1980s

Help FLOODLIT.org raise awareness

about sexual abuse in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS/Mormon).

Our growing public database (over 4,000 case reports) and relentless research have helped to hold perpetrators and enablers accountable.

Your donations make it possible for us to shine a bright light of support for abuse survivors everywhere.

51 Mormon sexual abuse cases

Reset filters

Terry George Allen
- Alleged coverup
- 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.
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison, Registered sex offender, Released,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
- Crime: 1980s, in California, Connecticut,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Larren Bybee Arnold
- was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Idaho; in 1984, arrested for lewd conduct with a minor under sixteen (molested a nine year-old boy) in Idaho; convicted in October 1984; received a five year suspended sentence and three years probation.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: lawsuit against LDS church, Unknown result,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, in Idaho,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- LDS church payment: Yes (undisclosed amount)
- Case report »
Norman Carl Barber
- Alleged coverup
- was a Mormon church member and dentist in Layton, Utah; was a scout leader; pleaded guilty in 1988 to sexually abusing two girls who were his dental patients; the sexual abuse occurred in his dental office and included drugging one or both girls with nitrous oxide.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Healthcare appointment, Perpetrator's workplace,
- Crime: 1980s, in Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Bryan A Barner
- was a Mormon church member in New York in the 1980s; scout leader, molested a 12-year-old boy and two 13-year-old boys; sentenced to no more than one year in prison.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
- Crime: 1980s, in New York,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Robert Ersol Berchtold
- was a Mormon church member in Idaho; sexually abused a child; in 1986, was found guilty of rape of a child and spent one year in jail.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Victim's home,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s, in Idaho,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Arthur Gary Bishop
- was a Mormon boy scout leader in Utah; was excommunicated in the 1970s; later molested multiple children and killed five young boys; was sentenced to death by lethal injection in 1988.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s, in Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
David James Borg
- was a Mormon church member and scout leader; pleaded guilty to molesting multiple boys; sentenced to 34 years in prison.
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
- Crime: 1980s, in Arizona,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Dennis Bough
- was a Mormon church member in Washington; pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse charges.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
- Crime: 1980s, in Washington,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Gerald Wayne Burgie
- was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Utah; charged in 1981 with third degree felony foriclbe sexual abuse; convicted of attempted sexual abuse of a child.
- Criminal: Convicted, Probation,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Jon Rick 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.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
- Crime: 1980s, in Utah, Utah County (Utah),
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Niles Lorence Carr
- Alleged coverup
- was a Mormon missionary in Ireland in the late 1980s, originally from California; convicted of child sexual abuse charges; Mormon leaders allegedly assigned Carr to work with boy scouts after knowing he was sent home from his mission due to child sex abuse allegations.
- Alleged crime: 1980s,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
John Lee Cox
- was a Mormon church member in Clackamas County, Oregon; convicted of child sexual abuse.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime: 1980s, in Oregon,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Thomas Eugene Dawkins
- was an LDS church member in Columbia, South Carolina; accused of sexual abuse; convicted in 1986; the conviction was later overturned.
- Criminal: Convicted, Overturned/reversed,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: LDS church activity,
- Crime: 1980s, in South Carolina,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Michael Driggs
- Alleged coverup
- was a Mormon missionary in Brazil in the early 1970s; allegedly sent to a different mission in the United States after being found having inappropriate relationships with young boys; convicted of child sexual abuse in 1985 in Arizona; convicted again of child sexual abuse in 2013 in Utah; he met his victim in the Utah case at church, according to court documents.
- Criminal: Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Registered sex offender,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime: 1980s, 2000s, in Arizona, Maricopa County (Arizona), Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s, 2000s, 2013,
- Case report »
Oliver Dean Eames
- was an LDS church member, sixth grade teacher and Mormon Tabernacle Choir singer in Farmington, Utah; admitted to trying to fondle several children he had been hired to tutor; pleaded guilty in 1988 to two felony counts of attempted aggravated sexual abuse of a child; local police had documented 52 alleged child sexual abuse incidents involving him.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
- Crime: 1980s, in Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Stephen D Field
- Alleged coverup
- was a Mormon church member; accused of sexual abuse; sentenced to prison.
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: 3 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s, in California,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Vernon Foster
- was an LDS church member in Louisiana; accused of sexual abuse; pleaded guilty; was convicted.
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime: 1980s, in Louisiana,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
William W Gillespie
- Alleged coverup
- was an LDS church member in Alabama; accused of sexual abuse; convicted; conviction was reversed on appeal.
- Criminal: Convicted, Overturned/reversed, Unknown result,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1980s, in Alabama,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Albert Dee Halladay
- was a former LDS bishop in Sandy, Utah; accused of sexual abuse in 1988; pleaded guilty in 1989 to one second degree felony charge of sex abuse of a child; convicted.
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime: 1980s, in Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Leroy Ball Hamblin
- was a Webelos scout leader in Kaysville, Utah; pleaded guilty in 1987 to lewdness with a child; served prison time.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime: 1980s, in Davis County (Utah), Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
James Francis Hogan
- Alleged coverup
- was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Oregon; in 1989, was sentenced to five years in prison for child sexual abuse; released in 1994; in 2011, a victim filed a civil lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America, seeking $5.2 million.
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Released,
- Civil: Settlement,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime scenes: LDS church building,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s, in Oregon,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- LDS church payment: Yes (undisclosed amount)
- Case report »
Les Ernest Johnson
- was a Mormon church member in northern Utah; found guilty of child sexual abuse; was granted parole in 1984 in Utah after serving 7 months of a 0-5 year prison sentence; as of 2023, lives in Bountiful, Utah.
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison, Released,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1980s, in Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Willis Dale King
- was an LDS church member; accused of sexual abuse; pleaded guilty.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Victims: Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1980s, in California,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Dennis Joe Loveless
- was a Mormon church member in Farmington, Utah; accused of sexual abuse in 1977 and 1984; sentenced to prison both times; died in 2016.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s, in Utah,
- Convicted: 1900 to 1979, 1980s,
- Case report »
Franklin Leon Mathias
- was a former Mormon church member and Boy scout leader in 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.
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Civil: Unknown result,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, 100 or more victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Scout activity/event,
- Crime: 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, in Oregon,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Norman Arthur Maxfield
- was an LDS church member and high school drama teacher in Utah; convicted in 1988 of sexually abusing boys.
- Criminal: Convicted, Unknown result,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1980s, in Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Jay Douglas Mitchell
- was an Mormon church member and scout leader in Oregon; sentenced to a total of sixty years in prison with a minimum of thirty years, for child sexual abuse.
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1980s, in Oregon,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Thomas Lee Monson
- was an attorney for the LDS church's law firm, Kirton McConkie; In 1989, Monson paid a $75 fine and was placed on probation after he pleaded guilty to charges of soliciting sex from a prostitute; sued in the 1990s for sexual harassment; reached a settlement with the victim; was a Mormon bishop in Utah in 2008.
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- Civil: Settlement,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s, in Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Joseph Montanino
- was an LDS church member and scout leader in Massachusetts; had a career as a police officer; accused in 1982 of sexual abuse.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime: 1980s, in Massachusetts,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Richard W Nelson
- was an LDS church member; pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Victims: Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1980s, in Colorado,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Robert Kenneth Nelson
- was an LDS bishop in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; accused of sexual abuse of a "mentally handicapped" woman; pleaded guilty in 1989; placed on two years probation, ordered to do 150 hours of community service, and ordered to take a conducted tour of a local jail.
- Criminal: Community service, Convicted, Jail, Pleaded guilty, Probation,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime: 1980s, in Canada,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Rand Darrell Newby
- was an LDS church member and scout leader in Washington, Oregon and San Francisco, California; had a career as a schoolteacher; charged in Oregon in 1986 with sexual abuse of two children; convicted of two counts, one class C felony and one class A misdemeanor; sentenced in 1987 to 5 years probation.
- Criminal: Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Probation,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: 2 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime: 1980s, in Oregon,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Thomas Opfar
- was a Mormon church member; pleaded guilty of child sexual abuse.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Victims: Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1980s, in Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Brian Richard Peterson
- was an LDS church member and scout leader in Orem, Utah; accused of sexual abuse; convicted and sentenced to prison.
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1980s, in Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Kenneth R Rarick
- was a Mormon church member in Alaska; accused of sexual abuse; convicted.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Victims: 3 victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime: 1980s, in Alaska,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Phillip Kowalewski Rimmasch
- was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Utah in the 1980s; had a 50-plus year career as a mortician; convicted of child sexual abuse; on appeal, the Utah Supreme Court ordered a new trial in 1989.
- Criminal: Convicted, Overturned/reversed,
- Victims: Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1980s, in Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Eldon Andrew Saling
- was a Mormon church member in California and Utah; convicted in 1987 in California and in 1993 in Utah of charges related to sexual abuse; as of 2024, lives in Burley, Idaho as a registered sex offender.
- Criminal: Convicted, Registered sex offender,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s, in California, Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s, 1990s,
- Case report »
James Vetro Samuels
- was a Mormon church member in Thornton, Idaho; found guilty of LEWD COND WITH A MINOR CHILD U/16 Date : 03-18-1980.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
James Phillip Schmidt
- Alleged coverup
- was an LDS church member and scout leader, with multiple charges of child sexual abuse over six years; convicted in the late 1990s in Maryland; as of 2024, registered as a sex offender.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: Unknown result,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, in Idaho,
- Convicted: 1980s, 1990s,
- Case report »
Michael Rex Shean
- Alleged coverup
- was a Mormon bishopric counselor and temple worker, and deputy district attorney in Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County, California; convicted of sexually molesting boys.
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Civil: lawsuit against LDS church, LDS church found negligent, Settlement,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1980s, in California,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- LDS church payment: Yes (undisclosed amount)
- Case report »
Charles Michael Snider
- was an LDS church member in Georgia; accused of sexual abuse.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Victims: Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1980s, in Georgia,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Sidney L Spencer
- Alleged coverup
- 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.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
- Crime: 1980s, in Idaho,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
James Grant Stringham
- was an LDS church member and physician in Salt Lake City; in 1982, was found guilty of sexual exploitation of a minor; was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay $7,500 restitution.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Victims: Multiple victims,
- Crime scenes: Healthcare appointment,
- Crime: 1980s, in Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Unknown Survivor
- FLOODLIT honors every survivor, and remembers those who were never heard..
- Criminal: Convicted, Never charged, Not convicted, Ongoing, Unknown result,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, 100 or more victims, Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1800s, 1900 to 1949, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s,
- Case report »
Anthony Mark Teeples
- was an LDS church member in Cache County, Utah; accused of sexual abuse; convicted in 1989 and in 2019.
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Unknown result,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1980s, 2010s, in Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s, 2010s, 2019,
- Case report »
John Tholen
- was a Mormon church member; sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing children he babysat with his wife Judith Tholen, who also sexually abused them.
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Judith Tholen
- was a Mormon church member; sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing children she babysat with her husband John Tholen, who also sexually abused them.
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Homer Lewis Van Matre
- was an LDS church member in Salt Lake County, Utah; found guilty of sexual abuse of child and sodomy on a child and charges were reversed in appeal when child recanted her story.
- Criminal: Convicted, Overturned/reversed,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime: 1980s, in Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Edwin Jay Wilcox
- was a Mormon church member in Idaho; ran a therapy center for "handicapped people" (as described in 1989 news article); convicted of child sexual abuse in 1988 and sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison, Registered sex offender,
- Victims: Unknown number of victims,
- Crime: 1980s, in Idaho,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Harvey Dee Wright
- was an LDS church member and Scout leader in Flagstaff, AZ; in 1988 pleaded guilty to "Attempted Sexual Abuse/Dangerous Crimes Against Children" and received 90 days in jail and 4 years probation; placed on the BSA Confidential Files.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Victims: 1 victim,
- Crime: 1980s, in Arizona,
- Convicted: 1980s,
- Case report »
Mitchell Blake Young
- Alleged coverup
- was an LDS missionary in Canada; in 1980, sent home after allegedly molesting children; convicted in Arizona (1985) and Utah (1988) of child sexual abuse; in 1993, sentenced in Utah to 15 years in prison for molesting a child for five years; a 2002 lawsuit against the LDS church accused Mormon leaders of providing a safe harbor for him; as of 2024, lives in Ogden, Utah; registered sex offender.
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: lawsuit against LDS church, Unknown result,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, Multiple victims,
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s, in Arizona, Canada, Utah,
- Convicted: 1980s, 1990s,
- Case report »

Add information

facts
facts
summary
summary
images
images
sources
sources
add info
add info

If you would like to add or correct any information, please fill out the form below.

View the Mormon Sexual Abuse Map

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.

Visit the FLOODLIT Map

Browse the Mormon sexual abuse database »