7 LDS sex abuse cases found
- Crime year: 2002
-
- Wanda Barzee was an LDS church member in Utah; with Brian David Mitchell, held Elizabeth Smart captive from 2002 to 2003; sentenced in 2009 to 15 years in federal prison; granted early release in 2018
Crime: 2000s, 
Crime state:
Utah,
-
- Convicted:
2009,
LDS positions: Unknown position, 
Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison, - View report »
Crime state:
-
- Henry Gurule (1918 – 2012) was a Mormon church member in Utah; in 1994, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse; was permitted to serve jail time on home confinement; was given therapy and ordered to pay $2,296 restitution; In 2005, two more second-degree felony counts of forcible sexual abuse were dismissed without prejudice after Gurule complied with a plea agreement; died in 2012
- Crime: 1990s, 2000s,
- Crime state:
Utah,
LDS positions: Ministering/home teacher, Scout leader, 
Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Plea held in abeyance, Pleaded guilty, Registered sex offender, 
Alleged church actions: Unknown church action, -
- Mark Haws (1957 – ) was a Mormon church member in Lehi, Utah; accused of sexually abusing a girl for 14 years; convicted in 2010 of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse; excommunicated; rebaptized in or before June 2025; as of March 2026, lives in Lehi, Utah as a registered sex offender
- Crime: 1990s, 2000s,
- Crime state:
Utah,
Convicted:
2010, LDS positions: Unknown position, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Registered sex offender, Released, Alleged church actions: Excommunicated, Rebaptized, -
- 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
- Crime: 1990s, 2000s,
- Crime state:
Washington,
Convicted:
1993, LDS positions: High priest, Seminary teacher, Ward Santa Claus, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Died awaiting trial, Jail, Prison, Registered sex offender, Suicide, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing, 
Alleged failure to reportAlleged church actions: Church members wrote letters of support, Church officials accused of allowing interaction with children after notice of wrongdoing, Church officials accused of failure to protect victims after learning of possible abuse, Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Excommunicated, Rebaptized, Ward official accused of pressuring victim not to seek accountability, 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."
-
- 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
- Crime: 2000s,
- Crime state:
Colorado,
Convicted:
2011, LDS positions: Stake high council, Sunday school, Criminal 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."
-
- Mark Thomas was an LDS church member in Illinois; convicted of child sexual abuse; in a federal lawsuit filed in 2004 against the LDS church, the plaintiff alleged that Thomas molested a 4-year-old girl in about 2002 when her parents were worshipping at the Nauvoo, Illinois Temple
- Crime: 2000s,
- Crime state:
Illinois,
LDS positions: Unknown position, Criminal case(s): Convicted, Registered sex offender, Unknown result, Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Unknown result, Alleged failure to reportAlleged church actions: Excommunicated, Rebaptized, -
- 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
- Convicted:
2003,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted,
- View report »
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
"
Filters
Select one or more criteria from the dropdown menus below to refine results.