87 matching Mormon sex abuse cases

  • Criminal case result: Probation
    • Hector Amezcua was an LDS church member in Woodbury, Minnesota; accused of sexual abuse; convicted; finished his probation and moved to California; as of 2023, lives in California
    • Cortney Andrew was a Mormon church member and bishopric counselor in Logan, Utah; charged in 2023 in Utah with four second degree felony counts of enticing a minor by internet or text; pleaded guilty to reduced charges in December 2023; sentenced in January 2024 to 60 days in jail
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • Larren Arnold was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Idaho; in 1984, arrested for lewd conduct with a minor under 16; convicted, received a five-year suspended sentence and three years probation; Mormon leaders allegedly covered up Arnold's abuse; the Mormon church made a $50,000 settlement payment to a victim in 2001, and a payment to another victim in 2012; died in 2017
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • LDS church payment: $50,000
    • Scott Ashton was an LDS church member in Pasco, Washington; charged with prostitution-Patronizing a Prostitute 04/30/2015; Ashton's sentence was modified on 1/29/2016 to Disturbing the Peace
    • Christian Bearnson was a Mormon church member in Los Angeles, California in the early 1990s; molested a 13-year-old girl; in 1993, the Mormon church was found liable for child sexual abuse by a jury in a civil lawsuit; the LDS church then settled with the two plaintiffs, reportedly for millions of dollars (US), and had the court records sealed
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • LDS church payment: $2,000,000
    • Stanley Bitsoi was a Mormon church member in Rigby, Idaho; convicted of a felony sex crime (Lewd Conduct with Child Under 16); sentenced to jail and probation
    • Glen Borst was a Mormon church member in Utah; sentenced to prison in 2004 for child sexual abuse
    • Brian Briggs was an LDS church member in Utah; pleaded guilty to sexual abuse charges; sentenced to a year in jail; violated probation and was sentenced to one to 15 years in the Utah State Prison
    • Paul Bryant was an HOA president and former Mormon primary teacher in Lehi, Utah; was a branch president during an LDS mission to Argentina in the 1980s; in 2016, pleaded guilty to three first-degree felony counts of attempted aggravated sexual abuse of a child and was sentenced to prison; in 2023, pleaded not guilty to failure to register as sex offender; died by suicide in December 2024
    • Eddie Bunch was an LDS church member in St. George, Utah; convicted in 2016 of misdemeanor lewdness involving a child and misdemeanor sexual battery; one victim was 16 years old and the second victim was 12 years old; served 135 days in jail and had 36 months of probation; as of March 2024, is a registered sex offender living in St. George, Utah
    • Gerald Burgie was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Utah; charged in 1981 with third-degree felony forcible sexual abuse; convicted of attempted sexual abuse of a child
    • Tanner Clark was an LDS church member in Utah; sentenced in 2019 to 90 days in jail for two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a 16 or 17 year old, two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, and two counts of dealing in materials harmful to minors; may have had over 100 victims; arrested in 2021 (while on probation) for enticing a minor; convicted and sentenced to 1 to 5 years in prison
    • Michael Clay was an LDS church member and BYU professor in Provo, Utah; charged with sexually abusing three students; entered a plea bargain in May 2023 in which he agreed to plead no contest to three class A misdemeanor charges of sexual battery, complete 24 months of probation, do 50 hours of community service, and take a sexual boundaries course; sentenced in June 2023 according to the plea deal
    • Alan Croshaw was a Mormon bishop in Utah in the 1990s; admitted to having a lifelong sexual addiction with a preference for prepubescent girls; downloaded and distributed child pornography; in 2015, sentenced to 30 days in jail for felony voyeurism and misdemeanor lewdness; violated probation by downloading porn
    • Troy Dameron was a Mormon church member, electrician and sheriff's deputy in Teton County, Idaho; lived in Rexburg, Idaho; a 911 dispatcher said he asked her sexually charged questions, shared sexual fantasies and masturbated in a bathroom near her work desk; pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of indecent exposure; sentenced in May 2024 to 15 days in jail (with work release) and two years of probation
    • Prescott De Jean was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Texas; accused of sexual abuse; convicted between 1991 and 1997 of indecency with a child by contact; victim was 6 years old at the time of the abuse; convicted in 2013 of third degree felony failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements; as of March 2024, lives in Port Lavaca, Texas as a registered sex offender
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • Church discipline: Excommunicated,
    • Larry Deutsch 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
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • Adam Dimond was an LDS church member and dancer in Farmington, Utah; pleaded guilty in 2020 to a second-degree felony charge of enticing a minor by Internet or text; sentenced to 40 days in jail and 4 years of probation
    • Edwin Dyer was a Mormon church member and scoutmaster in central Oregon; accused of sexual abuse; allegedly molested as many as 15 boys over a 28-year period; shot and killed in 1986 by one of his victims; the Mormon church settled out of court for $200,000 with one victim
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • LDS church payment: $200,000
    • Timur Dykes was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Portland, Oregon; accused of sexual abuse; 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
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • LDS church payment: $350,000
    • Jay Elggren was a Mormon church member in Salt Lake County, Utah; accused of sexual abuse; convicted; sentenced to jail and probation
    • Dennis Empey 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
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • Matthew Faerber was an LDS church member and high school choir director in Murray, Utah; pleaded guilty in 1990 or 1991 to two counts of attempted sexual abuse of a child; sentenced in February 1991 to six months in jail (two of those months under house arrest) followed by three years of supervised release
    • Richard Fowler was a Mormon church member in Sandpoint, Idaho; pleaded guilty to two felony counts of Children-Lewd Conduct with Child Under 16 in 20
    • Jeffrey Fox was a former state legislator (1977-1982) in Utah; convicted federally for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in 2013 and placed on probation for 15 years; in 2019, probation was terminated for completing terms; in 2022, arrested and charged in Utah with 8 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor; case dismissed without prejudice due to a federal charge
    • Ryan Frandsen was an LDS church member and fireman in Davis County, Utah; pleaded guilty in 2010 to five counts of lewdness involving a child; child sexual abuse material (CSAM) was found on his computer; sentenced in 2010 to 90 days in jail and three years of probation
    • Michael Fritchen was a Mormon church member in Utah; sentenced to prison in the 1990s and again in 2011 for child sexual abuse
    • Francis Fuller was a Mormon bishop in Highland, Utah in 1993; also was a stake high council member in Utah; in 2018 or 2019, pleaded guilty to two second degree felony counts of child sexual abuse; sentenced in 2019 in Utah to two years in jail and four years probation; registered sex offender
    • Rex Furness was a former Idaho state senator and Mormon bishop in Idaho; in 1996, pleaded guilty to sexual battery for fondling an underage girl; was sentenced to 60 days in jail; given a withheld judgment: if he did not violate the terms of his probation, the felony conviction would be kept from his record
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • William Gillespie was an LDS church member in Montgomery, Alabama; accused of reaching inside the swimsuits of two girls and fondling them in his backyard pool in 1987; convicted in 1988 of three charges of first-degree sexual abuse and sentenced to one year in prison, plus four years of probation; conviction was reversed on appeal, then upheld; was allegedly excommunicated from the Mormon church
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • Church discipline: Excommunicated,
    • Stephen Goode was a Mormon church member in Gresham, Oregon; arrested in 2019 and accused of sexually abusing a child during a trip in 2018; in 2022, found guilty in a jury trial of four felony charges; sentenced to 8.5 years in prison and 20 years supervision
    • Shawn Gooden was an LDS bishop in Lebanon, Pennsylvania from 2016-2020; arrested in 2022 and charged with sexual abuse of two children in Virginia from 1997-2000; pleaded guilty in July 2023 in Virginia to four felony counts; sentenced in November 2023 in Virginia to prison time and supervised probation on release; charged in July 2023 in Pennsylvania with more child sex abuse charges
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • Cory Grint was a Mormon church member in Vernal, Utah; pleaded guilty to lewdness involving a child; sentenced to 364 days in jail, with a suspended jail sentence of 364 days and 36 months of probation; as of 2025, lives in Vernal, Utah as a registered sex offender
    • Jeffrey Head was an LDS bishop in Utah; committed sex crimes while serving as a Mormon bishop; in 2019, a jury found him guilty of attempted forcible sexual abuse, two counts of lewdness and sexual battery; sentenced to four months in jail and four years of probation
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • Vance Hein was an LDS church member and scoutmaster in West Bradford, Pennsylvania; was convicted in 1999 of a misdemeanor for sexually abusing one of his boy scouts; sentenced in 2000 to 15 years of probation; arrested in 2011 for possessing child pornography; sentenced in 2012 to 15 to 30 years in prison; the Mormon church settled a related lawsuit in 2014
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • LDS church payment: Undisclosed amount
    • Michael Hiatt was a Mormon church member in Clinton, Utah; charged in Utah in March 2023 with two second degree felony counts of enticing a minor, and one third degree felony count of dealing in materials harmful to a minor; pleaded guilty in June 2023 to one second degree felony count of enticing a minor; sentenced in August 2023 to 45 days in jail, with credit for 15 days served, and 4 years probation
    • Kyle Hill was a Mormon church member; accused of child sexual abuse; convicted in 2019 and sentenced to 15 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release
    • Craig Housley was an LDS church member in Utah; found guilty in 2018 of child sexual exploitation; sentenced to 210 days in state prison and five years of probation
    • Stanley Hunt was an LDS church member and custodian in the Washington County School District in St. George, Utah; convicted of second-degree felony sex abuse of a child via a plea agreement; convicted in 2023 of violation of the terms of his sex offender registration
    • Edward Hunter was a Mormon church member in Peoria, Arizona; accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl who was his patient; pleaded guilty to three counts of child abuse; sentenced to two years in prison and lifetime probation
    • Harry Jones was an LDS church member in Illinois; sentenced to 30 months of probation for possession of child pornography (child sexual abuse material or CSAM)
    • Harry Jones IV was a Mormon church member in Buffalo Grove, Illinois; convicted of possessing CSAM; is a registered sex offender
    • Dennis Judd was an LDS church member and Uintah County, Utah attorney; charged with voyeurism and stalking in October 2023 after allegedly filming his female employees in his law firm's bathroom; in January 2024, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of stalking; plea held in abeyance; in June 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of voyeurism
    • Nicholas Lewis was a Mormon church member and BYU student; accused of sexually abusing young girls and attempting to solicit sex from a teen online; sentenced in 2017 to jail and probation; 2023: registered sex offender living in Bremerton, Washington
    • Robert Longman 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
    • Leslie Loveland was an LDS church member in Provo, Utah; pleaded guilty of rape in 2019; sentenced to one year in prison and three years of probation
    • Nathan Madsen was a Mormon church member and University of Tampa, Florida music professor; pleaded guilty in 2017 to charges of enticing a child to produce child pornography and possessing child pornography; sentenced to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison, followed by a life term of supervised release
    • Herbert Mataele was an LDS church member in Bluffdale, Utah; convicted of sexually abusing a disabled girl he was caring for; sentenced in October 2023 to between three years and life in prison, but that prison sentence was suspended; the judge ordered him to serve three years in jail, with credit for the almost year and a half he had already served, followed by six years of probation
    • David McConkie was a Mormon bishop (approximately 2013-16), stake president (2016-21) and deputy district attorney in Colorado; paternal grandson of Mormon apostle Bruce R. McConkie; arrested in 2023 and charged with felony sexual assault on a child by someone in a position of trust; allegedly confessed child sexual assault to a Mormon church leader in 2008; in July 2025, sentenced to five years probation
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • John Misseldine was a Mormon missionary in Nevada; charged with sexually abusing two 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 lawsuit said a local Mormon leader failed to report 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
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • LDS church payment: $782,000
    • Erick Mosteller was a Mormon church member and former youth leader in Utah; was caught downloading child sexual abuse material (CSAM); admitted to soliciting sex acts from trafficked women at Asian massage parlors; pleaded guilty in March 2023 to two second degree felony charges of child sexual exploitation; sentenced in August 2023 to 250 days in jail, with credit for 79 days served; placed on 4 years probation
    • Steven Murdock was a Mormon stake high council member and former LDS bishop in Holladay, Salt Lake County, Utah; allegedly sexually harassed multiple women in his ward while he was their bishop (he was bishop from 2013 to 2017); in 2019, was caught taking photos of a young woman in a dressing room in Tennessee; pleaded guilty in November 2019; sentenced in 2019 to one year probation, 48 hours community service
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • Robert Nelson was an LDS bishop in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; accused of sexual abuse of a "mentally handicapped" woman; pleaded guilty in 1989; placed on two years probation, ordered to do 150 hours of community service, and ordered to take a conducted tour of a local jail
    • Church discipline: Excommunicated,
    • Aaron Nelson was a Mormon church member in Idaho Falls, Idaho; charged with 3 counts of Battery-Actual, Intentional and Unlawful Touching or Striking of Another Against their Will and 3 counts of Disturbing the Peace; accepted plea deal and found guilty of Disturbing the Peace; died 31 days after convicted
    • Rand Newby was an LDS church member and scout leader in Washington, Oregon and San Francisco, California; had a career as a schoolteacher; charged in Oregon in 1986 with sexual abuse of two children; convicted of two counts, one class C felony and one class A misdemeanor; sentenced in 1987 to 5 years probation
    • David Olson was an LDS church member in Bozeman, Montana; convicted of of sexually abusing a teenage boy; sentenced to eight years in prison and 12 years probation
    • Alan Pace was a Mormon church member in Orem, Utah; sentenced in 2015 to 30 days in prison and 36 months of probation for felony child sexual abuse
    • Keith Peterson was a Mormon church member and former high school teacher in Nampa, Idaho; accused in 1991 of inappropriate sexual contact; sentenced to 180 days suspended jail time and two years of probation; charge was dismissed in 1998 after he completed probation; pleaded guilty in October 2019 to one count of lewd conduct with a child under 16; sentenced in 2020 to 17 years in prison
    • Arthur Phillips was a Mormon church member in Arizona; sexually molested a 14-year-old girl; in the 1990s, sentenced to prison for one year and placed on probation for four years
    • Shane Pugh was a Mormon church member in Cedar Hills, Utah; accused of touching an underage girl while she was sleeping; in 2017, pleaded guilty to forcible sexual abuse (2nd degree felony); sentenced to 1 to 15 years in prison and 3 years probation
    • Noah Rada was a Mormon church member in Salt Lake City, Utah; accused of possession of child sexual abuse material in 2022; pleaded guilty; sentenced to three years in prison and 20 years probation
    • Chad Robertson was an LDS church member and high school assistant basketball coach in Parowan, Utah; accused in 2023 of unlawful sexual activity with a child; admitted to having sex with a 16-year-old boy on five separate occasions; in March 2024, pleaded guilty to two felonies; in June 2024, was sentenced to one year in the Iron County Jail, with credit for time served, and four years of probation
    • Michael Rosser was an LDS church member in Indiana; accused in 2023 of child sexual abuse; made a plea agreement in February 2024, agreeing to plead guilty to reduced charges; convicted in 2024 and sentenced to six years in prison with two years probation
    • Lance Rushton was an LDS church member in Provo, Utah; accused of photo shopping faces of family members, ward church members of adults and children on to pornographic material and distributing them; convicted in 2007 and sentenced to three months in jail and three years of probation
    • Douglas Saltsman was an LDS church member in Utah; convicted in 2020 of sexual abuse; sentenced to jail and probation
    • Carl Sepos was an LDS temple worker and high priest in Payson, Utah; pleaded guilty in 2015 to sexually abusing an adult woman with Down syndrome and autism at a hotel swimming pool; he blamed his sex crime in part on an addiction to pornography; sentenced to 150 days in jail, 36 months of probation and 100 hours of community service
    • Jason Smith was an LDS church member in Indiana; in 2019, confessed to sexually abusing a child; pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2021 to 728 days of probation for battery against a child under 14 years old
    • Church discipline: No action,
    • Derrick Starley was an LDS church member and full-time missionary in Chubbuck, Idaho; originally from Utah; perpetrated a sex crime while on his Mormon mission in October 2012; convicted in 2013 of felony injury to a child and sentenced to 10 days in jail
    • Douglas Stoddard was an LDS bishop in Hurst, Texas; convicted in 1992 of a felony child sexual abuse charge of indecency with a child by contact; sentenced to 8 years of probation; a lifetime registered sex offender in Texas; named publicly in August 2023 by a victim who said Stoddard molested him and three other boys in his Mormon ward while serving as bishop
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • Bradley Stowell was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Idaho; confessed to sexually abusing 24 boys; pleaded guilty to molesting two boys; sentenced in 1997 to 150 days in prison and 15 years of probation; local LDS church coverup alleged; one of Stowell's victims, Adam Steed, came forward, spurring lawsuits against the Mormon church and the BSA; as of 2024, lived in Herriman, Utah
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • James Stringham was a Mormon church member and pediatric physician in Salt Lake City, Utah; in 1980, he made a video recording of a sexual nature involving a child patient; in 1982, pleaded no contest to a second-degree felony charge of sexual exploitation of a minor; sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay $7,500 restitution; his medical license was suspended for 90 days
    • Heidi Tasso was an LDS church member and school teacher/counselor in St. George, Utah; charged in 2016 with child sexual abuse; pleaded guilty in June 2018 to one third-degree felony count of unlawful sexual activity with a minor; sentenced in August 2018 to 120 days in jail, 36 months probation and 200 hours of community service
    • Mark Treter was a Mormon church member and environmental lawyer in Greendale, Indiana; accused of sexual abuse; pleaded no contest to one felony count; sentenced in 2023 to probation; local LDS church leaders allegedly knew of Treter's criminal behavior but did not report to police
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • James Ungricht was a Mormon church member and junior high school science and math teacher in San Diego, California; arrested in 2017 for lewd conduct in public; pleaded no contest in 2018 to a misdemeanor charge of lewd conduct in a public place; sentenced to serve 30 days in county jail, plus three years probation
    • Mark Webb was an LDS church member in Murray, Utah; pleaded guilty in 2014 to two counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor
    • Robert Westover was a former LDS bishop and attorney in Dallas, Texas; arrested in 2021 for allegedly recording a minor; pleaded guilty in 2023 and sentenced to 4 years probation
    • Michael Whitehead was an LDS church member in Orem, Utah; convicted in 2004 of ENTICING A MINOR OVER THE INTERNET - Class A Misdemeanor
    • Robert Wily was an Mormon church member in Utah; in 2004, pleaded guilty to four class A misdemeanor counts of sexual battery; arrested in 2020 for allegedly possessing several child exploitation images; convicted of one felony count in 2022; sentenced to 365 days in jail and 48 months probation
    • LaVar Withers was a Mormon and physician in Rexburg, Idaho; accused of sexually abusing at least 133 women and children as young as 13 years old over a period of 30 or more years; admitted to sexual abuse; in 1996, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery; sentenced to 30 to 60 days in jail and two years probation; the Mormon church placed him on probation and took his temple recommend; died in 2005
    • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
    • Laury Wolfley was an LDS church member in Idaho; sentenced in 2007 to prison and probation for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy
    • Kenne Worthen was a Mormon elementary school teacher and BYU-Idaho adjunct professor in Arizona who sexually abused a 12-year-old child; in 2015, pleaded guilty to sexual conduct with a minor and two counts of attempt to commit child molestation; sentenced to 25 years in prison and a lifetime of probation after
    • Harvey Wright was an LDS church member and scout leader in Flagstaff, AZ; in 1988, pleaded guilty to "Attempted Sexual Abuse/Dangerous Crimes Against Children" and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and four years probation; placed in the BSA Confidential Files ("Perversion Files")

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