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Donate »9 Mormon sexual abuse cases
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David William Bennett
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Alleged coverup- was an LDS church member and scout leader in California and Korea; convicted in 1987 in California of child sexual abuse; moved to Korea; was assigned to be an LDS young men's president and scoutmaster; was accused of molesting several boys; disappeared in 1991; FLOODLIT is attempting to locate him.
- Criminal: Convicted, Fled or failed to appear, Pleaded guilty,
- Civil: Unknown result,
- Victims: 8 victims, Multiple victims,
- Case report »
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Robert Tanner Cervo
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- was an LDS youth leader and schoolteacher in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada; accused of sexual abuse; agreed in 2015 to sign a peace bond (often referred to in other jurisdictions as a restraining order) and the four criminal charges against him were stayed..
- Criminal: Criminal charges dropped, Protective/restraining order,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Case report »
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Marvin Ross Harker
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- Alleged coverup
- was an LDS bishop in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada in 2016; reportedly confessed to his mission president in 1987 to sexually abusing multiple children; also reportedly confessed to his bishop; both leaders told him not to report to police, according to records in a 2016 criminal case; convicted in 2019 (alleged abuse 1986-93); sentenced in 2020 to five years in prison; registered sex offender.
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: 5 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s, in Canada,
- Case report »
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Vance Paul Hein
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- Alleged coverup
- 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.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: lawsuit against LDS church, Unknown result,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Recreational trip/outing, Scout activity/event,
- Crime: 1990s, 2010s, in Canada, Pennsylvania,
- Convicted: 1990s, 2000, 2000s, 2010s, 2012,
- Case report »
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Chesley Nels Pierson
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- Alleged coverup
- was an LDS bishop, stake presidency counselor and stake patriarch in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; accused of sexually abusing multiple young men.
- Criminal: Police investigation, Unknown result,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
- Alleged crime: 1970s, in Canada,
- Case report »
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Errol Kent Pilling
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- was a Mormon bishop and licensed psychologist in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; went on an LDS mission to England in the early 1960s; pleaded guilty in 1988 and in 1994 to charges of sexual misconduct; in September 1994, his registration as a chartered psychologist with the Psychologists Association of Alberta was cancelled; in 1994, was excommunicated; as of February 2024, lives in Twin Falls, Idaho.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: Unknown result,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Case report »
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Thomas Anderson Quinton
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- was an LDS church member in Alberta, Canada; Tom drove to Great Falls, Montana to meet a 12 year old girl he met through a Craigslist ad; was arrested in a sting operation.
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Alleged crime: 2010s, in Canada,
- Case report »
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James Mitchell Victor
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- Alleged coverup
- 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.
- Criminal: Police investigation, Unknown result,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home,
- Alleged crime: 1980s, in Canada,
- Case report »
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Mitchell Blake Young
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- Alleged coverup
- was an LDS missionary in Canada; in 1980, sent home after allegedly molesting children; convicted in Arizona (1985) and Utah (1988) of child sexual abuse; in 1993, sentenced in Utah to 15 years in prison for molesting a child for five years; a 2002 lawsuit against the LDS church accused Mormon leaders of providing a safe harbor for him; as of 2024, lives in Ogden, Utah; registered sex offender.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: lawsuit against LDS church, Unknown result,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s, in Arizona, Canada, Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s, 1990s,
- Case report »
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