6 LDS sex abuse cases found

  • Crime year: 2002
    • David Harvey Herget
    • David Herget (1943 – 2005) was a Mormon high priest in Washington; convicted of child rape and child molestation in 1993; sentenced to 180 days in jail and was a registered sex offender; arrested in 2005, died by suicide in jail the next day; detectives identified at least seven victims; one child estimated that Herget abused him 1,400 times; in a 2025 lawsuit against the church, four plaintiffs said officials failed them
    • CrimeCrime: 1990s, 2000s,
    • Alleged crime scenesCrime county: WA - King,
    • Alleged crime scenesCrime state: Washington,
    • ConvictedConvicted: 1993,
    • Church positionsLDS positions: High priest, Seminary teacher, Ward Santa Claus,
    • Criminal casesCriminal case(s): Convicted, Died awaiting trial, Jail, Prison, Registered sex offender, Suicide,
    • Civil casesCivil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
    • Alleged failure to reportAlleged failure to report
      • one boy estimated that Herget abused him 1,400 times
      "This isn't a case of ignorance, it's a case of betrayal. The church knew exactly who this man was and what he had done. Nonetheless, they gave a convicted predator a position of trust and authority, which allowed him to exercise power over young boys. These kids deserved safety. Instead, they were left vulnerable to unimaginable harm."
      — Alexandra Walsh, partner, Anapol Weiss law firm
    • View report »
    • Todd Alan Tanner
    • Todd Tanner (1970 – ) was a Mormon church member in the Cortez/Durango, Colorado area and St, George, Utah; co-founder of Utah-based dirty soda business Swig Drinks in approximately 2010; charged in 2010 in Colorado with crimes related to child sexual abuse; convicted in 2011 and sentenced to 48 months probation; allegedly was a Sunday School teacher in St. George, Utah after his conviction
    • CrimeCrime: 2000s,
    • Alleged crime scenesCrime county: UT - Washington,
    • Alleged crime scenesCrime state: Colorado,
    • ConvictedConvicted: 2011,
    • Church positionsLDS positions: Stake high council, Sunday school,
    • Criminal casesCriminal case(s): Convicted, Ongoing, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Probation, Registered sex offender,
      • After Tanner's 2011 conviction in Colorado, the Mormon church allegedly assigned him to be a Sunday School teacher for LDS teenagers in St. George, Utah
      "All I wanted was to go far away to a place where you could not hurt me [..] Now I speak for the 12-year-old girl I once was. [...] You changed how I feel about myself [...] You don't deserve that kind of power. [...] Many days, it seems I feel ready to give up. [...] I continually uncover the hidden wounds that will need to be healed. [...] I choose to take back my power and relinquish the power he held over me."
      — Jane Doe, abuse survivor
    • View report »
    • Paulo Villegas
    • Paulo Villegas (1985 – ) was a Mormon church member in Hartford, Connecticut; convicted of risk of injury to a minor after a plea agreement reduction from sexual assault charges; the victim was four years old
    • ConvictedConvicted: 2003,
    • Criminal casesCriminal case(s): Convicted,
      • Before the sentencing, Solomon [judge] said Villegas blamed the victim for initiating the illegal contact. “He deliberately did what he did. It wasn’t a moment. He is way off base.”
      "Being in that jail is like being in hell everyday. There are people who really want to harm me "
      — Paulo Villegas
    • View report »
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