11 LDS sex abuse cases found
1989
- Crime year: 1989
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- James Adams (1954 – ) was a Mormon church member in Beckley, West Virginia; sentenced to prison in 1994 for sexually abusing multiple children; in 1996, a $750 million lawsuit was filed against the Mormon church alleging coverup; the suit was settled out of court in 2000
Crime: 1980s, 
Crime state:
West Virginia,
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- Convicted:
1994,
LDS positions: Other leader, 
Criminal case(s): Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison, - Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement,
- Alleged failure to report
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Church paid $unknown
- Alleged church actions: Excommunicated,
- View report »
Crime state:
Abuse went on for five years after Adams first told Mormon officials, including a bishop and stake president, the lawsuit said
"The church is not in the business of covering up."
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- Michael Bolingbroke (1942 – ) was a Mormon bishop and stake seventy president in Granada Hills, Los Angeles, California; accused of child sexual abuse in a 2022 lawsuit; died in 2024
- Alleged crime: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s,
- Alleged crime state:
California,
LDS positions: Bishop, Bishopric counselor, High priest, Other leader, Scout leader, Stake seventy, Sunday school, 
Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing, Unknown result, 
Alleged failure to report
Alleged church actions: Unknown church action, -
- Wade Christofferson (1953 – ) was accused, per Floodlit's sources, of sexually abusing up to 12 children in Illinois, Ohio and Utah between 1985-2025, including while in bishopric; excommunicated in 1996 for child sexual abuse; rebaptized in 1997, was bishopric counselor 2006-11, 2016-19; charged in 2025 with child sexual abuse (alleged between 2016-25); his brother, apostle Todd Christofferson, knew by around 2020 of abuse
- Alleged crime: 1980s, 1990s, 2010s, 2020s,
- Alleged crime state:
Illinois, Ohio, Utah,
LDS positions: Bishopric counselor, Missionary, Sunday school, Ward clerk, Criminal case(s): Not convicted, Ongoing, Police investigation, Alleged failure to reportAlleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Church position after excommunication, Excommunicated, High-level official accused of failure to report, Rebaptized, Ward official accused of failure to report, "I am deeply sorry for what I have done and will be meeting with my bishop to start the repentance process." - Wade Christofferson, Nov. 6, 2025 text message to an alleged victim's father
"I went to my bishop. I reported it. I was a child expecting safety, expecting protection. [...] Instead, I was given a punishment."
Convicted:
2012, LDS positions: Unknown position, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Jail, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Probation, Alleged failure to reportAlleged church actions: Excommunicated, Ward official accused of failure to report, -
- David Gomez (1946 – ) was an LDS bishop in West Valley City, Utah in the late 1980s and early 1990s; allegedly raped, sodomized and fondled several boys he met as their bishop; charged in 2004 with six felonies; charges were dropped in 2005 due to statutes of limitations issues; church officials excommunicated Gomez, but allegedly failed to report to civil authorities for six or seven months
- Alleged crime: 1980s, 1990s,
- Alleged crime state:
Utah,
LDS positions: Bishop, Bishopric counselor, Scout leader, Criminal case(s): Charges dropped, Expunged, Not convicted, Police investigation, Alleged failure to reportAlleged church actions: Excommunicated, Stake official accused of failure to report, Ward official accused of failure to report, Ward officials restricted accused from working with children, Despite excommunicating Gomez, church officials did not tell police of the alleged abuse for six or seven months until his 2004 arrest
"We'd like to keep this low key."
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- Craig Hill (1972 – ) was an LDS church member in Ogden, Utah; convicted of sexual abuse in 1990;
- Convicted:
1990,
- LDS positions: Bishopric counselor, Youth leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, guilty, pled guilty,
- Alleged failure to report
- Alleged church actions: Ward official accused of failure to report,
- View report »
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- Jesus Hurtado (1953 – ) was a Mormon church member in Utah; accused of sexual abuse
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s,
- Crime state:
Utah,
Convicted:
1994, LDS positions: Sunday school, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Civil case(s): Settlement, Alleged failure to reportAlleged church actions: Church members wrote letters of support, Ward official accused of failure to report, per a 2016 lawsuit, a victim told two bishops, who did not alert police; she said one told her to repent and the other said he would no longer allow Hurtado to be her Sunday school teacher
"Nobody did anything. Nobody called the police."
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- Daniel Nelson (1954 – ) was a Mormon church member in Bountiful, Utah; pleaded guilty to lewdness & lewdness involving a child in 1989; pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted forcible sexual abuse in 1993; pleaded guilty to failure to register as sex offender in 2004; victim was granted a protective order against Nelson in 2019, recorded court notes state sexual violence protective order
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s,
- Crime state:
Utah,
Convicted:
1989, 1993, LDS positions: Elders Quorum President, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Alleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, No church discipline, nothing, Ward official accused of pressuring victim not to seek accountability, -
- Brian Peterson (1964 – ) was an LDS church member and scout leader in Orem, Utah; accused in 1988 of child sexual abuse; convicted and sentenced to prison in 1990
- Crime: 1980s,
- Crime state:
Utah,
Convicted:
1989, LDS positions: Scout leader, Criminal case(s): Convicted, No contest, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Alleged failure to reportAlleged church actions: Unknown church action, A Mormon scout leader knew of allegations against Peterson for at least 10 months before reporting him to law enforcement
"I've had little boys all over the state of Utah in conjunction with the Boy Scout program. Give me an 11-year-old boy for a week, and I'll make him a homosexual for life."
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- G S was a male Mormon church member in Little Rock, Arkansas in the Pinnacle Mountain Ward; convicted in 1993 of felony sexual abuse of a minor in the third degree; allegedly abused a victim from 1981 to 1993 (from age 4 to 15); in January 2026, the victim filed a lawsuit against the LDS church naming G.S. as the perpetrator and accusing church officials of multiple failures
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s,
- Crime state:
Arkansas,
Convicted:
1993, LDS positions: Unknown position, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing, Alleged failure to reportAlleged church actions: Church officials accused of allowing interaction with children after notice of wrongdoing, Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Unknown church action, Ward official accused of saying victim was responsible, the alleged abuse lasted for nearly 12 years, beginning when the victim was 4 years old
"[Church officials] gave a convicted child rapist a position of authority in the Church [...] and allowed him to interact regularly with the children of the Pinnacle Mountain Ward."
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- Timothy Wright was a Mormon church member in Santa Clara, California; convicted in 1994 of one or more felonies related to child sexual abuse; a 1994 civil lawsuit against the Mormon church said he molested a boy between 1989 and 1992, when the boy was 14 to 17 years old (actions for which he was convicted); the suit was dismissed in 1995 for failure to appear by the plaintiff's attorneys
- Crime: 1980s, 1990s,
- Crime state:
California,
Convicted:
1994, LDS positions: Other leader, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Jail, Civil case(s): Dismissed, Lawsuit v. LDS church, Filters
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