8 LDS sex abuse cases found
high priests
- LDS position during crime: High priest
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- Francis Cochran (1921 – 2005) was a Mormon high priest in the Seattle 6th Ward in Seattle, Washington in the 1980s; convicted twice in the 1980s of crimes related to sexual abuse of multiple children; allegedly assaulted multiple young girls on LDS property, including during church meetings; a 2025 lawsuit (Floodlit broke the story) said stake president Paul Diehl & multiple ward bishops covered up allegations against Cochran
Crime: 1980s, 
Crime state:
Washington,
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- Convicted:
1987, 1988,
LDS positions: High priest, 
Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, - Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
- Alleged failure to report
- Alleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Excommunicated, Ward official accused of failure to report,
- View report »
Crime state:
Stake president and two LDS bishops allegedly covered up abuse allegations
"Despite numerous red flags, Defendants continued to give High Priest Cochran access to minor church members. Defendants allowed High Priest Cochran to continue to attend and volunteer at church events, including those attended by minors. Defendants also allowed High Priest Cochran to continue to transport young girls, including vulnerable refugee girls, to and from church events."
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- Franklyn Curtis (1903 – 1995) was a Mormon church member in Pennsylvania and Oregon; excommunicated in 1983 in Pennsylvania for sex abuse; rebaptized in 1984; molested five boys in Oregon; local LDS bishop knew but didn't report to police; convicted in 1995 in Oregon of sexual abuse; died in 1995
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s,
- Crime state:
Oregon, Pennsylvania,
LDS positions: High priest, Sunday school, 
Criminal case(s): Convicted, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement, 
Alleged failure to reportChurch paid $3,000,000
Alleged church actions: Church position after conviction, Excommunicated, Rebaptized, -
- Gene Guinn (1932 – 2008) was an LDS church member in the Dallas Seventh Ward, Texas; in 2000, found guilty by a jury of indecency with a child and sentenced to 68 years in prison; the victim was 10 years old at the time of the crime; Mormon officials allegedly knew about the abuse but failed to report to police
- Crime: 1990s,
- Crime state:
Texas,
Convicted:
2000, LDS positions: High priest, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Found guilty, Jury trial, Prison, Alleged failure to reportAlleged church actions: Excommunicated, Ward official accused of failure to report, Ward official accused of pressuring victim not to seek accountability, -
- William Hanson (1962 – ) was a Mormon youth leader who allegedly sexually abused children in several US states, including Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Utah, Texas, Wisconsin and New Jersey; sentenced to prison for child sexual abuse; in the 2000s, the Mormon church settled a civil lawsuit in which the victim accused it of failing to protect him
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s,
- Crime state:
Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, New Jersey, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin,
LDS positions: High priest, Scout leader, Youth leader, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison, Probation, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement, Alleged failure to reportChurch paid $unknown-
- David Herget (1943 – 2005) was a Mormon high priest in Washington; convicted of child rape and child molestation in 1993; sentenced to 180 days in jail and was a registered sex offender; arrested in 2005, died by suicide in jail the next day; detectives identified at least seven victims; one child estimated that Herget abused him 1,400 times; in a 2025 lawsuit against the church, four plaintiffs said officials failed them
- Crime: 1990s, 2000s,
- Crime state:
Washington,
Convicted:
1993, LDS positions: High priest, Seminary teacher, Ward Santa Claus, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Died awaiting trial, Jail, Prison, Registered sex offender, Suicide, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing, Alleged failure to reportAlleged church actions: Church members wrote letters of support, Church officials accused of allowing interaction with children after notice of wrongdoing, Church officials accused of failure to protect victims after learning of possible abuse, Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Excommunicated, Rebaptized, Ward official accused of pressuring victim not to seek accountability, one boy estimated that Herget abused him 1,400 times
"This isn't a case of ignorance, it's a case of betrayal. The church knew exactly who this man was and what he had done. Nonetheless, they gave a convicted predator a position of trust and authority, which allowed him to exercise power over young boys. These kids deserved safety. Instead, they were left vulnerable to unimaginable harm."
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- Boyd Lords was a Mormon church member in Winnemucca, Nevada; accused of child sexual abuse; pleaded guilty in 2022 to one felony count of lewdness with a child under the age of 14; was sentenced to prison
- Crime: 2010s,
- Crime state:
Nevada,
Convicted:
2022, LDS positions: High priest, Missionary, Ward executive secretary, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison, -
- UNKNOWN Ross was an LDS high priest and stake seventy in California; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church
- Alleged crime: 1970s, 1980s,
- Alleged crime state:
California,
LDS positions: High priest, Stake seventy, Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing, Alleged failure to report-
- Carl Sepos (1945 – ) 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
- Crime: 2010s,
- Crime state:
Utah,
Convicted:
2015, LDS positions: High priest, Temple worker, Criminal case(s): Community service, Convicted, Jail, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Probation, Filters
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