16 LDS sex abuse cases found
branch presidents
- LDS position: Branch president
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- Mark Anderson (1959 – ) was a Mormon church branch president and dentist in Woodland, California; accused by 27 former female patients of touching them inappropriately in office visits; found guilty in 2009 of 11 felony counts and one misdemeanor count of sexual battery for sexual abuse of several of his female patients; sentenced to six years in prison; required to register for life as a sex offender
Crime: 2000s, 
Crime state:
California,
-
- Convicted:
2009,
LDS positions: Branch president, Other leader, 
Criminal case(s): Convicted, Found guilty, Jury trial, Prison, Registered sex offender, - Alleged failure to report
- View report »
Crime state:
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- Michael Antrobus (1947 – 2023) was a former Mormon branch president (similar to a bishop) and bishop in Connersville, Indiana for 10 years (approximately 1974-84); convicted of child sexual abuse charges (9 counts, 6 victims) in Sacramento County, California in 2021-2022; sentenced to 8 years in San Quentin State Prison; died by suicide in prison in September 2023; allegedly had at least a dozen victims
- Convicted:
2021, 2022,
- LDS positions: Bishop, Branch president, Missionary,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- Alleged failure to report
- View report »
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- Paul Bryant (1968 – 2024) 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
- Convicted:
2016,
- LDS positions: Branch president, Missionary, Other leader, Primary, Scout leader, Youth leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Jail, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Probation, Registered sex offender,
- View report »
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- Craig Capron (1965 – ) was a podiatrist; Mormon branch president in Macy, Nebraska (1999-2002), then a stake/ward executive secretary in Wyoming; allegedly sexually abused at least five children over a span of 20-plus years, despite LDS officials allegedly knowing of the first victim and prohibiting Capron from teaching kids; convicted in 2024 in Wyoming; sentenced to six to 12 years in prison; convicted again in 2025
- Convicted:
2024,
- LDS positions: Branch president, Other leader, Ward executive secretary,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Registered sex offender,
- View report »
Mormon officials allegedly assigned Capron to leadership positions despite forbidding him from teaching children - more than 20 years prior to his conviction
"I just want what's best for you."
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- Carlos Escalante was an LDS branch president in San Nicolas, Argentina; sexually abused his stepdaughter for 5 years, including while branch president; the victim asked local LDS leaders for support, but allegedly received none; she was punished by the church for "refusing to forgive" and for "failing to comply with worthiness standards;" Escalante was sentenced in 2018 to 14 years in prison
- Convicted:
2018,
- LDS positions: Branch president,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison,
- Alleged failure to report
- View report »
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- John Fanning (1932 – 2012) was a Mormon branch president in Texas, bishop in Oklahoma and Boy Scout executive in several US states, including Utah; accused in 1986 in Utah of sexually abusing at least three boys, including during LDS-sponsored scouting activities; admitted guilt; convicted via plea agreement in 1986 or 1987; sentenced to 30 days in jail and spent approximately 18 months on probation; died in 2012
- Crime: 1980s,
- Crime state:
Louisiana, Utah,
Convicted:
1987, 
LDS positions: Bishop, Branch president, Missionary, Scout leader, Senior missionary, 
Criminal case(s): Admitted guilt, Convicted, Jail, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Probation, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Unknown result, 
Alleged failure to reportA Mormon scout executive agreed to continue paying Fanning for a month after he admitted to sexually assaulting two children
"I told [John Fanning] we had two options. Immediate termination or he could resign and I would pay him through the end of next month but he had to leave as of now. He elected to resign."
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- Richard Fisco (1936 – 2019) was an LDS branch president and scout leader in Oklahoma and Utah; accused of sexual abuse; convicted
- LDS positions: Branch president, Scout leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted,
- View report »
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- Juan Flores Atenco (1955 – ) was a Mormon branch president in West Valley City, Utah for five years, including in the early 2000s; accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl in his office and another room at an LDS church building; convicted in 2012 of misdemeanor forcible sexual abuse and unlawful detention; sentenced to zero to one year in jail; in March 2025, charged with rape and object rape (alleged crimes in 2002)
- Crime: 2000s, 2010s,
- Crime county:
UT - Salt Lake,
- Crime state:
Utah,
Crime county:
Convicted:
2012, LDS positions: Branch president, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Jail, Ongoing, Alleged failure to report-
- William Harding (1940 – ) was a Mormon branch president, elders quorum president and ward clerk in Tasmania and Queensland, Australia; charged in or before 2023 with multiple counts of sexual assault of a minor in two states in Australia; allegedly had as many as 40 victims; in 2024, pleaded guilty to reduced charges and was sentenced to 9 months in jail in Brisbane; in 2025, faced new charges in Tasmania
- Crime: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s,
- Crime country:
Australia,
Crime country:
LDS positions: Branch president, Ward clerk, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Jail, Ongoing, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Alleged failure to report-
- Samuel Heavilon (1960 – ) was allegedly a former LDS branch president in Frankfort, Indiana; convicted in 2018 and in 2024 of child exploitation; sentenced both times to prison
- Crime: 2010s,
- Crime state:
Indiana,
Convicted:
2018, LDS positions: Branch president, Stake high council, Temple worker, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison, Registered sex offender, Alleged failure to report-
- Ronald Jones (1937 – ) was a former Mormon bishop, stake president and temple presidency counselor; Military Relations director for the LDS church from 1989 to 1991; convicted of sex solicitation in Utah in 1990 and 1995; charged in 2025 with three first-degree felony counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, one first-degree felony child kidnapping count, and two related misdemeanors
- LDS positions: Bishop, Branch president, Other leader, Scout leader, Stake presidency counselor, Stake president, Temple worker, Unknown position, Ward executive secretary,
- Criminal case(s): Ongoing,
- View report »
became temple presidency counselor and sealer despite two convictions for sex solicitation
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- Brian Pickett was a Mormon branch president and leader at a youth program picking pineapples in Maui, Hawaii; accused of sexual abuse in a civil lawsuit that also named the LDS church; the suit was dismissed with prejudice after a settlement in 2016
- Alleged crime: 1980s,
- Alleged crime state:
Hawaii,
LDS positions: Branch president, Stake high council, Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted, Civil case(s): Dismissed with prejudice, Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement, Alleged failure to report-
- Jeffrey Rock (1955 – ) was a former Mormon branch president and U.S. State Department employee; lived in California, Utah, Fiji and Thailand; pleaded guilty in 2025 to three charges of sexual battery; sentenced in February 2026 in Utah to 18 months in jail; the Mormon church knew about alleged child sex abuse but failed multiple times over years to alert civil authorities, according to Rock’s relatives
- Crime: 2000s,
- Crime city:
crime-city-thailand-bangkok, UT - Provo,
- Crime county:
UT - Utah,
- Crime state:
California, Utah,
- Crime country:
Thailand,
Crime city:
Convicted:
2025, LDS positions: Bishopric counselor, Branch president, Elders quorum, Nursery, Primary, Scout leader, Stake high council, temple liaison, Youth leader, Criminal case(s): Admitted guilt, Convicted, Jail, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Alleged failure to reportMormon officials were accused of failure to report Rock’s sexual abuse of children
"Myself, my mom and my sister reached out to the LDS Church for help. He lied to them. They protected him with misguided mercy."
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- Alva Van Wagoner (1929 – 2019) was a Mormon church member; accused of sexual abuse
- Convicted:
1999,
- LDS positions: Branch president, Ministering/home teacher, Other leader, Sunday school,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- View report »
"The judge also noted that he had never received so many letters in support of anyone who had come to his court before as a defendant in a criminal case."
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- Mark Webster was a branch president in New Mexico; accused of rape in a civil lawsuit
- LDS positions: Branch president, Other leader,
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Unknown result,
- Alleged failure to report
- View report »
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- Orson Wright (1928 – 2017) was a Mormon mission president in Sydney, Australia from 1978 to 1980; accused of grooming some of the sister missionaries in his care to be his polygamous wives; removed early from his mission assignment; LDS church leaders in Salt Lake City, Utah allegedly covered up the reasons for Wright's removal
- Alleged crime: 1970s, 1980s,
- Alleged crime country:
Australia,
LDS positions: Bishop, Bishopric counselor, Branch president, Mission president, Missionary, Stake high council, Temple worker, Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted, Alleged failure to reportFilters
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