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Rescuing 5 sources and tagging 0 as dead.) #IABot (v2.0.9.5) (Whoop whoop pull up - 19484
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Obviously incorrect that is has "no connection to LDS", as it's a splinter group of LDS.
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| imagewidth = 250px
| caption = The FLDS compound in Texas
| main_classification =[[
| orientation = [[Mormon fundamentalism#History|Mormon fundamentalist]]
|scripture=Undocumented
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{{LDSpolygamy|Prominent practitioners}}
The '''Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints''' (abbreviated to '''FLDS''' and not to be confused with the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]) is a religious sect of the [[Mormon fundamentalism|fundamentalist Mormon]] denominations<ref name="Krakauer">{{cite book |last1=Krakauer |first1=Jon |author-link1=Jon Krakauer |title=[[Under the Banner of Heaven]]: A Story of Violent Faith |date=2004|orig-date= 2003 |publisher=[[Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group]] |location=New York |isbn=9781400078998 |page={{page needed|date=June 2019}} |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Winslow |first1=Ben |title=37,000 'fundamentalists' counted in and near Utah |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/695199793/37000-fundamentalists-counted-in-and-near-Utah.html |access-date=10 June 2019 |work=[[Deseret News]] |date=11 August 2007 |language=en |quote=The FLDS are now believed to have only 8,000 members.}}</ref> whose members practice [[polygamy]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Brooke |title=LDS splinter groups growing |url=https://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/utah/ci_2925222 |access-date=10 June 2019 |work=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |date=9 August 2005}}</ref> It is variously defined as a [[cult]], a [[sect]], or a [[new religious movement]]. The organization has been involved in various illegal activities, including [[child marriage]]s, [[child abandonment]], [[sexual assault]], and [[human trafficking]] including [[child sexual abuse]]. The church has been disavowed by [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]].
==History==
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{{See also|Mormon fundamentalism}}
The FLDS traces its claim to spiritual authority to when [[Brigham Young]], then-president of the [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] or [[LDS Church]], once visited [[Short Creek Community|Short Creek]] and said "this will someday be the head and not the tail of the church. This will be the [[granaries]] of the Saints. This land will produce in abundance sufficient [[wheat]] to feed the people."<ref name="Driggs">{{cite journal |last1=Driggs |first1=Ken |author-link1=Ken Driggs |title='This Will Someday Be the Head and Not the Tail of the Church': A History of the Mormon Fundamentalists at Short Creek |journal=[[Journal of Church and State]] |date=Winter 2001 |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=49–80 |publisher=[[Baylor University]] |issn=0021-969X |oclc=1000387150|jstor=23920013 |doi=10.1093/jcs/43.1.49 }}</ref> In 1904, the LDS Church issued the [[Second Manifesto]], and eventually [[Excommunicated or Former Latter-day Saints|excommunicated]] those who continued to [[Solemnization|solemnize]] or enter into new plural marriages. [[Short Creek Community|Short Creek]] soon became a gathering place for those polygamist former members of the LDS Church.<ref name="Dougherty">{{cite news |last1=Dougherty |first1=John |author-link1=John Dougherty (journalist) |date=13 March 2003 |title=Polygamy's Odyssey: A brief history of the Mormon tenet |url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2003-03-13/news/polygamy-s-odyssey/full/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021210607/http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2003-03-13/news/polygamy-s-odyssey/full/ |archive-date=21 October 2014 |access-date=26 June 2019 |work=[[Phoenix New Times]]}}</ref> They believed a [[Lorin C. Woolley#Plural marriage|statement published in 1912]] by [[Lorin C. Woolley]], of a purported [[1886 Revelation|1886 divine revelation]] to then-[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|LDS]] Church President [[John Taylor (Latter Day Saints)|John Taylor]], took precedence over the [[1890 Manifesto]]. The [[Short Creek Community]] believed that in issuing the [[1890 Manifesto]] against new plural marriages by church members
=== Postwar development and Short Creek raid ===
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Polygamy is illegal in all 50 states of the United States as well as Canada and Mexico. Attempts to overturn the illegality based on right of religious freedom have been unsuccessful.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Polygamy, Freedom of Religion, and Equality: What Happens When Rights Collide?|journal=LAWNOW}}</ref> In 2003, the church received increased attention from the state of Utah when police officer Rodney Holm, a member of the church, was convicted of unlawful sexual conduct with a 16- or 17-year-old and one count of [[bigamy]] for his marriage to and impregnation of plural wife Ruth Stubbs.<sup>[''[[Wikipedia:Citation needed|citation needed]]'']</sup> The conviction was the first legal action against a member of the FLDS Church since the Short Creek raid.<sup>[''[[Wikipedia:Citation needed|citation needed]]'']</sup>
In November 2003, church member David Allred purchased for YFZ Land LLC the {{convert|1371|acre|ha|abbr=off|adj=on}} Isaacs Ranch {{convert|4|mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=on|sp=us}} northeast of Eldorado, Texas, on Schleicher County Road 300 "as a hunting retreat". The property would be known within the sect as [[YFZ Ranch|Yearning For Zion Ranch]], or [[YFZ Ranch]]. Allred sent 30 to 40 construction workers from Colorado City–Hildale to work on the property, which soon included three 3-story houses, each 8,000 to {{convert|10000|sqft|m2}}, a concrete plant, and a plowed field. After seeing FLDS Church critic [[Flora Jessop]] on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC television]] program ''[[Primetime Live]]'' on March 4, 2004, concerned Eldorado residents contacted Jessop. Jessop investigated, and on March 25, 2004, held a press conference in Eldorado confirming that the new neighbors were FLDS Church adherents. On May 18, 2004, [[Schleicher County, Texas|Schleicher County]] Sheriff David Doran and his Chief Deputy visited Colorado City, and the FLDS Church officially acknowledged that the Schleicher County property would be a new base for the church. It was reported in the news media that the church had built a temple at the YFZ Ranch; this is supported by evidence including aerial photographs of a large stone structure (approximately {{convert|88|ft|m}} wide) in a state of relative completion. A local newspaper, the ''[[Eldorado Success]]'', reported that the temple foundation was dedicated by Warren Jeffs on January 1, 2005.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.myeldorado.net/YFZ%20Pages/YFZ010605.html | title= Jeffs dedicates FLDS temple site at YFZ Ranch | publisher= [[The Eldorado Success]] | date= January 11, 2005 | access-date= 2008-04-24 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090122233409/http://www.myeldorado.net/YFZ%20Pages/YFZ010605.html | archive-date= January 22, 2009 | url-status= dead }}</ref>
On January 10, 2004, Dan Barlow (the mayor of Colorado City) and about 20 other men were excommunicated from the church and stripped of their wives and children (who would be reassigned to other men), and expelled from town. The same day two teenage girls reportedly fled the town with the aid of Flora Jessop, who advocates for plural wives' escape from polygamy. The two girls, Fawn Broadbent and Fawn Holm, soon found themselves in a highly publicized dispute over their freedom and custody. After the allegations against their parents were proven false, Jessop helped them flee state custody together on February 15, and they ended up in [[Salt Lake City]] at Holm's brother Carl's house.
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From 2007 to 2011, the leadership of the FLDS Church was unclear. On November 20, 2007, following Warren Jeffs's conviction, attorneys for Jeffs released the following statement: "Mr. Jeffs resigned as President of The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Inc."<ref name="deseretnews.com">{{cite news |first= Nancy |last= Perkins |url= http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695233512,00.html |title= Warren Jeffs resigns as leader of the FLDS Church |newspaper= [[Deseret News]] |date= December 5, 2007 }}</ref> The statement did not address his position as [[prophet]] of the church, but merely addressed his resignation from his fiduciary post as president of the corporation belonging to the FLDS Church.
According to a ''[[The Salt Lake Tribune|Salt Lake Tribune]]'' telephone transcript, there is evidence that, when incarcerated, Warren Jeffs named [[William E. Jessop]], a former first counselor, as his successor or, alternatively, that Jeffs had told Jessop on January 24, 2007, that he (Jeffs) had never been the rightful leader of the FLDS.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://blogs.sltrib.com/plurallife/labels/William%20E.%20Jessop.htm |title= What Warren said to William |newspaper= [[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |first= Brooke |last= Adams |date= November 30, 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111001045309/http://blogs.sltrib.com/plurallife/labels/William%20E.%20Jessop.htm |archive-date= October 1, 2011 |df= mdy-all |access-date= April 24, 2008 |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Records say FLDS boss tried suicide |url= http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_7392264 |first1= Brooke |last1= Adams |first2= Mark |last2= Havnes |newspaper= [[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |date= November 7, 2007 |access-date= January 10, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140110233938/http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_7392264 |archive-date= January 10, 2014 }}</ref> Many press accounts<ref>{{cite news |url= http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0804/23/ng.01.html |title= Judge Orders FLDS Nursing Mothers to Foster Care With Infants |work= [[Nancy Grace (TV series)|Nancy Grace]] |publisher= CNN |first= Nancy |last= Grace |author-link= Nancy Grace |date= April 23, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/08/texas.ranch.ap/index.html |title= Raid shines light on secretive polygamous sect |publisher= CNN |date= April 8, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080923201705/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/08/texas.ranch.ap/index.html |archive-date= September 23, 2008 |access-date= May 1, 2008 |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/15/at-the-green-gate-and-then-a-glimpse-of-the-polygamists-life/ |title= At the green gate, and then a glimpse of the polygamist's life |publisher= CNN |first= Katherine |last= Wojtecki |date= April 15, 2008 |access-date= May 1, 2008 |archive-date= April 20, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080420083437/http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/15/at-the-green-gate-and-then-a-glimpse-of-the-polygamists-life/ |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref name="Hilary Hylton" /> suggested that [[Merril Jessop]], who had been leading the Eldorado compound,<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.deseretnews.com/article/695205363/Honors-for-ex-polygamous-wife.html |title= Honors for ex-polygamous wife |newspaper= [[Deseret Morning News]] |first= Ben |last= Winslow |date= August 29, 2007 |access-date= October 16, 2010 |archive-date= October 21, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141021214847/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/695205363/Honors-for-ex-polygamous-wife.html }}</ref> was the [[de facto]] leader of the church. Additionally, on January 9, 2010, documents filed with the Utah Department of Commerce named [[Wendell Loy Nielsen|Wendell L. Nielsen]] as the president of the sect.<ref name = "Dobner">{{cite news |last= Jennifer |first= Dobner |title= Polygamous church in Utah names new president |work=The Gaea Times |agency= Associated Press |date= February 15, 2010 |url= http://business.gaeatimes.com/2010/02/15/utah-based-polygamous-church-led-by-jailed-warren-jeffs-names-new-president-31409/ |access-date= 2014-01-08 }}</ref><ref>{{citation |last= Hamer |first= John |date= February 8, 2010 |title= New FLDS President Called |url= http://bycommonconsent.com/2010/02/08/new-flds-president-called/ |work= [[By Common Consent]] |type= group blog |access-date= 2014-01-10}}. [http://bycommonconsent.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/wendellnielsen.jpg Certificate] (image), published by same source.</ref> The FLDS incorporation charter does not require the church president to be the church's prophet, but previous president Rulon Jeffs had also been prophet.<ref>{{Cite news |last= Winslow |first= Ben |title= A prophet no more? Jeffs called himself a 'sinner' in jailhouse conversation |newspaper= [[Deseret News]] |date= March 27, 2007 |url= http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,660206525,00.html |access-date= February 17, 2010}}</ref> In 2010, [[Willie Jessop]], the church's spokesman, refused to name the incumbent prophet "out of fear there'd be retaliation by the government".<ref name = "Brooke">{{Cite news |last= Adams |first= Brooke |title= Polygamous sect has new president, but is Jeffs still FLDS prophet? |newspaper= [[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |date= February 2, 2010 |url= http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14348960 |access-date= February 17, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100210210845/http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14348960 |archive-date= February 10, 2010 }}</ref>
On January 28, 2011, Jeffs reasserted his leadership of the denomination, and Nielsen was removed as the church's legal president.<ref name = retakeslegalcontrol>{{cite news |newspaper= [[USA Today]] |url= https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-02-24-jeffs-church_N.htm |first= Dennis |last= Wagner |title= Jailed sect leader retakes legal control of church |date= February 24, 2011 |quote= Utah records show Nielson formally quit that post Jan. 28.}}</ref> According to affidavits submitted by FLDS church leaders, Jeffs was acclaimed as leader at mass meetings of 4,000 church members in February and April 2011, and on April 10, 2011, a group of 2,000 male FLDS members voted unanimously to "uphold and sustain" Jeffs's authority.<ref>{{cite news|last=Whitehurst|first=Lindsay|date=April 29, 2011|title=Former Jeffs supporter calls him 'morally indefensible'|newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]|url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=51712939&itype=CMSID|accessdate=September 20, 2023}}</ref> By that time Willie Jessop had publicly broken with Jeffs, putting himself forward as a challenger for the leadership, but he was subsequently declared an [[apostate]] and left the church.<ref>{{cite news|last=O'Neill|first=Ann|date=February 27, 2016|title=The turncoat: 'Thug Willie' spills secrets of FLDS and its 'prophet'|website=[[CNN]]|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/25/us/jessop-flds-warren-jeffs-short-creek/index.html|accessdate=September 20, 2023}}</ref> A 2012 CNN documentary confirmed that Jeffs still led the church from prison.<ref name = "Tuchman">{{Cite news |last= Tuchman |first= Gary |title= Warren Jeffs' hold on community |date= February 8, 2012 |url= http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/08/video-warren-jeffs-hold-on-community |publisher= CNN |access-date= March 16, 2012 |archive-date= March 13, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120313225239/http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/08/video-warren-jeffs-hold-on-community/ |url-status= dead }}</ref>
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[[File:FLDS Eldorado hi.jpg|thumb|right|The FLDS temple at Yearning for Zion ranch in 2006]]
In April 2008, acting on a call from an alleged teen victim of physical and sexual abuse at the FLDS compound in Schleicher County, Texas, Texas [[Child Protective Services]] and Department of Public Safety officers entered the compound to serve search and arrest warrants and carry out court orders designed to protect children. Over the course of several days, from April 3 through April 10, Texas CPS removed 439 children under age 18 from the church's YFZ Ranch, while law enforcement, including [[Texas Ranger Division|Texas Rangers]], executed their search and arrest warrants on the premises.<ref name=raid>{{cite news |url= http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2008/apr/05/authorities-prepare-for-worst-in-efforts-to-area/ |title= Authorities Enter Elodrado-area Temple |first= Paul |last= Anthony |newspaper= [[San Angelo Standard-Times]] |date= April 5, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091216134731/http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2008/apr/05/authorities-prepare-for-worst-in-efforts-to-area/ |archive-date= December 16, 2009 |df= mdy-all |access-date= March 21, 2010 |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref name=kids>{{cite news |url= http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695267712,00.html |first= Ben |last= Winslow |title= 167 kids taken in Texas |newspaper= [[Deseret News]] |date= April 5, 2008}}</ref><ref name=timeline>{{cite news |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695269932,00.html |first=Ben |last=Winslow |title=FLDS-raid timeline |newspaper=[[Deseret News]] |date=April 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415120614/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695269932,00.html |archive-date=April 15, 2008 }}</ref><ref name=abuse>{{cite news |url= http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5682336.html |first1= Lisa |last1= Sandberg |first2= Janet |last2= Elliott |title= Affidavit: Girl reports beatings, rape at polygamist ranch |newspaper= [[Houston Chronicle]] |date= April 8, 2008}}</ref> The April 2008 events at the YFZ Ranch generated intense press coverage in the U.S., especially in the [[Southwestern United States|Southwest]], and also garnered international attention.
On April 18, 2008, following a two-day hearing, Judge Barbara Walther of the 51st Judicial District Court ordered all of the FLDS children to remain in the temporary custody of Child Protective Services. Judge Walther's ruling was subsequently reversed by the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin, Texas in a ruling that Texas CPS was not justified in removing every child from the ranch. The 3rd Court of Appeals granted mandamus relief and ordered the trial court to vacate the portion of its order giving CPS temporary custody of the FLDS children. CPS petitioned the Texas Supreme Court requesting that the 3rd Court of Appeals' ruling be overturned, but the Texas Supreme Court, in a written opinion issued May 29, 2008, declined to overturn the ruling of the 3rd Court of Appeals.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}
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===Child sex assault convictions===
In November 2008, 12 FLDS men were charged with offenses related to alleged underage marriages conducted during the years since the sect built the YFZ Ranch.<ref>{{cite news |last=Anthony |first=Paul |date=November 12, 2008 |title=Nine more indictments issued against FLDS members |url=http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2008/nov/12/eight-more-indictments-issued-against-sect/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304185718/http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2008/nov/12/eight-more-indictments-issued-against-sect/ |archive-date=March 4, 2012 |newspaper=[[San Angelo Standard-Times]] |access-date=October 16, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> As of June 2010, six FLDS members had been convicted of felonies and received sentences ranging from seven to 75 years' imprisonment.<ref>{{cite news |last=Waller |first=Matthew |date=June 22, 2010 |title=FLDS member found guilty of child sexual assault |url=http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2010/jun/22/flds-member-found-guilty-child-sexual-assault/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100625083148/http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2010/jun/22/flds-member-found-guilty-child-sexual-assault/ |archive-date=June 25, 2010 |newspaper=[[San Angelo Standard-Times]] |access-date=June 22, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
On November 5, 2009, a Schleicher County, Texas jury found [[Raymond Merril Jessop]], 38, guilty of sexual assault of a child. According to evidence admitted at trial, Jessop sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl to whom he had been "spiritually married" when the girl was 15 years old.<ref name="guilty1">{{cite news |url= http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705342545/Jessop-convicted-of-sexual-assault.html |first= Michelle |last= Roberts |title= Jessop Convicted of Sexual Assault |newspaper= [[Deseret News]] |date= November 5, 2009 |access-date= 2010-03-17 |archive-date= 2010-03-15 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100315015707/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705342545/Jessop-convicted-of-sexual-assault.html }}</ref> The same jury sentenced Jessop to 10 years in prison and assessed a fine of $8,000.<ref name="convicted">{{cite news |title= FLDS man sentenced to 10 years for sex assault |author= Matthew Waller |newspaper= [[Deseret News]] |date= November 10, 2009 |url= http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705343562/FLDS-man-sentenced-to-10-years-for-sex-assault.html?linkTrack=rss-30 |access-date= 2010-03-17 |archive-date= 2012-01-22 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120122012855/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705343562/FLDS-man-sentenced-to-10-years-for-sex-assault.html?linkTrack=rss-30 }}</ref>
On December 18, 2009, a Schleicher County, Texas jury found Allan Keate guilty of sexual assault of a child. Keate fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.reporternews.com/news/2009/dec/15/schleicher-jury-finds-allan-keate-guilty/ |title= Schleicher jury finds Allan Keate guilty |first= Matthew |last= Waller |date= December 15, 2009 |newspaper= [[Abilene Reporter-News]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140108202239/http://www.reporternews.com/news/2009/dec/15/schleicher-jury-finds-allan-keate-guilty/ |archive-date= January 8, 2014 |df= mdy-all |access-date= January 8, 2014 |url-status= dead }}</ref> According to documents admitted at trial, Keate had also given three of his own daughters away in "spiritual" or "celestial" marriage, two of them at 15 and one at 14, to older men. The youngest of the three went to Warren Jeffs. Keate was sentenced to 33 years in prison.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2009/dec/17/keate-trial-state-rests-its-case-in-punishment/ |title= UPDATE: Jury gives FLDS man 33 years |first= Matthew |last= Waller |date= December 17, 2009 |newspaper= [[San Angelo Standard-Times]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100101153604/http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2009/dec/17/keate-trial-state-rests-its-case-in-punishment/ |archive-date= January 1, 2010 |df= mdy-all |access-date= March 18, 2010 |url-status= dead }}</ref> His conviction and sentence were later upheld on appeal.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/flds-church-dealt-another-blow |title= FLDS Church Dealt Another Blow |first= Sonia |last= Smith |date= March 20, 2012 |magazine= [[Texas Monthly]]}}
</ref>
On January 22, 2010, Michael George Emack pleaded no contest to sexual assault charges and was sentenced to seven years in prison. He married a 16-year-old girl at YFZ Ranch on August 5, 2004. She gave birth to a son less than a year later.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2010/jan/22/flds-member-pleads-no-contest-sentenced-to-seven/ |title= FLDS: 7 years handed down in plea deal |first= Matthew |last= Waller |date= January 22, 2010 |newspaper= [[San Angelo Standard-Times]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100125145413/http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2010/jan/22/flds-member-pleads-no-contest-sentenced-to-seven/ |archive-date= January 25, 2010 |df= mdy-all |access-date= March 18, 2010 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
On March 17, 2010, a Tom Green County, Texas jury found [[Merril Leroy Jessop]] guilty of sexual assault of a child after deliberating for one hour.<ref name=guilty>{{cite news |title= Texas jury finds FLDS man guilty in sexual assault case |first= Matthew |last= Waller |newspaper= [[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |date= March 17, 2010 |url= http://www.sltrib.com/polygamy/ci_14692654 |access-date= 2010-03-17 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100323044044/http://www.sltrib.com/polygamy/ci_14692654 |archive-date= March 23, 2010 }}</ref> The court found that Jessop, 35, sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl while living at the FLDS Ranch in Schleicher County, Texas.<ref name="guilty"/> The jury sentenced Jessop to 75 years in prison and assessed a $10,000 fine.<ref name=leroy>{{cite news |title=Jessop sentenced to 75 years |first=Matthew |last=Waller |newspaper=[[San Angelo Standard-Times]] |date=March 19, 2010 |url=http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2010/mar/19/breaking-news-jessop-sentenced-to-75-years/ |access-date=2010-03-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100322212933/http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2010/mar/19/breaking-news-jessop-sentenced-to-75-years/ |archive-date=March 22, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===April 2010 raid===
On April 6, 2010, Arizona officials executed search warrants at governmental offices of the towns of Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah. According to one report, the warrants involved the misuse of funds and caused the Hildale Public Safety Department to be shut down.<ref name=HPSD>{{cite news |title= BREAKING NEWS: Officials shut down Hildale public safety department |last= DeMasters |first= Tiffany |newspaper= St. George Daily Spectrum |date= April 6, 2010 |url= http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20100406/NEWS05/100406029/ |access-date= 2014-01-08 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20140108173642/http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20100406/NEWS05/100406029/ |archive-date= January 8, 2014 |df= mdy-all |url-status= dead }}</ref> According to another report, city personnel and volunteers were ordered out of the buildings while the search was being conducted, prompting protests from Colorado City Fire Chief Jake Barlow.<ref name=SLT040610>{{cite news |title= Utah, Arizona law officers descend upon polygamous community |last1= Adams |first1= Brooke |last2= Havnes |first2= Mark |newspaper= [[The Salt Lake City Tribune]] |date= April 6, 2010 |url= http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14829144 |access-date= 2010-04-06 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100408004429/http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_14829144 |archive-date= April 8, 2010 }}</ref> Despite these protests, public safety did not appear to be affected, as the county law enforcement agencies involved routed calls for emergency service through the county offices.<ref name=HPSD /> A search warrant was also executed at Jake Barlow's residence.<ref name=SLT040610 />
The search warrant affidavit states that the Mohave County District Attorney sought records relating to personal charges on an agency credit card from the Colorado City Fire Department under the open records laws. Chief Barlow indicated that there were no personal charges, therefore there were no records to disclose.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}} Records obtained by subpoena from the banks involved showed a series of purchases made by Chief Barlow and Darger that are questionable, including diapers, child's clothing, and food, although the firefighters are not fed by the department.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}} <!--Undated and unrefd: No charges have yet been brought.-->
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{{Expand section|date=July 2014}}
In November 2012, the Texas Attorney General's Office instituted legal proceedings to seize the FLDS ranch property in Eldorado, Texas.<ref>{{cite web|last=Richardson|first=Kent S.|title=The State of Texas v. 2420 County Road 300, Eldorado, Schleicher, County, Texas 76936: Plaintiff's Original Notice of Seizure and Intended Forfeiture|url=https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/newspubs/releases/2012/121129signed_search_and_seizure.pdf|work=Cause No.: 3164|publisher=The State of [[Texas Attorney General]]|access-date=April 22, 2014|date=November 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217192146/https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/newspubs/releases/2012/121129signed_search_and_seizure.pdf|archive-date=February 17, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Reavy>{{cite news|last=Reavy|first=Pat|title=Texas seeks to seize YFZ Ranch from FLDS Church|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865567677/Texas-seeks-to-seize-YFZ-Ranch-from-FLDS-Church.html?pg=all|access-date=November 21, 2013|newspaper=[[Deseret News]]|date=November 28, 2012}}</ref><ref name=Dalrymple>{{cite news|last=Dalrymple II|first=Jim|title=Texas inches closer to seizing massive polygamous ranch|url=http://www.sltrib.com/csp/cms/sites/sltrib/pages/printerfriendly.csp?id=57147115|access-date=November 21, 2013|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|date=November 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228214602/http://www.sltrib.com/csp/cms/sites/sltrib/pages/printerfriendly.csp?id=57147115|archive-date=February 28, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The basis for the forfeiture and seizure proceeding was cited as the use of FLDS property as "...a rural location where the systemic sexual assault of children would be tolerated without interference from law enforcement authorities",<ref name=Reavy/> therefore, the property is contraband and subject to seizure.<ref name=Dalrymple/><ref>{{cite web|last=Martinez|first=Sergeant Marcos|title=Affidavit for Search and Seizure Warrant - 2420 County Road 300, Eldorado, Schleicher County, Texas 76936|url=https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/newspubs/releases/2012/121129signed_affidavit.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908092945/https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/newspubs/releases/2012/121129signed_affidavit.pdf|archive-date=8 September 2018|work=Cause No.: 3164|publisher=The State of [[Texas Attorney General]]|date=27 November 2012|access-date=July 30, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> On April 17, 2014, Texas officials took physical possession of the property.<ref>{{citation |first= Michael |last= Martinez |date= April 17, 2014 |title= Polygamist Warren Jeffs' Texas ranch being seized by state officials |url= http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/17/us/texas-yfz-ranch-seizure/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 |website= CNN.com}}</ref>
In 2012, Warren Jeffs published a volume titled ''[[Jesus Christ Message to All Nations]]'' containing various revelations, including one proclaiming his innocence and others serving as warnings to specific countries around the world.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Bramham|first=Daphne|date=February 12, 2013|title=Polygamous Prophet spreads the word|newspaper=[[Vancouver Sun]]|url=https://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/polygamous-prophet-spreads-the-word|accessdate=September 20, 2023}}</ref>
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===Current head===
[[Warren Jeffs]] became head of the FLDS Church in 2002. In the years immediately following Jeffs's imprisonment in 2007, the leadership of the church was unclear.<ref name="Hilary Hylton">{{citation |first= Hilary |last= Hylton |url= http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1823656,00.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080719110822/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1823656,00.html |archive-date= July 19, 2008 |title= A New Prophet for the Polygamists? |magazine= [[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date= July 18, 2008 |access-date= February 18, 2010 |url-status= dead }}</ref> Other claimed leaders in this period include:
* [[William E. Jessop]], 2007–2010, claimant to the succession
* [[Merril Jessop]], 2007 – February 2011<ref>{{Citation |last= McKinley |first= Carol |date= March 5, 2011 |title= Inside a troubled fundamentalist Mormon sect |url= http://www.salon.com/news/religion/?story=/mwt/feature/2011/03/05/inside_flds_trouble_brewing |access-date= March 11, 2011 |work= [[Salon (website)|Salon]] |quote= In just a few weeks, Jeffs has gone on a rampage, kicking out at least 40 of his most pious men. One of those faithful is Merril Jessop, a 70year-old FLDS bishop.}}</ref> de facto leader<ref name="Hilary Hylton" />
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In 2011, Warren Jeffs retook legal control of the church and purged 45 of its members.<ref name="CNN">{{cite news |last1=Tuchman |first1=Gary |author-link1=Gary Tuchman |title=Sources: Jailed polygamist retakes control of church, ousts 45 members |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/02/24/texas.polygamist.jeffs/index.html |access-date=April 10, 2021 |work=[[CNN]] |date=February 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126140911/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-02-24/justice/texas.polygamist.jeffs_1_flds-sexual-abuse-marriages-with-older-men?_s=PM:CRIME |archive-date=January 26, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Another FLDS member, Samuel R. Bateman, broke from Jeffs and declared himself prophet in 2019. Arrested in 2022 and charged with sexual abuse, he is recognized as prophet of the FLDS Church by some 50 followers {{as of|2023|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite news|last=Graziosi|first=Graig|date=December 6, 2022|title=Sam Bateman: Who is the breakaway Mormon polygamist who married nine underage girls?|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/sam-bateman-polygamist-underage-girls-b2240212.html|accessdate=September 20, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Golightly|first=Chase|date=August 9, 2023|title=FLDS leader says he'll be his own lawyer as some of his 20 'wives' look on|website=[[KPNX|12 News]]|url=https://www.12news.com/article/news/crime/true-crime/self-proclaimed-flds-prophet-wants-represent-himself-during-trial/75-f67d5e3f-5797-40d3-bf45-7c5da3dc856f|accessdate=September 20, 2023}}</ref>
===Bishops===
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{{Further|Sex trafficking in the United States#Forced marriages}}
The FLDS Church has been suspected of [[Trafficking of children|trafficking underage female children]] across state lines, and it has also been suspected of trafficking underage girls across the U.S. borders with [[Canada–United States border|Canada]]<ref name=ctv/> and [[Mexico–United States border|Mexico]],<ref>Moore-Emmett, Andrea (July 27, 2010). [http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/07/27/polygamist-warren-jeffs-can-now-marry-off-underaged-girls-with-impunity/ "Polygamist Warren Jeffs Can Now Marry Off Underaged Girls With Impunity"]. ''Ms. blog''. Retrieved December 8, 2012.</ref> for the purpose of [[Sex trafficking in the United States#Forced marriages|involuntary plural marriage]] and [[child sexual abuse]].<ref name=globe>{{cite news|author=Robert Matas|title=Where 'the handsome ones go to the leaders'|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=March 30, 2009}}</ref> The [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] also suspects that the FLDS Church trafficked more than 30 underage girls from Canada to the United States between the late 1990s and 2006 so they could be entered into polygamous marriages.<ref name=ctv>{{cite news|title=Dozens of girls may have been trafficked to U.S. to marry|newspaper=CTV News|date=August 11, 2011}}</ref> RCMP spokesman Dan Moskaluk said of the activities of the FLDS Church: "In essence, it's human trafficking in connection with illicit sexual activity."<ref name=sanangelo>{{cite news|author=Matthew Waller|title=FLDS may see more charges: International sex trafficking suspected|newspaper=[[San Angelo Standard-Times]]|date=November 25, 2011}}</ref> According to the ''[[Vancouver Sun]],'' it is unclear whether Canada's anti-human trafficking statute can be effectively applied against the FLDS Church's pre-2005 activities, as it may not apply retroactively.<ref name=vsun>{{cite news|author=D Bramham |title=Bountiful parents delivered 12-year-old girls to arranged weddings |url=http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=68d7a9d0-e12e-4979-b597-30248b4028d0 |newspaper=The Vancouver Sun |date=February 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151226140931/http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=68d7a9d0-e12e-4979-b597-30248b4028d0 |archive-date=December 26, 2015 }}</ref> An earlier three-year-long investigation by local authorities in [[British Columbia]] into allegations of sexual abuse, human trafficking, and forced marriages by the FLDS resulted in no charges, but did result in legislative change.<ref name=hb>{{cite news|author=Martha Mendoza|title=FLDS in Canada may face arrests soon|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-16492427.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508124642/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-16492427.html|archive-date=May 8, 2013|access-date=December 9, 2012|newspaper=Deseret News|date=May 15, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Welfare receipt===
FLDS Church leaders have encouraged their flock to take advantage of [[Administration of federal assistance in the United States|government assistance]] in the form of [[welfare]] and the [[WIC program|WIC]] (woman-infant-child) programs.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}} Since the government only recognizes one woman as the legal wife of a man, the rest of his wives are considered single mothers and as a result, they are eligible to receive government assistance. The more wives and children one has, the more welfare checks and food stamps one can receive. By 2003, for example, more than $6 million in public funds were being channeled into the community of Colorado City, Arizona. In his book ''[[Under the Banner of Heaven]]'' (p. 15), [[Jon Krakauer]] writes that, "Fundamentalists call defrauding the government 'bleeding the beast' and regard it as a virtuous act." Carolyn Campbell ("Inside Polygamy in the '90s", 102) adds, "The attitude of some polygamists is 'the government is untrustworthy and corrupt, and I'm above it, but give me those food stamps and free medical care.{{'"}}<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.mormonfundamentalism.com/ChartLinks/FLDSChurch.htm |title= The FLDS Church (Fundamentalist LDS Church) |work= MormonFundamentalism.com |first= Brian C. |last= Hales |access-date= 2014-01-10 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140112045401/http://www.mormonfundamentalism.com/ChartLinks/FLDSChurch.htm |archive-date= January 12, 2014 |df= mdy-all |url-status= dead }}</ref>
===Lost boys===
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{{further|Black people and Mormonism}}
In its Spring 2005 Intelligence Report, the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] added the FLDS Church to its [[List of organizations designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as hate groups|list]] of [[hate group]]s<ref name="SPLC2006">{{cite web |url=http://www.splcenter.org/intel/map/hate.jsp?S=UT&m=5 |title=Hate Groups Map: Utah |publisher=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]] (SPLCenter.org) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071208104832/http://www.splcenter.org/intel/map/hate.jsp?S=UT&m=5 |archive-date=December 8, 2007 |access-date=September 26, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> because of the church's racist doctrines, which include its fierce condemnation of [[Miscegenation|interracial relationships]]. Warren Jeffs has said, "the [[Black people|black race]] is the people through which [[Satan|the devil]] has always been able to bring [[evil]] unto the [[earth]]".<ref name="SPLC2005">{{cite news |title=The Prophet Speaks |url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2015/prophet-speaks |access-date=2 June 2021 |work=[[Intelligence Report]] |issue=Spring 2005 |publisher=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]] |date=28 April 2005 |language=en}}</ref>
===Blood atonement===
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===Birth defects===
The Colorado City/Hildale area has the world's highest incidence of [[fumarase deficiency]], an extremely [[rare genetic disease]].<ref name="Szep">{{cite news | last= Szep | first= Jason | url= https://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0727298120070614 | title= Polygamist community faces rare genetic disorder | work=Reuters | date= June 14, 2007}}</ref> Geneticists attribute this to the prevalence of [[cousin marriage]]s between descendants of two of the town's founders, [[Joseph Smith Jessop]] and John Yeates Barlow.<ref name="Szep"/><ref>{{cite news |last= Dougherty |first= John |url= http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2005-12-29/news/forbidden-fruit/ |title= Forbidden Fruit |newspaper= [[Phoenix New Times]] |date= December 29, 2005 |access-date= 2008-04-26 |archive-date= 2015-04-20 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150420012705/http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2005-12-29/news/forbidden-fruit/ }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Hollenhorst |first= John |url= http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635182923,00.html |title= Birth defect is plaguing children in FLDS towns |newspaper= [[Deseret News]] |date= February 8, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/165069/ | title= Doctor: Birth defects increase in inbred polygamy community | work= [[Provo Daily Herald]] | date= February 9, 2006 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080603020858/http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/165069/ | archive-date= June 3, 2008 | df= mdy-all | access-date= April 26, 2008 | url-status= dead }}</ref> It causes [[encephalopathy]], severe [[intellectual disability]], unusual facial features, brain malformation, and [[Epilepsy|epileptic]] [[seizure]]s.<ref name="pmid18366737">{{cite journal |author1=Bayley JP |author2=Launonen V |author3=Tomlinson IP |title=The FH mutation database: an online database of fumarate hydratase mutations involved in the MCUL (HLRCC) tumor syndrome and congenital fumarase deficiency |journal=[[BMC Med. Genet.]]|volume=9 |issue=1 |page=20 |year=2008 |pmid=18366737 |doi=10.1186/1471-2350-9-20 |pmc=2322961 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="pmid10805328">{{cite journal |author1=Kerrigan JF |author2=Aleck KA |author3=Tarby TJ |author4=Bird CR |author5=Heidenreich RA |title=Fumaric aciduria: clinical and imaging features |journal=[[Ann. Neurol.]] |volume=47 |issue=5 |pages=583–588 |year=2000 |pmid=10805328 |doi= 10.1002/1531-8249(200005)47:5<583::AID-ANA5>3.0.CO;2-Y|s2cid=10448322 }}</ref>
===Child labor abuses===
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