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April 16, 2025
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Donation options »12 Mormon sexual abuse cases found
Thomas Black
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- was an LDS church member and BYU greenhouse manager in Provo, Utah; accused of sexual abuse; sentenced to prison in Utah in 2003 for rape.
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- Criminal: Convicted, Parole, Prison, Released,
- Positions: BYU,
- Crime: 2000s, in Provo (Utah), Utah, Utah County (Utah),
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Sheril Burton
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- was a Mormon church member and BYU professor in Utah; found guilty of sexual abuse of two underage girls sentenced to up to 15 years in prison; as of January 2024, lives in Pleasant Grove, Utah.
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- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: BYU,
- Crime: 1980s, in Utah,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
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Michael Clay
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- was an LDS church member and BYU professor in Provo, Utah; charged with sexually abusing three students; entered a plea bargain in May 2023 in which he agreed to plead no contest to three class A misdemeanor charges of sexual battery, complete 24 months of probation, do 50 hours of community service, and take a sexual boundaries course; sentenced in June 2023 according to the plea deal.
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- Criminal: Community service, Convicted, No contest, Probation,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: BYU, Church employee, Scout leader, Youth leader,
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Michael Ehlert
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- was a Mormon church member and former BYU professor in Utah; found guilty of sexual abuse in Guam in 2017.
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- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: BYU,
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Robert Jackson
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- was a former assistant BYU professor and Mormon bishopric member (second counselor) in Provo, Utah; sentenced to two years in prison in 2006 for video recording a 14-year-old undressing.
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- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, BYU, Scout leader,
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Melvin Johnson
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- was a Mormon seminary teacher and Brigham Young University (BYU) religion professor; accused by multiple victims of sexually abusing them when they were children; excommunicated and rebaptized; reportedly confessed to sexual abuse, but was not criminally charged; two victims filed lawsuits against him; one named the Mormon church as a defendant; it settled out of court.
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Alleged coverup-
LDS church payment: Undisclosed amount
- Criminal: Admitted guilt, Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement, Unknown result,
- Positions: BYU, Church employee, Other leader, Stake high council,
- Alleged crime: 1960s, 1970s, in California, Utah,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
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Hugh Nibley
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- was a prominent LDS scholar in Utah; in 2005, was publicly accused by his daughter of childhood sexual abuse against her; died in 2005 in Provo, Utah; was never charged with a sex crime.
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- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: BYU, Ministering/home teacher, Missionary, Sunday school,
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Spencer Palmer
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- was a Mormon temple endowment ceremony actor, BYU professor, mission president, temple president, LDS church area authority; posthumously accused of child sexual abuse by his grandson.
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- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, BYU, Mission president, Missionary, Other leader, Sunday school, Temple president,
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Stephen Stokes
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- was a Mormon church member and Brigham Young University-Idaho (BYU-I) professor; accused of sexual assault by a former student; died in 2016; in 2022, civil lawsuit against BYU-I was dismissed with prejudice.
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- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: Dismissed, Dismissed with prejudice,
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, BYU, Missionary, Scout leader, Stake high council, Temple worker, Youth leader,
- Alleged crime: 2010s, in Idaho,
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Sterling Van Wagenen
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- was a co-founder of Sundance Film Festival and director of some Mormon temple endowment videos; publicly accused of sexual abuse of two children in two separate instances; sentenced to prison in 2019 for child sexual abuse.
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- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Positions: BYU, Stake high council, Sunday school,
- Crime: 1990s, 2010s, in Utah,
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Stephen Wold
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- was a Mormon church member and former full-time missionary (to Panama) who lived in Highland, Utah; convicted in 2017 of first-degree felony aggravated sexual abuse of a 10-year-old girl and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
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- Criminal: Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Positions: BYU, Missionary,
- Crime: 2010s, in Utah,
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Kenne Worthen
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- was a Mormon elementary school teacher and BYU-Idaho adjunct professor who sexually abused a 12-year-old child; pleaded guilty to sexual conduct with a minor and two counts of attempt to commit child molestation; sentenced to 25 years in prison and a lifetime of probation after.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Probation,
- Positions: BYU, Scout leader,
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View the Mormon Sexual Abuse Map
International map of locations where active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints perpetrated or allegedly perpetrated sexual abuse or other sex crimes, or where LDS leaders failed or allegedly failed to help abuse survivors.
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