12-year-old boy while on his mission; an LDS stake president and a mission president (David Sorensen) allegedly covered up abuse allegations; Sorensen later became an LDS general authority
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • Daniel Waddington was an LDS church member and retired police officer in American Fork, Utah; arrested in August 2023 and charged with 11 felony counts related to child sexual exploitation
    • Jeffery Westerman was a Provo, Utah police officer; was arrested for allegedly threatening to jail a woman unless she exposed herself to him

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