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April 16, 2025

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41 Mormon sexual abuse cases found

LDS position: Sunday school

Terry Allen
- 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,
Coy Ball
- was an LDS church member in Mesa, Arizona; was charged with 11 various abuses to a child; pled guilty to 3 counts of Molestation of a child.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Scout leader, Sunday school,
- Crime: 1990s, in Arizona, Maricopa County (Arizona),
Jimmy Brooks
- was a Mormon church member in Texas; charged with child sexual abuse in 1994.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Unknown result,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Sunday school,
- Alleged crime: 1990s, in Texas,
- Crime scenes: Recreational trip/outing,
Jason Brumble
- was a Mormon church member and stake Sunday school presidency member in Oregon; convicted in 2015 of child sexual abuse of multiple children; is in prison in Oregon as of March 2023.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Positions: Sunday school,
- Crime: 2010s, in Oregon,
Raphael Caccioppoli
- was a Mormon church Sunday school teacher, lawyer and Justice Ministry judicial officer in New Zealand; confessed sex crime behavior to a Mormon bishop in 1998; LDS leaders did not tell police or local parents of children he was left alone to supervise; turned himself in to police in 2007; sentenced to five years in jail for child sexual abuse and animal sex abuse (bestiality).
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Sunday school,
- Crime: 1990s, 2000s, in New Zealand,
- Crime scenes: Victim's home,
Jon Carpenter
- was an LDS church member; sentenced to prison for child sexual abuse; the day after sentencing, injured himself to avoid serving longer in prison.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Sunday school,
- Crime: 1980s, in Utah, Utah County (Utah),
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
Bret Chesworth
- was a Mormon church member in Australia; pleaded guilty to 7 charges of child abuse and bestiality including downloading images; he was caught in an international sting operation involving Australian and US agencies.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Unknown result,
- Positions: Sunday school,
Franklyn Curtis
- 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.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- LDS church payment: $3,000,000
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement,
- Positions: High priest, Sunday school,
Robert Dahle
- was an LDS church member, Utah Highway Patrol trooper; alleged rapist of a 13-year-old girl.
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- Positions: Sunday school,
Thomas Dawkins
- was an LDS church member in Columbia, South Carolina; accused of sexual abuse; convicted in 1986; the conviction was later overturned.
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- Criminal: Convicted, Overturned/reversed,
- Positions: Sunday school,
- Crime: 1980s, in South Carolina,
- Crime scenes: LDS activity,
Larry Deutsch
- was a Mormon bishop in Missouri; arrested in 2020 and charged with possession of child pornography (child sexual abuse material, or CSAM) and accused of luring an underage teenager from Arizona to Missouri; pleaded guilty; sentenced in 2021 to 12 years in federal prison plus a lifetime of supervised release; in 2024, the victim filed a civil lawsuit against the LDS church.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Civil: Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
- Positions: Bishop, Scout leader, Sunday school, Temple worker, Youth leader,
- Crime: 2010s, 2020s, in Arizona, Maricopa County (Arizona), Missouri,
- Crime scenes: LDS building, Online,
Richard Dilley
- was an LDS church member and scout leader in Burien, near Seattle, Washington; dishonorably discharged from the Navy in 1983 after admitting to abusing boys in a Scouting program in Athens, Greece; pleaded guilty in 1990 to one count of third degree child rape and five counts of child molestation for "repeated" offenses over two years of the scouts in his LDS troop; sentenced to 9 years in prison.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Scout leader, Sunday school,
- Crime: 1980s, in Greece, Washington,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Scout activity,
Jane Doe
- was an LDS church member in Australia; accused of sexual abuse.
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- Criminal: Jail,
- Positions: Sunday school,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home,
Chet Egley
- was a Mormon church member in Weston, Idaho; tried to meet a 13 year old girl for sex; pleaded guilty and convicted to one count sexual abuse of a child and two counts o f entice a minor by internet or text.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- Positions: Elders quorum, Sunday school, Youth leader,
- Crime: 2020s, in Cache County (Utah), Utah,
David Farley
- 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Primary, Stake high council, Sunday school,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's workplace,
David Frank
- was an LDS Sunday school teacher in Colorado; accused of sexual abuse in a civil lawsuit.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Unknown result,
- Civil: Unknown result,
- Positions: Sunday school,
Kevin Garn
- was a former Utah House majority leader and LDS bishop in Utah; admitted in 2010 to a nude encounter with a 15-year-old girl in a hot tub in 1985, when he was 28.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, Sunday school,
Ryan Hall
- was a former Mormon bishopric member and veteran sheriff's department detective in Maryland; in 2024, arrested and charged with several sex crimes related to child sexual abuse.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Ongoing,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Other leader, Sunday school, Youth leader,
- Alleged crime: 2010s, 2020s, in Maryland,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home,
Steven Hammock
- was an LDS church member in Utah; pleaded guilty in 1983 to two counts of forcible sex abuse of a child and served six months in an inpatient treatment facility; the LDS church excommunicated him, but during a civil suit filed in 1989 by the victim, it refused to divulge information that Hammock gave to church officials; in 1994, a federal judge awarded damages to the victim.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: Judgment for plaintiff,
- Positions: Scout leader, Sunday school,
Brent Hansen
- 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.
- Learn more »
- 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,
David Keller
- was a Mormon temple worker, Sunday school teacher and former stake presidency member in Paradise, Cache Valley, Utah; admitted in May 2024 to child sexual abuse and was charged with seven first-degree felony counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Admitted guilt, Ongoing,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Stake presidency counselor, Sunday school, Temple worker,
- Alleged crime: 2000s, 2010s, in Cache County (Utah), Utah,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home, Victim's home,
Ronald Kerlee
- was a Mormon seminary teacher, Sunday school leader and youth leader in Corvallis, Oregon; convicted of Sodomy III (Class C Felony) for sexual abuse of a child; accused of sexually abusing multiple children; was also a licensed counselor in Oregon until his license was revoked in 2014 after he allegedly engaged in sexual activities with a male client.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
- Positions: Seminary teacher, Sunday school, Youth leader,
William Knox
- was a Mormon church member and scout leader; accused of sexually abusing multiple children.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Unknown result,
- Civil: Lawsuit v. LDS church, Unknown result,
- Positions: Scout leader, Sunday school,
- Alleged crime: 1970s, 1980s, in California,
Keith Knutson
- was a Mormon church member in Seattle, Washington; pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse charges in 1995; a Mormon bishop allegedly failed to report abuse allegations to police.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Registered sex offender, Released,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Sunday school,
- Crime: 1990s, in Washington,
Major Madon
- 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Nursery, Stake high council, Sunday school, Ward clerk,
Benjamin Manning
- was a Mormon church member in Massachusetts and Utah; in 2014, molested a child while living with her family in Salt Lake City, Utah; charged with child sexual abuse in 2019; was a Sunday school teacher at some point between 2014 and 2024; found guilty by a jury in February 2024; sentenced in April 2024 to 120 years in prison.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Found guilty, Jury trial, Prison,
- Positions: Sunday school,
- Crime: 2010s, in Massachusetts, Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
Hugh Nibley
- 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: BYU, Ministering/home teacher, Missionary, Sunday school,
Spencer Palmer
- 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop, BYU, Mission president, Missionary, Other leader, Sunday school, Temple president,
John Parkinson
- was a Mormon stake president (1981-1991) and physician in Fairfield, California; sentenced to prison in 1997 for sexually abusing two female patients, but the judge delayed the sentence pending an appeal; his conviction was later reversed.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Jury trial, Overturned/reversed, Prison,
- Positions: Stake presidency counselor, Stake president, Sunday school,
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s, in California,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's workplace,
Byron Poelman
- 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,
Shane Pugh
- was a Mormon church member in Cedar Hills, Utah; accused of touching an underage girl while she was sleeping; in 2017, found guilty of forcible sexual abuse (2nd degree felony); sentenced to 1 to 15 years in prison and 3 years probation.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Probation,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Sunday school,
- Crime: 2010s, in Utah,
Bryce Ray
- was a Mormon church member and former bank officer in West Haven, Utah; arrested in July 2024 and charged with enticing a minor and sexual solicitation of a child.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Ongoing, Police investigation,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Scout leader, Sunday school,
- Alleged crime: 2020s, in Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
- Crime scenes: Public,
Charles Richmond
- was an LDS church member and LDS addiction recovery specialist in Hutchinson, Kansas; convicted of aggravated indecent liberties w child; Offender =>18 fondle child <14; in prison in Kansas as of 2024.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Other leader, Sunday school,
Lowell Robison
- 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.
- Learn more »
- 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,
Mark Sherry
- was an LDS ward mission leader and church building supervisor in Kansas City, Missouri; found guilty in 2000 of Sexual Misconduct - 2nd Degree.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Missionary, Other leader, Sunday school, Youth leader,
James Stokes
- was a Mormon church member in Farmington, Utah; Was a drama teacher at a high school in Utah found guilty of forcible sexual abuse of a 14 year old drama student.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Sunday school, Youth leader,
- Crime: 2010s, in Utah,
Brent Taylor
- was the Utah Valley Youth Symphony orchestra director and an LDS Sunday school teacher; accused in 2018 of sexually abusing multiple boys; a judge ruled in 2023 that he had exaggerated his health issues to avoid trial; pleaded guilty in June 2024; sentenced twice to prison in two separate child sex abuse cases in 2024.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Fled or failed to appear, Ongoing, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Sunday school, Youth leader,
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, in Utah,
Glendon Templeton
- was a Mormon bishop, Sunday school teacher and scout leader in Arizona; was bishop of the Maryvale Ward in West Phoenix from 2014 to 2019; excommunicated in 2019; also was a volleyball coach for high school-aged girls; accused numerous times and arrested, but never prosecuted for alleged sex crimes; sued in 1997 for alleged sexual abuse; allegedly sexually assaulted multiple teenage girls.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: Unknown result,
- Positions: Bishop, Sunday school,
- Alleged crime: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s, in Arizona, Maricopa County (Arizona),
- Crime scenes: Bishop's office, LDS building,
Kendall Traxler
- was an LDS church member in Gallman and Hazelhurst, Mississippi; died in 2015; a victim told FLOODLIT that Traxler sexually abused them when they were a child; the abuse allegedly took place during Sunday branch meetings; the branch president and stake president allegedly knew about the abuse but failed to report it to law enforcement.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Sunday school, Youth leader,
- Crime scenes: LDS building,
Sterling Van Wagenen
- 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.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Positions: BYU, Stake high council, Sunday school,
- Crime: 1990s, 2010s, in Utah,
Ryan Whitaker
- was an LDS church member and divorce lawyer in Vancouver, Washington; charged with sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl in his Sunday School class during church meetings; convicted in 2013 and sentenced to prison; registered sex offender.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Positions: Missionary, Primary, Sunday school,
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, in Washington,
- Crime scenes: LDS building,

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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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