124 matching Mormon sex abuse cases

      • George Aaron was a former Mormon bishop in a college ward in Provo, Utah; allegedly sexually abused his two teenage daughters in the 1980s and early 1990s; found civilly liable in 2001 to have "inflicted emotional distress," "breached fiduciary duty," and behaved with "reckless disregard" toward his younger daughter; paid $25,000 in punitive damages
      • Alleged coverup
      • Paul Adams 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
      • Alleged coverup
      • Church discipline: Excommunicated,
      • Stewart Allsford was a former LDS bishop in the Plymouth England stake; accused of sexually abusing two girls; died by suicide on third day of his child sex abuse trial
      • Alleged coverup
      • Alan Andrus was a Mormon bishop in Placerville, El Dorado County, California; accused of sexual abuse in 2020; as of June 2024, the case is proceeding through the trial setting process
      • Jose Arias was a Mormon church missionary in Palm Desert, California; accused of sexual abuse; civil suit filed against LDS church and Arias; judge awarded judgment by default for the plaintiff (victim) against Arias in 2017 in the amount of approximately $4.2 million; the LDS church was not found liable
      • Alleged coverup
      • Bishop Baldwin was a Mormon bishop in Pittsburg, California in 1989; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse that allegedly lasted from 1989 to 1997, when the victim was 5 to 13 years old; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church
      • Alleged coverup
      • George Barnett was a Mormon church member in Cerritos, California; accused in a 2025 lawsuit against the Mormon church of sexually abusing a child as part of a sex trafficking ring, and of covering up the abuse; the plaintiff said she was abused over 200 times at the Cerritos LDS stake center from 1979 to 1983
      • Alleged coverup
      • Alan Bassett was a Mormon church member and air traffic controller in Fruit Heights, Utah; accused in a 2019 civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse (dismissed without prejudice); charged in June 2024 with child sexual abuse; over 80 victims came forward; admitted to molesting many neighbor girls; tried to get his case dismissed due to an unsigned 1989 agreement with a deputy Davis County attorney
      • Alleged coverup
      • Charles Bates was a Mormon church member and Boy Scout leader in the Salt Lake City, Utah area; accused in 2025 of sexual abuse of four boys that allegedly took place from at least 2006 to 2020; the alleged abuse took place on numerous occasions in Bates's home and vehicle, the Kearns Community Pool, and Boy Scouts trips; Bates allegedly created child sex abuse material (CSAM) of multiple victims
      • Joseph Bishop was a Mormon church member and president of the Provo, Utah Missionary Training Center (MTC) in the 1980s; allegedly sexually abused multiple sister missionaries; not criminally charged because the statute of limitations had expired (in 1984, the legal deadline in Utah for filing a rape charge was four years); civil lawsuit was dismissed after an agreement by the plaintiff and the LDS church
      • Alleged coverup
      • Herman Blom was a Mormon church member in the Netherlands and in Pleasant Grove, Utah; allegedly sexually abused a child in 2018; died in 2023
      • Alleged coverup
      • Curt Boyack was an LDS church member in New Mexico; accused of sexual abuse; allegedly said he would turn himself in to police; died by suicide
      • David Broadbent was a Mormon and obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN) doctor in Provo, Utah; in 2022, dozens of women joined a class action lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault; in 2022, a Utah judge dismissed the case; by 2023, nearly 300 victims had come forward; in 2024, was charged with forcible sexual abuse, and the Utah Supreme Court ruled that the lawsuit could proceed; 2025: more charges, 2nd lawsuit
      • Carlfred Broderick was a Mormon stake president in Cerritos, California; accused in a 2025 lawsuit against the Mormon church of sexually abusing a child as part of a sex trafficking ring, and of covering up the abuse; the plaintiff said she was abused over 200 times at the Cerritos LDS stake center from 1979 to 1983
      • Alleged coverup
      • Jared Buckley was a Mormon church member and charter school director (Leadership Learning Academy) in Clearfield, Utah; was a Mormon missionary in the Philippines from 2004 to 2006 (Quezon City Mission); arrested in April 2025 on suspicion of child sexual exploitation; was reportedly a stake young men's president when arrested
      • Robert Campbell was an LDS church member in Nebraska; accused of sexual abuse
      • William Carstensen was a Mormon church member in Bountiful, Utah; accused of child sexual abuse; charged; died by suicide
      • Kevin Christensen was a Mormon church member and judge in Brigham City, Utah; accused of receiving and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to individuals he believed to be minor children
      • Christopher Church was a Mormon high priest and anesthesiologist in Arizona; had his license revoked in 2011 for a pattern of touching women's breasts while they were unconscious; 2012 civil suit was dismissed
      • 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
      • Richard Cook was a Mormon church member and former LDS nursery leader in Boise, Idaho; arrested in 2020 on suspicion of sexually abusing young boys
      • Mark Cram was a former Mormon bishop and stake presidency counselor, and city manager in Riverton, Utah; charged in 2006 with voyeurism; admitted climbing a 9-foot wall at a tanning salon to watch a 16-year-old girl undress; pleaded guilty; plea was held in abeyance; he completed the terms set by the court, charge was dismissed and case was expunged in 2008; as of February 2024, lives in Riverton, Utah
      • Alleged coverup
      • Abraham Cruz was a Mormon missionary in Saratoga Springs, Utah; arrested in May 2024 on suspicion of sexual assault; charged with three first-degree felony counts (two of forcible sodomy, one of rape); charges were dismissed without prejudice in June 2024
      • Robert Dahle was an LDS church member, Utah Highway Patrol trooper; alleged rapist of a 13-year-old girl
      • Candon Dahle was a Mormon church member in Blackfoot, Idaho and Provo, Utah; in February 2025, was arrested in Utah and extradited to Idaho; at the time of his arrest, he was a starting pitcher for the Brigham Young University (BYU) baseball team; charged in Fremont County, Idaho with felony lewd conduct with a child under 16 years old; also charged in Bingham County for a juvenile case re: child sex abuse
      • Robert Dindinger was an LDS church member, psychologist and pornography addiction book author in Orem, Utah; was an LDS missionary in Scotland 1995-97; worked at Brigham Young University; charged in 2025 with convincing child patients to undress so he could secretly record them; in 2018, his license was placed on probation after he "inappropriately touched" a 17-year-old during "masturbation satiation therapy"
      • Spencer Dixon was a Mormon bishop in Salt Lake City, Utah; accused in 2002 of touching a 13-year-old girl inappropriately inside the LDS chapel of the Monument Park 7th Ward; acquitted in a jury trial
      • Alleged coverup
      • John Doe was a Mormon bishop in or near Salt Lake City, Utah; accused of sexual abuse of a 13-year-old boy; the alleged sexual assault took place in the Salt Lake Temple in the 1980s (approximately 1986), during a visit to perform baptisms for the dead
      • Alleged coverup
      • John Doe was a Mormon church member in Tacoma, Washington; allegedly sexually abused a preschooler in his ward in the 1980s; the LDS church settled with the abuse survivor for $1.1 million in 2023
      • Alleged coverup
      • LDS church payment: $1,100,000
      • John Doe was an LDS church member and former Mormon bishop in Alabama, Alaska and Texas; in 2022 or 2023, confessed to child sexual abuse to his LDS bishop and stake president in Texas, according to a person familiar with the case; they reported him to local police in 2023; in 2024, a plaintiff filed a civil lawsuit against him; Doe and the church settled with the victim in 2025
      • Alleged coverup
      • LDS church payment: Undisclosed amount
      • John Doe was an LDS stake mission president; accused by Mormon leader Vaughn Featherstone in 1975 of child sexual abuse of "many, many Aaronic Priesthood boys" in Doe's stake
      • Alleged coverup
      • John Doe was a Mormon bishop in Pocatello, Idaho; an abuse survivor told FLOODLIT that Doe sexually abused them in his office at church in late 1999
      • Alleged coverup
      • John Doe was a Mormon temple worker in Los Angeles, California; accused in a 2025 lawsuit against the LDS church of sexually assaulting a man in 1984 while performing a private anointing ritual in the Los Angeles LDS temple
      • Alleged coverup
      • William Evans was a prominent Mormon church member in Salt Lake City, Utah; was bishop twice of the Grant 6th ward; from 1957 to 1962, was in the Utah State Legislature; served as Salt Lake County Clerk from 1968 to 1983; died in 1991; allegedly raped a relative in Salt Lake City in the early 1980s
      • Alleged coverup
      • Samuel Gardner was an LDS bishop in the Oklahoma City First Ward in the early 1960s; accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy in the bishop's office at a Mormon chapel in about 1961; died in 1968
      • Alleged coverup
      • David Gomez 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
      • Alleged coverup
      • Mark Gum was a Mormon scout leader in Oxnard, California; a 2011 lawsuit against the LDS church and the Boy Scouts of America accused him of sexually assaulting a boy scout; while the boy was living with Gum (with the consent of the boy's parents), church members visited and accepted the living arrangement, the suit said; in 2012, the Mormon church made a settlement payment for an undisclosed amount
      • Alleged coverup
      • LDS church payment: Undisclosed amount
      • 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
      • David Hamblin was a Mormon church member and former elders quorum president in Utah; arrested in 2022 and charged with child sexual abuse in three separate cases; investigated along with ex-wife Roselle Stevenson (arrested in 2023) for alleged ritualistic sexual abuse; in 2025, a court dismissed one case with prejudice after "discovery issues;" one case remained as of March 2025
      • Alleged coverup
      • 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
      • Ned Hansen was a fire chief/EMS in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; retired, then became Tremonton, Utah fire chief; arrested in Jan. 2025, charged with child sexual exploitation; accused of discussing ways to sexually abuse children with Box Elder County judge Kevin Christensen (a Mormon)
      • James Haskell was a former Mormon bishop and practicing attorney in Vacaville, California; charged with 14 felonies and three misdemeanors for allegedly sexually abusing four children; was an LDS stake high council member when charged; pleaded not guilty; in June 2024, found not guilty in a jury trial of 16 of 17 counts; jurors deadlocked on one count of felony injury upon a child
      • Collin Hawkins was a Mormon church member and adjunct Russian professor at Brigham Young University-Idaho; was a Mormon missionary in St. Petersburg, Russia from 2015 to 2017; arrested in 2025 on suspicion of 20 felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor; the charges were related to CSAM (child sexual abuse material)
      • Douglas Holyoak was a Mormon bishop in Sycamore, Illinois from about 1999 to 2004; accused in a 2024 civil lawsuit of sexual assault of an underage girl in his office at church when she reported sexual harassment by other youth; allegedly covered up the assault with the help of a stake presidency counselor (Michael John Evans)
      • Alleged coverup
      • Darrell Howe was an LDS church member in Washington; accused of sexual abuse in a civil lawsuit; the minor abuse victim and his mother filed suit against the LDS church and its officers deemed responsible; upon appeal, the judgment of the court again ruled against the plaintiff
      • Alleged coverup
      • Melvin Johnson was a Mormon seminary teacher and Brigham Young University (BYU) religion professor; accused by multiple victims of sexually abusing them when they were children; excommunicated and rebaptized; reportedly confessed to sexual abuse, but was not criminally charged; two victims filed lawsuits against him; one named the Mormon church as a defendant; it settled out of court
      • Alleged coverup
      • LDS church payment: Undisclosed amount
      • Church discipline: Excommunicated, Rebaptized,
      • Kenneth Johnson was a Mormon church member and home teacher in Beaverton, Oregon; a victim filed a $55.7 million lawsuit against the Mormon church saying Johnson had sexually molested him when Johnson was his home teacher; the alleged sexual abuse took place as often as twice a week for two years between 1987 and 1989
      • Alleged coverup
      • Church discipline: Excommunicated,
      • Gary Jones was a Mormon church member in Cerritos, California; accused in a 2025 lawsuit against the Mormon church of sexually abusing a child as part of a sex trafficking ring, and of covering up the abuse; the plaintiff said she was abused over 200 times at the Cerritos LDS stake center from 1979 to 1983
      • Alleged coverup
      • Robert Kempton was a former Mormon bishop and stake president in Arizona; was an attorney and served a mission as a legal counsel for the LDS church in Africa; arrested in 2014 in a police sting for prostitution
      • Timothy Kimball was an LDS church member in San Antonio, Texas; charged in 2022 with child sexual abuse; died by suicide in June 2023 while awaiting indictment
      • Thomas Kimball was a Mormon church member in Logan, Utah; accused of sexual abuse by multiple women; died by suicide in October 2020, shortly after allegations became public
      • George Koford was a Mormon bishop in Cerritos, California; accused in a 2025 lawsuit against the Mormon church of sexually abusing a child as part of a sex trafficking ring, and of covering up the abuse; the plaintiff said she was abused over 200 times at the Cerritos LDS stake center from 1979 to 1983
      • Alleged coverup
      • Jack Loholt was an LDS church member and Boy scout leader in Kent, Washington; accused of sexual abuse in the 1970s; court records show that two Mormon bishops knew about the abuse allegations but did not tell police; the Mormon church was court-ordered in 2006 to pay $87,500 to one victim after it settled with three others for undisclosed sums
      • Alleged coverup
      • LDS church payment: $87,500
      • Douglas Lovell was a Mormon church member in Clearfield, Utah; accused of sexual abuse of a woman he murdered, Joyce Yost; Lovell claimed the LDS church meddled in his 2015 trial by discouraging a former prison bishop from testifying in his defense
      • Alleged coverup
      • Mikel Massey was an LDS church member in Lufkin, Texas; accused of child sexual abuse; police investigated, but no charges were filed
      • Edwin McClellan was a Mormon bishop in Cottonwood, Arizona; accused of sexually abusing 3 female family members from the 1980s-2000s
      • David McConkie was a Mormon bishop (approximately 2013-16), stake president (2016-21) and deputy district attorney in Colorado; paternal grandson of Mormon apostle Bruce R. McConkie; arrested in 2023 and charged with felony sexual assault on a child by someone in a position of trust; allegedly confessed child sexual assault to a Mormon church leader in 2008; in April 2025, proposed a plea deal to avoid prison
      • Alleged coverup
      • Bill McKay was an LDS church member and mayor of Kennewick, Washington; admitted in 2023 to police he paid for sexual services at multiple massage parlors in Kennewick; was not criminally charged
      • Brenda Miles was an LDS church member in Bountiful, Utah; accused of child sexual abuse
      • Trevor Milton was a Mormon church member and former technology billionaire (Nikola) in Utah; accused in a 2020 lawsuit of sexual assault of two minors
      • Alleged coverup
      • Burrell Mohler was an LDS church member in Missouri; accused of sexual abuse; criminal charges dropped; civil case in 2013, results unknown
      • Alleged coverup
      • Timothy Monzello was a Mormon bishop in Azusa, California (Azusa 1st Ward, Glendora California Stake) from about 2005 to 2010; accused in a 2024 civil lawsuit of sexual abuse that allegedly took place between 2008 and 2010, starting when the victim was seven years old; the alleged abuse took place in the bishop's office at church and at Monzello's home
      • Alleged coverup
      • Scotty Mortensen was an LDS church member and scout leader in Utah; accused in 1988 of child sexual abuse
      • Gerald Mortimer was an OB/GYN doctor in Idaho and former Mormon temple president and mission president in the Philippines; admitted in 2019 to secretly using his sperm to artificially inseminate multiple women; a civil suit against him was dismissed with prejudice in 2021, possibly because of a private settlement agreement
      • Tevita Mounga was a former Mormon bishop and ward mission leader in Salt Lake City, Utah; arrested and charged in May 2024 with sexual assault and kidnapping
      • Jesse Murff was an LDS church member and attorney in Utah; arrested in May 2020 on 26 counts related to alleged sexual abuse; died in June 2020 at a hospital several days after he apparently attempted suicide in his cell
      • F N was an LDS bishop in California; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church
      • Alleged coverup
      • Keven Nelson was an LDS church member and Boy Scout leader in Idaho Falls, Idaho; accused of grooming and/or sexual abuse by multiple boys in his scout troop; in 1988, his BSA registration was suspended
      • Alleged coverup
      • 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
      • Zander Nunley was a police officer and former Mormon missionary in Salt Lake City, Utah; went on an LDS mission to Nicaragua in 2018 to 2019; accused in December 2024 of sexual assault of a woman who said he met her via an online dating app; she said he invited her to his home to watch a Christmas devotional broadcast by worldwide Mormon leaders; she said he removed his LDS temple garments to assault her
      • Spencer Palmer was a Mormon temple endowment ceremony actor, BYU professor, mission president, temple president, LDS church area authority; lived in Utah; posthumously accused of child sexual abuse by his grandson
      • Terry Parker was a former Mormon bishop and school teacher at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington; in 1996, two former students filed a civil lawsuit against the school district, Parker and the school's former principal, saying Parker sexually abused them; they said they reported to the school district, which then allegedly did nothing to protect them; the suit was dismissed with prejudice in Feb. 1998
      • Brian Pickett was a Mormon branch president and leader at a youth program picking pineapples in Maui, Hawaii; accused of sexual abuse in a civil lawsuit that also named the LDS church; the suit was dismissed with prejudice after a settlement in 2016
      • Alleged coverup
      • LDS church payment: Undisclosed amount
      • 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
      • Gary Reese was a Mormon bishopric counselor, seminary teacher and Boy Scout leader in Washington; accused of sexually molesting several boys in his scout troops; never charged; died in 2014
      • Alleged coverup
      • 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
      • Douglas Richens was former international director of the Mormon church's disability services and prison ministry; worked for the LDS church for 23 years; retired, became a professional life coach in Tooele, Utah; charged with sodomy on a child and aggravated sexual abuse; court ordered him held without bail as of Mar. 21, 2025
      • 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
      • Alleged coverup
      • Mormon church in Yucaipa, California
      • UNKNOWN Ross was an LDS high priest and stake seventy in California; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church
      • Alleged coverup
      • Nefi Rubalcava was a Mormon bishop in Norwalk/Cerritos in southern California; accused of child sexual abuse in two lawsuits filed against the Mormon church in 2025; he was the foster father of one of his alleged victims and the bishop of both of them; he allegedly participated in a sex trafficking ring involving at least one other bishop and a stake president
      • Alleged coverup
      • Vernon Sanford was an LDS church member in San Diego, California; died in 2000; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse, along with his son, Vernon Sanford Jr; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church; the alleged abuse occurred between 1961 and 1970; the Sanfords were the plaintiff's LDS home teachers
      • Alleged coverup
      • Vernon Sanford was an LDS church member in San Diego, California; died in 2000; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse, along with his father, Vernon Sanford Sr; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church; the alleged abuse occurred between 1961 and 1970; the Sanfords were the plaintiff's LDS home teachers
      • Alleged coverup
      • Kyle Saucier was a Mormon missionary in Utah; charged in 2007 with aggravated sexual abuse of a child, but the charges were dropped after prosecutors said they could not proceed due to "witness problems"
      • Jack Schofield was an LDS church member, school administrator and state senator in Las Vegas, Nevada; accused of sexual harassment; died in 2015; a victim told FLOODLIT he sold her repeatedly to sex trafficking clients at a motel in Las Vegas
      • Alleged coverup
      • Thomas Schofield was a Mormon bishop in Elk Grove, Sacramento County, California; accused in a 2024 civil lawsuit of sexually abusing a 16-year-old child in 2004-05 while he was a Mormon Bishop; some of the alleged abuse took place in the Salt Lake City and Oakland LDS temples and the bishop's office at church
      • Alleged coverup
      • William Shubeck was a Mormon church member in San Bernardino, California; accused in 2003 of sexual abuse in a civil lawsuit against the LDS church
      • Alleged coverup
      • Philander Smartt was a Mormon mission president in Puerto Rico; accused of sexually manipulating some of his sister missionaries; in 2014, the LDS church sent him home and called his behavior "immoral and sinful," but no criminal charges or civil lawsuits resulted
      • Joseph Smith was the founder of the LDS church (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon church); was publicly accused during his life (1805-1844) of sexual misconduct, including adultery and illegal polygamy; in May 1844, a Hancock County, Illinois grand jury indicted Smith for perjury, fornication and polygamy; died in June 1844
      • Alleged coverup
      • UNKNOWN Smith was a Mormon bishop in Lancaster, California; a 2024 civil lawsuit said he took part with two Melchizedek priesthood holders in sexually assaulting an underage boy inside an LDS church building on a weekly basis from 2001 to 2003, starting when the victim was 15 years old
      • Alleged coverup
      • Paul Spencer was a Mormon church temple prep instructor and mission leader in Riverton, Salt Lake County, Utah; charged in December 2024 with multiple felonies related to arranging to meet a police detective posing as a 13-year-old girl for sexual assault in Lehi, Utah
      • Mark Stevens was a Mormon bishop in Utah in 2006; charged in 2025 with sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl that allegedly took place in his office at church
      • Alleged coverup
      • Roselle Stevenson was an LDS church member in Utah; accused in August 2023 of child sexual abuse; ex-wife of ritualistic abuse suspect David Hamblin; charge dismissed with prejudice in May 2025
      • Michael Stillman was a Mormon Tabernacle Choir member and professional scouter with the Boy Scouts of America in Monroe, Sevier County, Utah; accused in 1989 of having sexually abused a boy between the ages of 13 and 15 in the mid-1970s; decided to resign as district scout executive as long as it did not imply guilt; was never reported to police or charged with a crime
      • Alleged coverup
      • Stephen Stokes was a Mormon church member and Brigham Young University-Idaho (BYU-I) professor; accused of sexual assault by a former student; died in 2016; in 2022, civil lawsuit against BYU-I was dismissed with prejudice
      • Arthur Stout was a Mormon church member in Littlerock, California; in 2024, a civil lawsuit said he sexually assaulted a girl "on a weekly basis" from 1991 to 1997, starting when she was 5 years old; some of the alleged abuse took place in an LDS church building
      • Alleged coverup
      • Larry Strain was a Mormon church member in Missouri; accused of sexual abuse
      • Todd Summers was an LDS church member and videographer for local children's events in Costa Mesa, California; accused of child sexual abuse that allegedly took place in a Mormon chapel and other locations; a 2009 civil suit against him ended with a $100,000 settlement payment by the Mormon church to the plaintiff
      • Alleged coverup
      • LDS church payment: $100,000
      • Mark Swanson was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Idaho; convicted in the 1980s of child sexual abuse; in 1988, Darwin Matthews, a Mormon bishop in Shelley, Idaho, recommended Swanson for a scout leader position, reportedly because he felt Swanson was "completely rehabilitated"
      • Alleged coverup
      • Keaton Tanner was a Mormon church member and school teacher in Pleasant Grove, Utah; accused and arrested for alleged rape of a child; authorities requested no bail because they feared he might flee to Germany, where he was once a Mormon missionary
      • 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
      • Church discipline: Excommunicated,
      • 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
      • Alleged coverup
      • Bob UNKNOWN was a Mormon church member and Melchizedek priesthood holder in Lancaster, California; a 2024 civil lawsuit said he took part with a Mormon bishop and another Melchizedek priesthood holder in sexually assaulting an underage boy inside an LDS church building on a weekly basis from 2001 to 2003, starting when the victim was 15 years old
      • Alleged coverup
      • Jim UNKNOWN was a Mormon church member and Melchizedek priesthood holder in Lancaster, California; a 2024 civil lawsuit said he took part with a Mormon bishop and another Melchizedek priesthood holder in sexually assaulting an underage boy inside an LDS church building on a weekly basis from 2001 to 2003, starting when the victim was 15 years old
      • Alleged coverup
      • Bruce Van Horn was a Mormon church member in Cerritos, California; accused in a 2025 lawsuit against the Mormon church of sexually abusing a child as part of a sex trafficking ring, and of covering up the abuse; the plaintiff said she was abused over 200 times at the Cerritos LDS stake center from 1979 to 1983
      • Alleged coverup
      • James Victor was a Mormon missionary in Canada in the 1980s; allegedly sexually abused a 12-year-old boy while on his mission; an LDS stake president and a mission president (David Sorensen) allegedly covered up abuse allegations; Sorensen later became an LDS general authority
      • Alleged coverup
      • Daniel Waddington was an LDS church member and retired police officer in American Fork, Utah; arrested in August 2023 and charged with 11 felony counts related to child sexual exploitation
      • David Webb was an LDS church member and oral surgeon in Vacaville, California; accused of sexual abuse of multiple patients in 2021 and again in 2022; gave up his license to practice in 2023; got a license to practice dentistry in Idaho; as of March 2024, a criminal case and several civil cases in California are ongoing
      • Robert White was a Mormon missionary in South Dakota in the late 1960s; in 2008, a civil lawsuit filed against the Mormon church said he sexually abused a boy while on his mission
      • Alleged coverup
      • LDS church payment: Undisclosed amount
      • Emmett White 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
      • Sean Woolf was an LDS church member and full-time missionary; accused of sexual abuse of a child; the alleged abuse occurred during his mission; the victim later sued or planned to sue the Mormon church in 2020; the church settled with the victim, according to a person familiar with the case
      • Alleged coverup
      • LDS church payment: Undisclosed amount
      • Gary Woolstenhulme was a Mormon bishop in Imperial Beach, California in 1978; died in 2002; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church (plaintiff John Roe JB 65 - San Diego 24CU008107, CASD 3:24-cv-02349-AJB-MSB); allegedly sexually assaulted a 14-year-old boy in his office at church
      • Alleged coverup
      • Ruth Worthen was a Mormon church member in Hyde Park, Cache County, Utah; accused of child sexual abuse by one adult in a 2019 civil lawsuit and in 2023 by four adults (one of whom was the 2019 plaintiff); arrested and charged in June 2024 with numerous felonies related to child sexual abuse; died in 2025
      • Orson Wright was a Mormon mission president in Sydney, Australia from 1978 to 1980; accused of grooming some of the sister missionaries in his care to be his polygamous wives; removed early from his mission assignment; LDS church leaders in Salt Lake City, Utah allegedly covered up the reasons for Wright's removal
      • Alleged coverup
      • Jimmy Young was a Mormon church member and scout volunteer in Texas; arrested for sexually abusing a scout in his troop
      • Brigham Young Second president of the Mormon church; married 56 women, including a 15-year-old and three 16-year-olds; was publicly accused during his life (1801-1877) of sexual misconduct, including adultery and illegal polygamy; never charged with a sex crime; arrested and charged with adultery in 1871; not found guilty; died in 1877
      • Alleged coverup
      • Karey Zimmerman was a Mormon church member in Utah and Nevada; in 2025, was accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse that allegedly took place in Nevada and Utah; the Mormon church was also named as a defendant; the lawsuit said a Utah bishop failed to report abuse allegations to police
      • Alleged coverup

    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.

    Browse the Mormon Sexual Abuse Database

    FLOODLIT.org has a free public database of hundreds of reports about people who committed or allegedly committed sex crimes, including sexual abuse, while they were active Mormon church members. You can browse the entire database by LDS church position, number of victims, places where crimes took place, criminal/civil case results, and other criteria.