Donate to support FLOODLIT.org
Your support enables us to conduct research, publish case info, and make documents freely available.
Our relentless reporting honors survivors, assists researchers, and empowers those who protect the vulnerable.
Donate »51 Mormon sexual abuse cases found
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,
-
Larren 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; the Mormon church made a settlement payment to a victim in approximately 2007.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
-
LDS church payment: Undisclosed amount
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: Lawsuit v. LDS church, Unknown result,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, in Idaho,
-
Norman Barber
-
- 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.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in Utah,
- Crime scenes: Health appointment, Perpetrator's workplace,
-
Bryan 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in New York,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
-
Robert 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Missionary, Temple worker,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s, in Idaho,
- Crime scenes: Victim's home,
-
Arthur 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Missionary, Scout leader,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s, in Utah,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
-
David Borg
-
- was a Mormon church member and scout leader; pleaded guilty to molesting multiple boys; sentenced to 34 years in prison.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Scout leader, Youth leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in Arizona,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
-
Dennis Bough
-
- was a Mormon church member in Washington; pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse charges.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Crime: 1980s, in Washington,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
-
Gerald 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Probation,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
-
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,
-
Niles Carr
-
- 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.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Positions: Missionary,
- Alleged crime: 1980s,
-
John Cox
-
- was a Mormon church member in Clackamas County, Oregon; convicted of child sexual abuse.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Crime: 1980s, in Oregon,
-
Thomas Dawkins
-
- was an LDS church member in Columbia, South Carolina; accused of sexual abuse; convicted in 1986; the conviction was later overturned.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Overturned/reversed,
- Positions: Sunday school,
- Crime: 1980s, in South Carolina,
- Crime scenes: LDS activity,
-
Michael Driggs
-
- 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.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Registered sex offender,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Missionary,
- Crime: 1980s, 2000s, in Arizona, Maricopa County (Arizona), Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
-
Oliver 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Other leader, Scout leader, Tabernacle Choir,
- Crime: 1980s, in Utah,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
-
Stephen Field
-
- was a Mormon church member; accused of sexual abuse; sentenced to prison.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s, in California,
-
Vernon Foster
-
- was an LDS church member in Louisiana; accused of sexual abuse; pleaded guilty; was convicted.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- Crime: 1980s, in Louisiana,
-
William Gillespie
-
- was an LDS church member in Alabama; accused of sexual abuse; convicted; conviction was reversed on appeal.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted, Overturned/reversed, Unknown result,
- Crime: 1980s, in Alabama,
-
Albert 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishop,
- Crime: 1980s, in Utah,
-
Leroy Hamblin
-
- was a Webelos scout leader in Kaysville, Utah; pleaded guilty in 1987 to lewdness with a child; served prison time.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Missionary, Scout leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in Davis County (Utah), Utah,
-
James Hogan
-
- 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.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
-
LDS church payment: Undisclosed amount
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Released,
- Civil: Settlement,
- Positions: Church employee, Scout leader,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s, in Oregon,
- Crime scenes: LDS building,
-
Les 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison, Released,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Crime: 1980s, in Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
-
Willis King
-
- was an LDS church member; accused of sexual abuse; pleaded guilty.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in California,
-
Dennis 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s, in Utah,
-
Franklin 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Civil: Unknown result,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime: 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, in Oregon,
- Crime scenes: Scout activity,
-
Norman Maxfield
-
- was an LDS church member and high school drama teacher in Utah; convicted in 1988 of sexually abusing boys.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Unknown result,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in Utah,
-
Jay 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in Oregon,
-
Thomas 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- Civil: Settlement,
- Positions: Bishop,
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s, in Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
-
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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Other leader, Scout leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in Massachusetts,
-
Richard Nelson
-
- was an LDS church member; pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in Colorado,
-
Robert 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Community service, Convicted, Jail, Pleaded guilty, Probation,
- Positions: Bishop,
- Crime: 1980s, in Canada,
-
Rand 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Probation,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in Oregon,
-
Thomas Opfar
-
- was a Mormon church member; pleaded guilty of child sexual abuse.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in Utah,
-
Brian Peterson
-
- was an LDS church member and scout leader in Orem, Utah; accused of sexual abuse; convicted and sentenced to prison.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in Utah,
-
Kenneth Rarick
-
- was a Mormon church member in Alaska; accused of sexual abuse; convicted.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in Alaska,
-
Phillip 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Overturned/reversed,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in Utah,
-
Eldon 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Registered sex offender,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s, in California, Utah,
-
James Samuels
-
- was a Mormon church member in Thornton, Idaho; found guilty of LEWD COND WITH A MINOR CHILD U/16 Date : 03-18-1980.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
-
James Schmidt
-
- 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.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: Unknown result,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, in Idaho,
-
Michael Shean
-
- was a Mormon bishopric counselor and temple worker, and deputy district attorney in Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County, California; convicted of sexually molesting boys and sentenced to prison; the Mormon church made a settlement payment to a victim who said a stake president covered up the abuse for years.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
-
LDS church payment: Undisclosed amount
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Civil: Judgment for plaintiff, Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement,
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Missionary, Seminary teacher, Temple worker,
- Crime: 1980s, in California,
-
Charles Snider
-
- was an LDS church member in Georgia; accused of sexual abuse.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Crime: 1980s, in Georgia,
-
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.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in Idaho,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
-
James 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Missionary,
- Crime: 1980s, in Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
- Crime scenes: Health appointment,
-
Unknown Survivor
-
- FLOODLIT honors every survivor, and remembers those who were never heard..
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Never charged, Not convicted, Ongoing, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Unknown result,
- Crime: 1800s, 1900 to 1949, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s,
-
Anthony Teeples
-
- was an LDS church member in Cache County, Utah; accused of sexual abuse; convicted in 1989 and in 2019.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Unknown result,
- Positions: Youth leader,
- Crime: 1980s, 2010s, in Utah,
-
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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s,
-
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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Crime: 1970s, 1980s,
-
Homer 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Overturned/reversed,
- Crime: 1980s, in Salt Lake County (Utah), Utah,
-
Edwin 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted, Prison, Registered sex offender,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Crime: 1980s, in Idaho,
-
Harvey 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.
- Learn more »
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Crime: 1980s, in Arizona,
-
Mitchell Young
-
- 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.
- Learn more »
- Alleged coverup
- Criminal: Convicted,
- Civil: Lawsuit v. LDS church, Unknown result,
- Positions: Missionary,
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s, in Arizona, Canada, Utah,
-
Add information
If someone you know was harmed by the person listed on this page, or if you would like us to add or correct any information, please fill out the form below. We will keep you anonymous. You can also contact us directly.
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