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Donate »10 Mormon sexual abuse cases
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Coy Glen Ball
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- was an LDS church member in Mesa, Arizona; was charged with 11 various abuses to a child; pled guilty to 3 counts of Molestation of a child.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Victims: Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1990s, in Arizona, Maricopa County (Arizona),
- Convicted: 2010s, 2014,
- Case report »
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James Chalmers Bayless
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Alleged coverup- was a Mormon church member in Gilbert, Arizona; pleaded guilty in 2015 to two counts of molestation of a child; as of 2024, is a registered sex offender living in Mesa, Arizona.
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 2010s, in Arizona, Maricopa County (Arizona),
- Convicted: 2010s, 2015,
- Case report »
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Larry Deutsch
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- Alleged coverup
- 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: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Civil: lawsuit against LDS church, Ongoing civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building, Online,
- Crime: 2010s, 2020s, in Arizona, Maricopa County (Arizona), Missouri,
- Convicted: 2020s, 2021,
- Case report »
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Michael Driggs
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- Alleged coverup
- was a Mormon missionary in Brazil in the early 1970s; allegedly sent to a different mission in the United States after being found having inappropriate relationships with young boys; convicted of child sexual abuse in 1985 in Arizona; convicted again of child sexual abuse in 2013 in Utah; he met his victim in the Utah case at church, according to court documents.
- Criminal: Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Registered sex offender,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime: 1980s, 2000s, in Arizona, Maricopa County (Arizona), Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s, 2000s, 2013,
- Case report »
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Rowan Joseph Ellsworth
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- Alleged coverup
- was an LDS church member and schoolteacher in Arizona; molested a 14-year-old girl at an LDS girls camp in mid-1990; the abuse was reported to a bishop Burgess, who allegedly failed to report to police, but instead encouraged the victim to forgive; sentenced to prison in 1999 for two counts of child sexual abuse; released in 2007.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS youth activity,
- Case report »
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Larry Wright Judd
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- was an LDS church member in Mesa, Arizona; accused of sexual abuse; admitted to molesting 12 girls over a period of about 20 years.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, Multiple victims,
- Case report »
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Derek Marlan Layton
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- Alleged coverup
- was an LDS church member in Arizona; accused of sexual abuse in the late 1980s; convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for "sexual with minor and dangerous crimes against children".
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Victims: 3 victims, Multiple victims,
- Case report »
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Paul Kimball Nelson
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- was an LDS church member in Arizona; accused of sexual abuse; sentenced to prison in November 2023; failed to appear at his sentencing and went missing; reportedly planned to turn himself in in March 2024 on the condition that his $100k bail be returned to his family; arrested in April 2024 in Tucson, Arizona and extradited to Gilbert, Arizona.
- Criminal: Convicted, Fled or failed to appear, Prison,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Case report »
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Christopher Ryan Nuttall
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- was an LDS church member in Mesa, Arizona; arrested in an FBI sting operation and convicted of LURE MINOR FOR SEX EXPLOIT and ATTEMPT TO COMMIT - SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR .
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime: 2010s, in Arizona, Maricopa County (Arizona),
- Convicted: 2010s, 2019,
- Case report »
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William Arthur Whitmore
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- was an LDS church member in Mesa, Arizona; found guilty of sexual abuse .
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Case report »
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