22 LDS sex abuse cases found
high priests
- LDS position: High priest
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- Michael Bolingbroke (1942 – ) was a Mormon bishop and stake seventy president in Granada Hills, Los Angeles, California; accused of child sexual abuse in a 2022 lawsuit; died in 2024
Alleged crime: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 
Alleged crime state:
California,
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LDS positions: Bishop, Bishopric counselor, High priest, Other leader, Scout leader, Stake seventy, Sunday school, - Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing, Unknown result,
- Alleged failure to report
- View report »
Alleged crime state:
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- Jack Cash (1934 – 2023) was a Mormon bishopric counselor and stake high council member in San Luis Obispo, California; was a practicing chiropractor for over 30 years; between 1979 and 1995, allegedly fondled at least 11 women's breasts during chiropractic visits; license suspended in 1985; in 1995, convicted by jury of seven misdemeanor counts of sexual battery; sentenced to 2 months in jail, 3 years probation; died in 2023
- LDS positions: Bishopric counselor, High priest, Missionary, Other leader, Seminary teacher, Senior missionary, Stake high council, Sunday school,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Found guilty, Jail, Jury trial, Probation,
- View report »
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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 city:
WA - Seattle,
- Crime county:
WA - King,
- Crime state:
Washington,
Crime city:
Crime county:
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 reportStake 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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- Clark Crookston (1949 – ) was a former Mormon bishop, dentist and college professor in Orem, Utah; accused of nearly 60 years of sex abuse of multiple children; pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated child sexual abuse; sentenced in 2022 to up to 35 years in prison
- Crime: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s,
- Crime county:
UT - Utah,
- Crime state:
Utah,
Convicted:
2022, LDS positions: Bishop, High priest, Missionary, Stake high council, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Alleged failure to report"I assumed I was alone. I felt guilty even to question his worthiness. [...] I buried the hurt and kept it secret for over 30 years. [...] The children who came forward are my heroes. These are the brave souls [who] broke the curse that has been happening for nearly 60 years."
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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 report-
- Robert Dahle (1937 – 2022) was an LDS church member, Utah Highway Patrol trooper; alleged rapist of a 13-year-old girl
- LDS positions: Elders quorum, High priest, Scout leader, Sunday school,
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- View report »
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- Donald Eastman (1938 – 2022) was a Mormon church member; accused of sexual abuse
- LDS positions: High priest, Missionary, Scout leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Registered sex offender,
- View report »
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- Lawrence Gilbert (1939 – ) was a Mormon church member and high priest group leader in California; convicted of sexually abusing three girls; sentenced to 10 years in prison
- LDS positions: High priest,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison,
- View report »
"I never would have left him alone with my children if he weren't a high priest. We considered him our family."
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- Malcolm Goodwin (1940 – ) was a former Mormon bishop and retired pathologist and coroner's physician in O'Fallon, Illinois; US Army Reserves and Air Force veteran; arrested in 2022 for Predatory Sexual Assault of a Child; charged with six felony counts of predatory criminal sexual assault involving minors
- LDS positions: Bishop, High priest,
- Criminal case(s): Ongoing, Unknown result,
- View report »
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- 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 report-
- 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 report-
- Willard Heaps (1924 – 2016) was a Mormon church member; accused of sexual abuse
- LDS positions: Elders quorum, High priest, Other leader, Sunday school,
- Criminal case(s): Unknown result,
- View report »
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- 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 county:
WA - King,
- Crime state:
Washington,
Convicted:
1993, LDS positions: High priest, Seminary teacher, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Died awaiting trial, Jail, Prison, Registered sex offender, Suicide, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing, Alleged failure to reportone 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, -
- Franklin Mathias (1934 – ) was a Mormon church member and Boy scout leader in La Grande, Oregon; had a career as a schoolteacher; accused in 1987 of sexual abuse; sentenced in 1988 to four years in prison for molesting a child; he said that he had 242 victims over a 30-year period; convicted in 1997 of failure to register as a sex offender and was placed on probation for 24 months
- Crime: 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s,
- Crime county:
crime-county-or-union,
- Crime state:
Oregon,
Convicted:
1988, LDS positions: High priest, Scout leader, Stake high council, Sunday school, Criminal case(s): Admitted guilt, Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Probation, Mathias reportedly admitted that he had 242 victims over a 30-year period
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- Gordon Neeley (1935 – 2018) was an LDS church member and daycare owner in Salt Lake City, Utah; pleaded guilty to ATTEMPTED - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD; convicted; died in 2018
- LDS positions: High priest, Missionary,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Unknown result,
- View report »
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- B P was a Mormon church member; accused of sexual abuse
- LDS positions: High priest, Ministering/home teacher,
- Criminal case(s): Unknown result,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
- Alleged failure to report
- View report »
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- 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-
- Orin Searle (1926 – 2014) was an LDS church member in Ogden, Utah; accused of sexual abuse in 2013 but was deemed incompetent to stand trial; a victim said that Searle's predatory behavior began as early as the late 1950s, and that several family members, and multiple members of the LDS 44th Ward (Mount Ogden Stake), knew that Searle was a child molester but did nothing to stop him; died in 2014
- Alleged crime: 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s,
- Alleged crime state:
Utah,
LDS positions: Bishopric counselor, Elders quorum, High priest, Other leader, Temple worker, Criminal case(s): Not convicted, 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, 
LDS positions: High priest, Scout leader, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Unknown result, Alleged failure to report-
- Keith Vallejo (1974 – ) was a Mormon bishop in Utah; accused of sexually abusing and raping two underage girls; in 2017, was found guilty in a jury trial of ten counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse and one count of first-degree felony object rape; sentenced to five years to life in prison
- Crime: 2010s,
- Crime state:
Utah,
Convicted:
2017, LDS positions: Bishop, High priest, Other leader, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Found guilty, Jury trial, Prison, Alleged failure to reportFilters
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