Recently updated Mormon sexual abuse cases

• Thad Jesperson

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  • was an LDS church member in Murietta, California; accused of sexually abusing 8 of his elementary students at Toler Elementary School.
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  • Criminal: Convicted, Overturned/reversed,
  • Crime: 2000s, in California,
  • Crime scenes: Victim's school,

• Scott Musson

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  • was an LDS church member in Ontario, Canada; arrested and charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual interference.
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  • Alleged coverup
  • Criminal: Police investigation, Unknown result,
  • Positions: Unknown position,
  • Alleged crime: 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, in Canada,

• Wesley Tanner

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  • was an LDS church member; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Unknown position,

• Michael Hepworth

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  • was an LDS church member; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,

• Edward Hunter

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  • was a Mormon church member in Peoria, Arizona; accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl who was his patient; pleaded guilty to three counts of child abuse; sentenced to two years in prison and lifetime probation.
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  • Criminal: Convicted, Prison, Probation, Unknown result,
  • Civil: No civil case,
  • Crime: 2010s,

• Richard Cook

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  • was a Mormon church member and former LDS nursery leader in Boise, Idaho; arrested in 2020 on suspicion of sexually abusing young boys.
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  • Criminal: Ongoing, Unknown result,
  • Civil: No civil case,
  • Positions: Nursery,
  • Crime scenes: Victim's home,

• Noah Rada

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  • was a Mormon church member in Salt Lake City, Utah; accused of possession of child sexual abuse material in 2022; pleaded guilty.
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  • Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Probation,
  • Civil: No civil case,
  • Crime: 2020s,

• Malcolm Goodwin

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  • 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.
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  • Criminal: Ongoing, Unknown result,
  • Positions: Bishop, High priest,

• Melvin McKinney

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  • was an LDS church member; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Alleged coverup
  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Scout leader,
  • Alleged crime: 1970s, in California,

• Burrell Mohler

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  • was an LDS church member in Missouri; accused of sexual abuse; criminal charges dropped; civil case in 2013, results unknown.
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  • Alleged coverup
  • Criminal: Charges dropped, Unknown result,
  • Positions: Unknown position,
  • Alleged crime: 1990s, 2000s, in Missouri,

• Joel Houck

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  • was an LDS church member in California; accused in the 1960s of sexual abuse; convicted of vagrancy in 1966 and served 10 days in jail; in 1967, placed in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) "perversion files".
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Scout leader,
  • Alleged crime: 1960s, in California,

• Arthur Krigbaum

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  • was an LDS church member and scout leader in Idaho; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Scout leader,
  • Alleged crime: 1970s, in Idaho,

• Jason Larsen

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  • was an LDS missionary from Idaho in Bakersfield, California; accused in 1997 of sexual abuse of an 8-year-old girl at a school; as of 2024, lives in Meridian, Idaho.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Missionary,
  • Alleged crime: 1990s, in California,
  • Crime scenes: Victim's school,

• Reed Decker

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  • was a Mormon church member in Davis County, Utah; charged in March 2023 with two felony counts of child sexual abuse; as of March 2024, a jury trial is scheduled for September 2024.
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  • Criminal: Jury trial, Ongoing,
  • Positions: Missionary,
  • Alleged crime: 2010s, in Davis County (Utah), Utah,

• David Gomez

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  • was a former LDS bishop and department of corrections administrator in Utah; arrested in 2004 and charged with 125 counts of sexual abuse; charges were dropped in 2005 due to issues related to the statutes of limitations.
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  • Alleged coverup
  • Criminal: Charges dropped,
  • Civil: No civil case,
  • Positions: Bishop,
  • Alleged crime: 1980s, 1990s, in Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
  • Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,

• David Frank

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  • was an LDS Sunday school teacher in Colorado; accused of sexual abuse in a civil lawsuit.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Civil: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Sunday school,

• Vernon Foster

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  • was an LDS church member in Louisiana; accused of sexual abuse; pleaded guilty; was convicted.
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  • Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
  • Crime: 1980s, in Louisiana,

• Alan Dunn

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  • was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Venice, California (Los Angeles); accused in 1978 of child sexual abuse; confessed to the police.
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  • Alleged coverup
  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Civil: No civil case,
  • Positions: Scout leader,
  • Crime scenes: Recreational trip/outing, Scout activity,

• John Conway

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  • was a Mormon church member in Cambridge, UK; accused of child sexual abuse after his twin brother Martyn Conway was convicted of child sexual abuse; in both cases; the victim was the same underage boy.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Unknown position,

• Denny Antreo

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  • was an LDS church member in Rexburg, Idaho; accused of breaking and entering women's apartments at BYU-Idaho and watching them sleep.
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  • Criminal: Ongoing, Unknown result,
  • Positions: Unknown position,
  • Alleged crime: 2020s, in Idaho, Rexburg (Idaho),

• Blake Mendenhall

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  • was an LDS church member in American Fork, Utah; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Positions: Unknown position,

• Benjamin Hicks

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  • was an LDS church member; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Ongoing,
  • Positions: Unknown position,
  • Alleged crime: 2020s, in Idaho,

• Samuel Neipp

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  • was an LDS church member and middle school teacher in California; once named "teacher of the year" by the Union School District in the San Jose, California area; son of convicted child sexual abuser Joseph Neipp; pleaded no contest in 2019 to 12 charges related to sexual abuse; sentenced to 56 years in prison.
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  • Criminal: Convicted, No contest, Prison,
  • Civil: Ongoing,
  • Positions: Unknown position,
  • Crime: 2010s, in California,

• Jimmy Young

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  • was a Mormon church member and scout volunteer; arrested for sexually abusing a scout in his troop.
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  • Criminal: Admitted guilt, Unknown result,
  • Positions: Scout leader,
  • Alleged crime: 1980s, in Texas,

• Eugene Hansen

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  • was a Mormon church member and scout leader in California; accused of child sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Civil: No civil case,
  • Positions: Scout leader,

• Melvin MacNeil

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  • was a Mormon church member in Ontario, Canada; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Other leader,

• Ryan Pugh

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  • was a former Mormon missionary and BYU-Idaho student in Rexburg, Idaho; arrested and charged in 2024 with sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online.
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  • Criminal: Admitted guilt, Ongoing,
  • Positions: Missionary,
  • Alleged crime: 2020s, in Idaho,
  • Crime scenes: Online,

• Nicolas Faivre

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  • was a former LDS bishop in Australia; charged with sending sexually explicit messages to a child.
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  • Criminal: Ongoing, Unknown result,
  • Civil: No civil case,
  • Positions: Bishop,

• 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,

• John Doe

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  • was an LDS church member in Argentina; accused of sexual abuse in 2017; an LDS bishop learned of the abuse in a private confession by the accused, and the bishop told the victim's mother, who told police.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Alleged crime: 2010s, in Argentina,

• Robert Cervo

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  • was an LDS youth leader and schoolteacher in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada; accused of sexual abuse; agreed in 2015 to sign a peace bond (often referred to in other jurisdictions as a restraining order) and the four criminal charges against him were stayed..
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  • Criminal: Charges dropped, Protective order,
  • Positions: Youth leader,

• Cletus Hanifin

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  • was an LDS church member in Boulder, Colorado; accused of sexually abusing a young teenage girl in his home, while his wife was away.
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  • Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home,

• Larry Dyke

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  • was a Mormon church member; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Scout leader,
  • Alleged crime: 1980s, in California,

• Thomas Quinton

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  • was an LDS church member in Alberta, Canada; Tom drove to Great Falls, Montana to meet a 12 year old girl he met through a Craigslist ad; was arrested in a sting operation.
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  • Alleged crime: 2010s, in Canada,

• Jane Doe

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  • 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,

• Brandon Hernandez

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  • was an LDS church member in Tempe, Arizona; accused of sexually abusing a victim inside a Mormon church; convicted of four fourth degree felony counts of abuse of a child or vulnerable adult.
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  • Criminal: Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Unknown result,
  • Civil: No civil case,
  • Positions: Other leader,
  • Crime scenes: LDS building,

• Richard Cole

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  • was an LDS church member in Santa Rosa, California; accused of sexually and physically abusing his wife; in 1975 was murdered by his wife when she said needed the abuse to stop.
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• John McKown

  • 
  • was an LDS church member in Arizona; charged in 2023 with child sexual exploitation.
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  • Criminal: Ongoing, Unknown result,
  • Alleged crime: 2020s, in Arizona,

• William Gillespie

  • 
  • was an LDS church member in Alabama; accused of sexual abuse; convicted; conviction was reversed on appeal.
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  • Alleged coverup
  • Criminal: Convicted, Overturned/reversed, Unknown result,
  • Crime: 1980s, in Alabama,

• Ryan Frandsen

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  • was an LDS church member and fireman in Davis County, Utah; pleaded guilty in 2010 to five counts of lewdness involving a child; child sexual abuse material (CSAM) was found on his computer; sentenced in 2010 to 90 days in jail and three years of probation.
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  • Criminal: Convicted, Jail, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Probation,
  • Crime: 2000s, in Davis County (Utah), Utah,

• Fred Radichel

  • 
  • was an LDS church member and scout leader in Detroit, Michigan; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Scout leader,

• Sidney Spencer

  • 
  • was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Idaho; convicted in 1984 of child sexual abuse; a Mormon bishop approved his application to be a scout leader despite his prior sex crime conviction.
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  • Alleged coverup
  • Criminal: Convicted,
  • Civil: No civil case,
  • Positions: Scout leader,
  • Crime: 1980s, in Idaho,
  • Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,

• Dan Overholt

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  • was an LDS church member; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Scout leader,
  • Alleged crime: 1980s, 1990s, in Colorado,

• James Ungricht

  • 
  • was a Mormon church member and junior high school science and math teacher in San Diego, California; arrested in 2017 for lewd conduct in public; pleaded no contest in 2018 to a misdemeanor charge of lewd conduct in a public place; sentenced to serve 30 days in county jail, plus three years probation.
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  • Criminal: Convicted, Jail, No contest, Probation,
  • Civil: No civil case,
  • Crime: 2010s, in California,

• William Harding

  • 
  • was an LDS church member and former Mormon bishop and ward clerk in Tasmania, Australia and Queensland, Australia; charged in or before 2023 with multiple counts of sexual assault of a minor in two states in Australia.
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  • Alleged coverup
  • Criminal: Ongoing, Unknown result,
  • Positions: Bishop, Ward clerk,
  • Alleged crime: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, in Australia,

• Luis Zarate

  • 
  • was a Mormon bishop in Panama; accused of sexual abuse of a 4-year-old.
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  • Alleged coverup
  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Bishop,
  • Alleged crime: 2010s, in Panama,

• Rodney Fielding

  • 
  • was an LDS church member; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,

• Ronald Fielding

  • 
  • was an LDS church member; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,

• Richard Peterson

  • 
  • was an LDS church member in Mesa, Arizona; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,

• Craig Barlow

  • 
  • was an LDS church member; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,

• Louis Kinyon

  • 
  • was an LDS church member in Provo, Utah; convicted in 2005 of aggravated murder.
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  • Criminal: Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
  • Crime: 2000s, in Provo (Utah), Utah, Utah County (Utah),

• Marc Turner

  • 
  • was an LDS church member; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Unknown position,

• Lyle Richardson

  • 
  • was an LDS church member in Wyoming; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Unknown position,

• Frank Collins

  • 
  • was an LDS church member and traveling professional clown (as "Windy the Clown") in Whittier, California; accused of sexual abuse in 1986; charges dropped.
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  • Criminal: Charges dropped, Not convicted,
  • Positions: Unknown position,
  • Alleged crime: 1980s, in California,

• Christopher Evans

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  • was an LDS church member; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Unknown position,

• Wayne Sells

  • 
  • was a Mormon church member; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Civil: No civil case,
  • Positions: Scout leader,
  • Alleged crime: 1980s, in South Carolina,
  • Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,

• Bradley Ott

  • 
  • was an LDS church member; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Unknown position,

• William Schubeck

  • 
  • was a Mormon church member in California; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Alleged coverup
  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Civil: Lawsuit v. LDS church,
  • Positions: Unknown position,
  • Alleged crime: 1960s, in California,

• 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.
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  • Criminal: Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Probation,
  • Positions: BYU, Scout leader,

• Kenneth Hanigan

  • 
  • was an LDS church member; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Scout leader,
  • Alleged crime: 1980s, in California,

• Emmett White

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  • was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Florida; was caught in 1966 by local police soliciting an adult sex worker (prostitute); denied any inappropriate behavior around scouts.
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  • Criminal: Never charged, Not convicted,
  • Positions: Scout leader,
  • Alleged crime: 1960s, in Florida,

• Eric Griffin

  • 
  • was an LDS church member and Boy Scout leader; accused of sexual abuse.
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  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Scout leader,

• Thomas Strickland

  • 
  • was an LDS church member and Boy Scout leader; accused of sexual abuse.
  • Learn more »
  • Criminal: Unknown result,
  • Positions: Scout leader,

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