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Donate »37 Mormon sexual abuse cases found
Terry Allen
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- was an LDS church member in California; in 1987, was found guilty of sexual abuse of a child and was sentenced to six years in prison; was assigned to multiple trusted church positions, including Sunday school president, despite the Mormon church being aware that he had raped a teenager; LDS leaders were accused of hiding his abuse from local church members; as of 2024, lives in Grapevine, Texas.
- Learn more »
Alleged coverup- Criminal: Convicted, Prison, Registered sex offender, Released,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Other leader, Stake high council, Sunday school, Youth leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in California, Connecticut,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
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Donnie Boring
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- was a Mormon bishop and stake high council member in California / Arizona; pleaded guilty in 2017 to a felony charge of sexual abuse; died in December 2017.
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- Criminal: Convicted, Unknown result,
- Positions: Bishop, Missionary, Seminary teacher, Stake high council, Temple worker, Youth leader,
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Timothy Bothell
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- was a LDS church employee and LDS church member in Utah; pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2013 for sexual abuse of 2 girls ages 11 and 13.
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- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Church employee, Stake high council,
- Crime: 2010s, in Utah,
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Kevin Christensen
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- was a Mormon church member and judge in Brigham City, Utah; accused of receiving and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to individuals he believed to be minor children.
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- Criminal: Ongoing,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Stake high council,
- Alleged crime: 2020s, in Utah,
- Crime scenes: Online,
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Mark Cram
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- was a former Mormon bishop and stake presidency counselor, and city manager in Riverton, Utah; charged in 2006 with voyeurism; admitted climbing a 9-foot wall at a tanning salon to watch a 16-year-old girl undress; pleaded guilty; plea was held in abeyance; he completed the terms set by the court, charge was dismissed and case was expunged in 2008; as of February 2024, lives in Riverton, Utah.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Admitted guilt, Expunged, Not convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, Church employee, Stake high council, Stake presidency counselor,
- Crime scenes: Health appointment,
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Clark Crookston
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- was a former Mormon bishop, dentist and college professor in Orem, Utah; accused of nearly 60 years of sex abuse of multiple children; found guilty of attempted aggravated child sexual abuse; sentenced in 2022 to up to 35 years in prison.
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- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Positions: Bishop, High priest, Missionary, Stake high council,
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James Denos
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- was a former LDS bishop and junior high school teacher in Utah; previously lived and served as a Mormon bishop in California; sentenced in 2002 to a minimum of 20 years in a Utah state prison for sexually abusing four of his granddaughters living in Utah; allegedly began molesting kids as early as 1950.
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- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, Missionary, Stake high council, Temple worker, Ward clerk,
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Gerald Elison
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- was an LDS church member and junior high school drama teacher in Orem, Utah; accused in 2014 in a civil lawsuit of sexually abusing a boy student in the early 1980s; died in 2019.
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- Criminal: Admitted guilt, Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: Dismissed,
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Primary, Stake high council,
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David Farley
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- was a former doctor and LDS church member in West Linn, Oregon; accused of sexually abusing over 200 patients; the alleged abuse occurred over a span of many years, during which Farley was an LDS stake high council member for some time; never criminally charged; in February 2024, the city of West Linn, Oregon released a report about the way its police department investigated Farley.
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- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Primary, Stake high council, Sunday school,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's workplace,
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Francis Fuller
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- was a Mormon bishop in Highland, Utah in 1993; also was a stake high council member in Utah; in 2018 or 2019, pleaded guilty to two second degree felony counts of child sexual abuse; sentenced in 2019 in Utah to two years in prison.
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- Criminal: Convicted, Jail,
- Positions: Bishop, Missionary, Stake high council,
- Crime: 2010s, in Utah,
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Samuel Gardner
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- was an LDS bishop in the Oklahoma City First Ward in the early 1960s; accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy in the bishop's office at a Mormon chapel in about 1961; died in 1968.
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- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, Stake high council,
- Crime scenes: Bishop's office, LDS building,
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Shawn Gooden
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- was an LDS bishop in Lebanon, Pennsylvania from 2016-2020; arrested in 2022 and charged with sexual abuse of two children in Virginia from 1997-2000; pleaded guilty in July 2023 in Virginia to four felony counts; sentenced in November 2023 in Virginia to prison time and supervised probation on release; charged in July 2023 in Pennsylvania with more child sex abuse charges.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Ongoing, Prison, Probation,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, Scout leader, Stake high council, Stake presidency counselor, Youth leader,
- Crime: 1990s, 2000s, in Pennsylvania, Virginia,
- Crime scenes: Recreational trip/outing,
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Matthew Hack
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- was a Mormon church member and stake high council member in Oklahoma; accused in 2019 of child sexual abuse; pleaded no contest to an amended charge of child neglect.
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- Criminal: Convicted, No contest,
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Stake high council,
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Brent Hansen
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- was an LDS church member and dentist in Spanish Fork, Utah; was also mayor of Spanish Fork and president of its chamber of commerce; accused in a civil lawsuit of receiving sexual favors from a dentistry patient in return for prescriptions for narcotics; his dentistry license was suspended for 30 days; died in 2015.
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- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: Settlement, Unknown result,
- Positions: Bishop, Bishopric counselor, Scout leader, Stake high council, Sunday school, Youth leader,
- Alleged crime: 1980s, in Utah, Utah County (Utah),
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's workplace,
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James Haskell
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- was a former Mormon bishop and practicing attorney in Vacaville, California; charged with 14 felonies and three misdemeanors for allegedly sexually abusing four children; was an LDS stake high council member when charged; pleaded not guilty; in June 2024, found not guilty in a jury trial of 16 of 17 counts; jurors deadlocked on one count of felony injury upon a child.
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- Criminal: Acquitted, Found not guilty, Hung jury, Ongoing,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, Scout leader, Stake high council,
- Alleged crime: 2020s, in California,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
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Erik Hughes
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- was a Mormon bishop in Mapleton, Utah and a Mormon church senior product manager when he sexually abused two underage children in his LDS ward dozens of times; was sentenced to prison in 2017; released in 2023; as of 2024, registered sex offender living in Utah.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Parole, Prison, Registered sex offender, Released,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, Church employee, Missionary, Stake high council, Youth leader,
- Crime: 2000s, 2010s, in Utah,
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Ángel Jaramillo
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- was an LDS church member in Jujuy, Argentina; arrested on child pornography and abuse charges (which includes distribution, tenancy, and production of material).
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- Criminal: Ongoing, Prison, Unknown result,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Church employee, Stake clerk, Stake high council,
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Ronald Jenkins
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- was a former Mormon scout leader, bishopric counselor and stake high council member in Idaho; worked as a high school teacher; accused of sexual abuse; convicted in 1996 of 10 counts of lewd conduct with a minor; sentenced to 17 years in prison.
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- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison, Registered sex offender, Released,
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Scout leader, Stake high council,
- Crime: 1990s, in Idaho,
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Carl Johnson
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- was a former mayor of West Bountiful, UT; former Mormon bishop in Utah; arrested for and charged with sexually abusing several children; pleaded guilty in January 2023 to four felony counts of child sexual abuse; sentenced in March 2023 to prison.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, Bishopric counselor, Elders quorum, Missionary, Stake high council,
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s, in Utah,
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Major Madon
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- was an LDS church member in Mapleton, Utah; convicted of child sexual abuse; as of 2024, serving time in prison in Central Utah Correctional Facility.
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- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Nursery, Stake high council, Sunday school, Ward clerk,
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Brian Mitchell
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- was a Mormon church member and temple worker in Utah; abductor, with Wanda Barzee, of Elizabeth Smart.
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- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Stake high council, Temple worker,
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, in Utah,
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Steven Murdock
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- was a Mormon stake high council member and former LDS bishop in Holladay, Salt Lake County, Utah; allegedly sexually harassed multiple women in his ward while he was their bishop (he was bishop from 2013 to 2017); in 2019, was caught taking photos of a young woman in a dressing room in Tennessee; pleaded guilty in November 2019; sentenced in 2019 to one year probation, 48 hours community service .
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Admitted guilt, Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Probation, Released,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, Stake high council,
- Crime: 2010s, in Tennessee,
- Crime scenes: Public, Recreational trip/outing,
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Brian Pickett
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- 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 coverup
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LDS church payment: Undisclosed amount
- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: Dismissed with prejudice, Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement,
- Positions: Branch president, Stake high council,
- Alleged crime: 1980s, in Hawaii,
- Crime scenes: LDS activity, Perpetrator's home,
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Byron Poelman
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- was a bishop and stake president in Utah and partner in a law firm that represented the LDS church; arrested in 1994 for soliciting a prostitute; pleaded guilty to a class B misdemeanor charge of patronizing a prostitute.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Bishop, Bishopric counselor, Mission president, Missionary, Stake high council, Stake president, Sunday school,
- Crime: 1990s, in Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
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Carl Pratt
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- was a Mormon bishop in San Manuel, Arizona; allegedly sexually abused a boy in his ward, in the bishop's office at an LDS chapel; died in 2006.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, High priest, Other leader, Scout leader, Stake high council, Temple worker,
- Crime scenes: Bishop's office, LDS building,
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Kevin Prodromides
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- was a Mormon church member; accused of sexual abuse.
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- Criminal: Unknown result,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Stake high council,
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Lowell Robison
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- was a Mormon mission president in the Mexico Leon mission (1995-1998); accused in 2018 of sexual abuse of multiple people; two months later, died by suicide.
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- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, Bishopric counselor, Elders quorum, Mission president, Missionary, Scout leader, Stake high council, Stake presidency counselor, Stake president, Sunday school, Youth leader,
- Alleged crime: 1980s, 1990s, in Mexico,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
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Ramiro Saenz
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- was an LDS mission president and Temple president in Bolivia; accused of sexually abusing two teenage girls.
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- Criminal: Never charged,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, Mission president, Stake high council, Stake president, Temple president,
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Richard Sampson
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- was a Mormon bishop, stake high council member and doctor in Provo, Utah; Director of Medical Affairs for the LDS Missionary Training Center; sexually abused at least seven children; convicted and sentenced in 2014 to one to 15 years in prison for child sexual abuse; as of 2024, was out on parole living in Holladay, Utah.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Parole, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Registered sex offender, Released,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, Church employee, Other leader, Stake high council,
- Crime: 2000s, 2010s, in Arizona, Maricopa County (Arizona), Provo (Utah), Utah, Utah County (Utah),
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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.
- Learn more »
- 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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John Thiele
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- was a Mormon church stake high council member in Idaho; convicted in 2018 of sexual abuse, no jail time served; registered as sex offender.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Registered sex offender,
- Positions: Stake high council,
- Crime: 2010s, in Idaho,
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Donald Tolman
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- was an LDS church member and former bishop in Provo, Utah (Provo 10th Ward, starting in 1975); convicted in 2020 of six felony counts related to child sexual abuse; sentenced in 2020 to 25 years to life in prison.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Bishop, Missionary, Stake high council,
- Crime: 2010s, in Utah,
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Veloy Twitchell
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- was a Mormon church member in Marysville, Washington; accused of perpetrating a sex crime in or around 2004.
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- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Stake high council,
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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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Michael Watson
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- was a Mormon church member; accused of sexual abuse.
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- Criminal: Unknown result,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Stake high council, Youth leader,
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LaVar Withers
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- was a Mormon church member and physician in Rexburg, Idaho; was accused of sexual abuse by at least 133 women and children (some as young as 13 years old) over a period of 30 years or more; admitted to sexual abuse; found guilty of misdemeanor battery; sentenced to 30 to 60 days in jail and two years probation; the Mormon church placed him on probation and took his temple recommend; died in 2005.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Stake high council,
- Crime: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, in Idaho,
- Crime scenes: Health appointment,
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Orson Wright
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- 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.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, Bishopric counselor, Branch president, Mission president, Missionary, Stake high council, Temple worker,
- Alleged crime: 1970s, 1980s, in Australia,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
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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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