27 matching Mormon sex abuse cases

      • Manuel Archibeque was a Mormon church member in Maricopa County, Arizona; allegedly admitted to his bishop that he had sexually touched a child; charged in two cases in 2006 with sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of molestation of a child, all class two felonies; one case was dismissed in 2006 without prejudice; in the other, pleaded guilty to two reduced charges of child abuse
      • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
      • Coy Ball was an LDS church member in Mesa, Arizona; was charged with 11 counts related to child sex abuse; in 2014, pleaded guilty to three counts of molestation of a child
      • Paul Barnes was a Mormon stake patriarch and former stake presidency counselor in Queen Creek, Arizona; accused of child sexual abuse that took place in 2022 in Idaho; convicted in 2023 or later and sentenced to prison
      • Earl Bleak was an LDS church member and bishopric member in Tempe, Arizona; was a physician; accused of sexually abusing missionaries
      • 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
      • Michael Driggs 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
      • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
      • Church discipline: Excommunicated,
      • Rowan Ellsworth was an LDS church member and schoolteacher in Arizona; allegedly 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
      • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
      • Church discipline: Excommunicated, Rebaptized,
      • Brandon Hernandez was an LDS church member in Tempe, Arizona; accused of sexually abusing a victim inside a Mormon church; convicted of four fourth degree felony counts of abuse of a child or vulnerable adult
      • 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
      • LaMell Lippard was a Mormon church member in Arizona; accused of sexual abuse
      • Paul Nelson 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
      • Christopher Nuttall was an LDS church member in Mesa, Arizona; arrested in an FBI sting operation; convicted in 2019 of LURE MINOR FOR SEX EXPLOIT and ATTEMPT TO COMMIT - SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR
      • David Owens was an LDS elders quorum president in Tempe, Arizona; accused of sexual abuse; sentenced in 2018 to 20 or more years in prison for sexually assaulting three young men in his Mormon ward
      • Richard Peterson was an LDS church member in Mesa, Arizona; accused of sexual abuse
      • Chance Ray was a Mormon church member and scout leader in the Mesa, Arizona area; convicted of child sexual abuse and sentenced to prison in Arizona; spent approximately 14 years in prison; released in July 2020
      • Richard Sampson was a Mormon bishop, stake high council member and doctor in Provo, Utah; was director of medical affairs for the LDS Missionary Training Center; allegedly sexually abused at least seven children; convicted and sentenced in 2014 to one to 15 years in prison for child sexual abuse; as of 2024, was out on parole living in Holladay, Utah
      • Church officials allegedly failed to report abuse
      • George Squire was a Mormon church member in Mesa, Arizona; accused of sexual abuse; convicted and sentenced to prison
      • Glendon Templeton was a Mormon bishop, Sunday school teacher and scout leader in Arizona; was bishop of the Maryvale Ward in West Phoenix from 2014 to 2019; excommunicated in 2019; also was a volleyball coach for high school-aged girls; accused numerous times and arrested, but never prosecuted for alleged sex crimes; sued in 1997 for alleged sexual abuse; allegedly sexually assaulted multiple teenage girls
      • Church discipline: Excommunicated,