14 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
Alleged failure to report-
Church paid $unknown
Convicted:
1994, - Positions: Other leader,
Criminal case(s): Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison, - Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement,
- Alleged church actions: Excommunicated,
- View report »
"The church is not in the business of covering up."Abuse went on for five years after Adams first told Mormon officials, including a bishop and stake president, the lawsuit said-
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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 failure to report
- 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 church actions: Unknown church action,
- View report »
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- 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 (alleged abuse between 2016-25); his brother, apostle Todd Christofferson, knew by around 2020 of abuse; convicted in 2026
- Alleged failure to report
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Missionary, Sunday school, Ward clerk,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Not convicted, Ongoing, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Alleged 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,
- View report »
"I went to my bishop. I reported it. I was a child expecting safety, expecting protection. [...] Instead, I was given a punishment.""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-
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- Dennis Crawford (1946 – ) was a Mormon church member in Twin Falls, Idaho and in Utah; convicted in 2022 of AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony; sentenced to six years to life in prison; as of May 2026, is a prisoner at Utah State Correctional Facility
- Alleged failure to report
- Convicted:
2022,
- Positions: Missionary, Temple worker,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Alleged church actions: Excommunicated,
- View report »
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- John Doe (1945 – ) was a Mormon church member in Vernon, Utah; accused of sexual abuse; in 2012, pled guilty to three charges of sexual abuse of a child, a second-degree felony; was sentenced to six months in jail and three years of probation
- Alleged failure to report
- Convicted:
2012,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Jail, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Probation,
- Alleged church actions: Excommunicated, Ward official accused of failure to report,
- View report »
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- 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 failure to report
- Positions: Bishop, Bishopric counselor, Scout leader,
- Criminal case(s): Charges dropped, Expunged, Not convicted, Police investigation,
- Alleged 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,
- View report »
"We'd like to keep this low key."Despite excommunicating Gomez, church officials did not tell police of the alleged abuse for six or seven months until his 2004 arrest-
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- Craig Hill (1972 – ) was an LDS church member in Ogden, Utah; convicted of sexual abuse in 1990;
- Alleged failure to report
- Convicted:
1990,
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Youth leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty,
- 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
- Alleged failure to report
- Convicted:
1994,
- Positions: Sunday school,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty,
- Civil case(s): Settlement,
- Alleged church actions: Church members wrote letters of support, Ward official accused of failure to report,
- View report »
"Nobody did anything. Nobody called the police."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-
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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
- Convicted:
1989, 1993,
- 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, Ward official accused of pressuring victim not to seek accountability,
- View report »
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- 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
- Alleged failure to report
- Convicted:
1989,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, No contest, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Alleged church actions: Unknown church action,
- View report »
"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."A Mormon scout leader knew of allegations against Peterson for at least 10 months before reporting him to law enforcement-
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- Carl Pratt (1930 – 2006) was a Mormon bishop in San Manuel, Arizona; allegedly sexually abused a boy in his ward, in the bishop's office at an LDS chapel; the victim provided documents to Floodlit in 2023 detailing the abuse allegations; excommunicated in 1993, per victim; apparently rebaptized in 1990s; worked for seven years in Provo Utah Temple, per obit; died in 2006
- Alleged failure to report
- Positions: Bishop, High priest, Other leader, Scout leader, Stake high council, Stake presidency counselor, Temple worker,
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- Alleged church actions: Church position after excommunication, Excommunicated, Rebaptized,
- View report »
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- Stephen Sanders (1950 – 2010) was a Mormon church member and Elko High School music teacher in Elko, Nevada; charged with 2 felony counts of committing homosexual acts, 1 count of soliciting a minor to engage in infamous crimes against nature, 1 count of abuse of a minor resulting in substantial mental harm; convicted in 1991 of 1 count of abuse or neglect of a child causing substantial mental harm for abusing his student
- Convicted:
1991,
- Positions: Missionary,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, guilty,
- Alleged church actions: unknown,
- View report »
"Stephen Paul Sanders denied he was a homosexual and said he had a “father-son” relationship with a student who is accusing him of sexual misconduct."-
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- Gary Scritchfield 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
- Alleged failure to report
- Convicted:
1993,
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
- Alleged 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,
- View report »
"[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."the alleged abuse lasted for nearly 12 years, beginning when the victim was 4 years old-
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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
- Convicted:
1994,
- Positions: Other leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Jail,
- Civil case(s): Dismissed, Lawsuit v. LDS church,
- View report »
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Convicted:
Positions: 
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