LDS Position Ever Held: Branch president

15 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
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- Crime: 2000s,
- Places lived:
- 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
- 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
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- Convicted: 2021, 2022,
- LDS positions: Bishop, Branch president, Missionary,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- Alleged failure to report
- 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
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- 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,
- 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
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- Convicted: 2024,
- LDS positions: Branch president, Other leader, Ward executive secretary,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Registered sex offender,
- 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
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- Convicted: 2018,
- LDS positions: Branch president,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison,
- Alleged failure to report
- 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
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- Crime: 1980s,
- Places lived:
- 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,
- Alleged failure to report
- Richard Fisco (1936 – 2019) was an LDS branch president and scout leader in Oklahoma and Utah; accused of sexual abuse; convicted
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- LDS positions: Branch president, Scout leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted,
- 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)
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- Crime: 2000s, 2010s,
- Places lived:
- Crime county: UT - Salt Lake,
- Crime state: Utah,
- 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
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- Crime: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s,
- Places lived:
- Crime country: Australia,
- 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
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- Crime: 2010s,
- Places lived:
- Crime state: Indiana,
- Convicted: 2018,
- LDS positions: Branch president, Stake high council, Temple worker,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison,
- 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
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- 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,
- 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
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- Alleged crime: 1980s,
- Places lived:
- 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
- Alva Van Wagoner (1929 – 2019) was a Mormon church member; accused of sexual abuse
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- Convicted: 1999,
- LDS positions: Branch president, Ministering/home teacher, Other leader, Sunday school,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- Mark Webster was a branch president in New Mexico; accused of rape in a civil lawsuit
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- 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
- 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
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- Alleged crime: 1970s, 1980s,
- Places lived:
- 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 report

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