4,266 reports of sex crimes allegedly perpetrated by Latter-day Saints (statistics »). Sources include court documents, public records, news reports, academic journals, and survivors or witnesses of alleged abuse.
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- Paul Adams (1982 – 2017) was an LDS church member in Arizona; sexually abused two children for several years after confessing to his bishop; arrested and charged; died by suicide in 2017 while in custody awaiting trial; as of October 2025, a lawsuit against the church is ongoing
Alleged failure to report
Positions: Not active LDS, Unknown position, 
Criminal case(s): Admitted guilt, Died awaiting trial, Not convicted, Suicide, - Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
Alleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Excommunicated, Ward official accused of failure to report, - View report »
"They said, 'You absolutely can do nothing.' "2025: Arizona Court of Appeals reinstated a lawsuit v. the Mormon church -
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- 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
- Positions: Bishop, Branch president, Other leader, Scout leader, Stake presidency counselor, Stake president, Temple worker, Unknown position, Ward executive secretary,
- Criminal case(s): Ongoing,
- View report »
became temple presidency counselor and sealer despite two convictions for sex solicitation -
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- James Stringham (1928 – 2017) was a Mormon church member and pediatric physician in Salt Lake City, Utah; in 1980, he made a video recording of a sexual nature involving a child patient; in 1982, pleaded no contest to a second-degree felony charge of sexual exploitation of a minor; sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay $7,500 restitution; his medical license was suspended for 90 days
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Missionary,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, No contest, Probation,
- View report »
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- Shane Blackett (1987 – ) was a Mormon church member, former teacher and assistant football coach at Juab High School, Nephi, Utah; pleaded guilty to OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE in Dec 2014; according to court docs he "solicited inappropriate pictures by phone and she had sent pictures to him"; after he learned of a criminal investigation against him "he took steps to erase evidence of a crime from his phone," -court documents
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- Alleged church actions: unknown,
- View report »
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- Morris Whitlock (1955 – ) was a Mormon church member in American Fork, Utah; convicted of two counts of sexual abuse in the 2nd degree in 2001; convicted of sexually abusing 2 former students; Whitlock gave police 19 more names of students he confessed to abusing, ages 12-14 from 1978-2000; , is not a registered sex offender as of August 2026; Online records show Whitlock lives in Saratoga Springs, UT.
Convicted:
2001, - Positions: Bishopric counselor, Tabernacle Choir, Youth leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Alleged church actions: unknown,
- View report »
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- Jeffrey Zaugg was allegedly a Mormon church member in Utah; was raised in the Mormon church; convicted in 1995 of first-degree felony sodomy on a child; was sentenced to 10 years to life in prison; as of 2025, was out on parole (Utah offender #73345)
- Convicted:
1995,
- Positions: LDS status unknown, Unknown position,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Parole, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Registered sex offender,
- View report »
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- Todd Tanner (1970 – ) was a Mormon church member in the Cortez/Durango, Colorado area and St, George, Utah; co-founder of Utah-based dirty soda business Swig Drinks in approximately 2010; charged in 2010 in Colorado with crimes related to child sexual abuse; convicted in 2011 and sentenced to 48 months probation; allegedly was a Sunday School teacher in St. George, Utah after his conviction
- Convicted:
2011,
- Positions: Stake high council, Sunday school,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Ongoing, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Probation, Registered sex offender,
- View report »
"All I wanted was to go far away to a place where you could not hurt me [..] Now I speak for the 12-year-old girl I once was. [...] You changed how I feel about myself [...] You don't deserve that kind of power. [...] Many days, it seems I feel ready to give up. [...] I continually uncover the hidden wounds that will need to be healed. [...] I choose to take back my power and relinquish the power he held over me."After Tanner's 2011 conviction in Colorado, the Mormon church allegedly assigned him to be a Sunday School teacher for LDS teenagers in St. George, Utah -
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- Tyce Tanner was a Mormon church member in St. George, Utah; June 2024 was accused or rape; charged with 4 counts rape, object rape, forcible sodomy and forcible sexual abuse on May 2025; case is ongoing as if August 2026
- Convicted:
Ongoing,
- Positions: Missionary,
- Criminal case(s): Ongoing,
- Alleged church actions: unknown,
- View report »
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- Charles Merrell (1977 – ) was a Mormon church member in Wyoming; was reportedly an LDS Primary teacher as of approximately 2019; criminally charged in the 2020s with multiple felonies related to child sexual abuse; found guilty by a jury in 2025 of two third-degree felony counts of sexual abuse of a minor
- Convicted:
2025,
- Positions: Primary,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Found guilty, Jury trial, Prison,
- Alleged church actions: Unknown church action,
- View report »
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- Kelly Jasperson (1960 – ) was a Mormon church member in Afton, Wyoming;
- Criminal case(s): Convicted,
- View report »
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- Kenneth Clark (1969 – ) was a Mormon church member in Osmond, Wyoming; pleaded no contest of felony voyeurism and sexual battery misdemeanor in March 2026;
- Convicted:
2026,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, No contest, Pleaded guilty,
- Alleged church actions: unknown,
- View report »
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- Jacob Bunker (2000 – ) was a Mormon church member in Provo, Utah; charged with one count of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor 1st degree and three enticing a minor in the 2nd degree; due in court December 17, 2025
- Criminal case(s): Ongoing,
- View report »
"“I would molest every kid”"Some of the conversations found by investigators included Bunker stating that he wants to sexually abuse a preschool classroom and also wants a calling in his church overseeing young children. “I would molest every kid,” he stated, according to the charges. -KSL TV article 2025-11-29 -
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- Stephen McKean (1993 – ) was a Mormon church member in Springville, Utah and a BYU professor; arrested in April 2026 and charged with distributing material harmful to a minor (third-degree felony), and three counts of enticing a minor (class A misdemeanor); allegedly sent an explicit photo to an undercover police officer he thought was a 17-year-old girl
- Convicted:
Ongoing,
- Positions: Sunday school teacher, Youth leader,
- Criminal case(s): Ongoing,
- Alleged church actions: Unknown church action,
- View report »
"You’re going to make me like you better than my wife."Police documents say McKean sent an explicit photo of himself, then quickly deleted it. But the agent was able to quickly save the photo -
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- Jared Bonkosky (1978 – ) was a parole agent in South Jordan, Utah; charge with 5 various counts of child sexual abuse in December 2019; convicted of AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD in 2021; charged with VIOLATION OF PROTECTIVE ORDER and CHILD ABUSE - INFLICT SERIOUS PHYSICAL INJURY RECKLESSLY in March 2020, charges dropped and this case was expunged; is currently in SAN JUAN CO JAIL; is a registered sex offender
- Convicted:
2021,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Criminal case(s): Charges dropped, Convicted, Jail, Pleaded guilty,
- Alleged church actions: unknown,
- View report »
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- Jake Retzlaff was a starting quarterback for the Brigham Young University (BYU) football team; not a Mormon church member; accused of sexual abuse in a civil lawsuit filed in 2025; lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice June 30, 2025; August 2026 a new lawsuit states the settlement agreement from June 2025 has been breached and that Retzlaff has not paid the second payment due to the allegedsexual assault victim
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case(s): Ongoing,
- View report »
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- Rowan Ellsworth (1948 – ) was an LDS church member and schoolteacher in Arizona; allegedly molested a 14-year-old girl at an LDS girls camp in mid-1990; the abuse was reported to a bishop Burgess, who allegedly failed to report to police, but instead encouraged the victim to forgive; sentenced to prison in 1999 for two counts of child sexual abuse; released in 2007; is a registered sex offender living in Mesa, Arizona.
- Alleged failure to report
- Positions: Missionary,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison, Released,
- Alleged church actions: Excommunicated, Rebaptized,
- View report »
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- Anthon Ellsworth (1982 – ) was an LDS bishopric counselor in Arizona; in 2021, pleaded guilty to three felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and was sentenced to seven years in prison; released on probation and is in community as of August 17, 2026; is a registered sex offender living in Florence, Arizona as of August 2026
- Alleged failure to report
- Convicted:
2021,
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Missionary,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- View report »
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- David Stratton (1980 – ) was a Mormon church member that was convicted of UNLAW SEX INTERCOURSE in 2003; Is a registered sex offender living in Ammon, Idaho
- Convicted:
2003,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- Alleged church actions: unknown,
- View report »
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- Matthew Faerber (1962 – ) was an LDS church member and high school choir director in Murray, Utah; pleaded guilty in 1990 or 1991 to two counts of attempted sexual abuse of a child; sentenced in February 1991 to six months in jail (two of those months under house arrest) followed by three years of supervised release
- Positions: Missionary,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Jail, Probation, Released,
- View report »
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- Benjamin Nelson (1988 – ) was a Mormon church member in Portland, Oregon; arrested in May 2015 and charged with 12 various accounts related to sexual abuse of children; was convicted Oct. 2015 and sentenced to 35 years in prison; reportedly a BYU-Hawaii graduate; earliest release from prison is May 10, 2048.
- Convicted:
2015,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison,
- View report »
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