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| caption = The FLDS compound in Texas |
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| orientation = [[Mormon fundamentalism#History|Mormon fundamentalist]] |
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{{LDSpolygamy|Prominent practitioners}} |
{{LDSpolygamy|Prominent practitioners}} |
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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 '''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]]. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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{{See also|Mormon fundamentalism}} |
{{See also|Mormon fundamentalism}} |
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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 [[1890 Manifesto]] against new plural marriages by church members |
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, [[Wilford Woodruff]] sold his right to the [[Priesthood (Latter Day Saints)|Priesthood]], thereby making [[John W. Woolley]] his successor by the [[FLDS#One Man Rule|One Man doctrine]].<ref name="Defiance">{{cite journal|first=Ken |last=Driggs|url=https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V38N01_77.pdf|date=April 2005|doi=10.2307/45228177 |title=Imprisonment, Defiance and Division: A History of Mormon Fundamentalism in the 1940s and 1950s|journal=[[Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought|Dialogue]]|publisher=[[University of Illinois Press]]|volume=38|issue=1|pages=65–95 |jstor=45228177 }}</ref>{{rp|pp=76—78}}<ref name="Anderson">{{cite book |last1=Anderson |first1=J. Max |url=https://archive.org/details/polygamystoryfic0000jmax/page/n6/mode/1up |via=[[Internet Archive]] |url-access=registration |title=The Polygamy Story: Fiction and Fact |date=1979 |publisher=Publishers Press|location=Salt Lake City, Utah |author-link1=J. Max Anderson |access-date=26 June 2019}}</ref> After being excommunicated by the LDS Church, some of the locally prominent men in Short Creek,<ref name="Dougherty" /> the men [[Lorin C. Woolley]] and [[John Y. Barlow]] created the organization known as the [[Council of Friends (Woolley)|Council of Friends]]. The [[Council of Friends (Woolley)|Council of Friends]], a group of seven [[High priest (Latter Day Saints)|high priests]] that was said to be the governing [[Priesthood (Latter Day Saints)|priesthood body]] on Earth, was the governing ecclesiastical body over the [[Short Creek Community]] until being incorporated as [[FLDS]] under [[Rulon Jeffs]].<ref>{{citation |last=Hales |first=Brian C. |title=The Council of Friends |work=MormonFundamentalism.com |df=mdy-all |url=http://www.mormonfundamentalism.com/ChartLinks/CouncilofFriends.htm |access-date=2014-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226185120/http://mormonfundamentalism.com/ChartLinks/CouncilofFriends.htm |archive-date=December 26, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1935, the LDS Church excommunicated the Mormon residents of Short Creek who refused to sign an oath renouncing polygamy. Following this, [[John Y. Barlow]] led those in [[Short Creek Community|Short Creek]] who were dedicated to preserving the practice of plural marriage.<ref name="Hales">{{cite web |last1=Hales |first1=Brian C. |author-link1=Brian C. Hales |title=John Y. Barlow |url=http://www.mormonfundamentalism.com/archive/ChartLinks/JOHNYATESBARLOW.htm |access-date=27 June 2019 |website=MormonFundamentalism.com |archive-date=May 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531025447/http://www.mormonfundamentalism.com/archive/ChartLinks/JOHNYATESBARLOW.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{Self-published inline|date=May 2024}} Consequently, [[Mormon fundamentalist]]s that didn't follow [[John Y. Barlow]] separated, leading to the creation of multiple Mormon fundamentalist organizations outside [[Short Creek Community|Short Creek]] by 1954. This includes the [[Apostolic United Brethren]], and [[Kingston Clan|Kingston group]] through [[Joseph White Musser]].<ref name="cb.org29">{{cite news |last1=Jarvik |first1=Elaine |last2=Moore |first2=Carrie |date=September 9, 2006 |title=Most polygamists trace lineage to 1929 group |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/645199995/Most-polygamists-trace-lineage-to-1929-group.html?pg=all |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110232141/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/645199995/Most-polygamists-trace-lineage-to-1929-group.html?pg=all |archive-date=2014-01-10 |access-date=2014-01-10 |newspaper=[[Deseret News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Adams |first=Brooke |title=Polygamy leadership tree: Religious ideal grows, branches out |url=http://extras.sltrib.com/specials/polygamy/PolygamyLeaders.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021201933/http://extras.sltrib.com/specials/polygamy/PolygamyLeaders.pdf |archive-date=October 21, 2013 |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |access-date=January 10, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
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=== Postwar development and Short Creek raid === |
=== Postwar development and Short Creek raid === |
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===From Leroy S. Johnson to Warren Jeffs=== |
===From Leroy S. Johnson to Warren Jeffs=== |
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Under [[John Y. Barlow]], he claimed to be both head of temporal affairs and the [[Priesthood (Mormonism)|Priesthood]] through his [[United Effort Plan]]. By 1984, a schism emerged in [[Short Creek Community|Short Creek]] who took issue with his [[FLDS#One Man Rule|One Man]] authority. These followers moved south of Colorado City to [[Centennial Park, Arizona]] and called themselves "The Work of Jesus Christ", or "Second Ward."<ref name="ThePrimer">{{cite web |last1=Peters |first1=Bonnie L. |author-link1=Bonnie L. Peters |last2=Shurtleff |first2=Mark |author-link2=Mark Shurtleff |last3=Horne |first3=Tom |author-link3=Tom Horne |date=August 2009 |title=The Primer: A Guidebook for Law Enforcement and Human Services Agencies Who Offer Assistance to Fundamentalist Mormon Families |url=https://digitallibrary.utah.gov/awweb/awarchive?item=23622 |access-date=13 June 2019 |website=[[Utah Government Digital Library]] |quote=A joint report from the offices of the [[Family Support Center (Utah)|Family Support Center]], the [[Utah Attorney General|Utah Attorney General's Office]], and the [[Arizona Attorney General|Arizona Attorney General's Office]]}}</ref> |
Under [[John Y. Barlow]], he claimed to be both head of temporal affairs and the [[Priesthood (Mormonism)|Priesthood]] through his [[United Effort Plan]]. By 1984, a schism emerged in [[Short Creek Community|Short Creek]] who took issue with his [[FLDS#One Man Rule|One Man]] authority. These followers moved south of Colorado City to [[Centennial Park, Arizona]] and called themselves "The Work of Jesus Christ", or "Second Ward."<ref name="ThePrimer">{{cite web |last1=Peters |first1=Bonnie L. |author-link1=Bonnie L. Peters |last2=Shurtleff |first2=Mark |author-link2=Mark Shurtleff |last3=Horne |first3=Tom |author-link3=Tom Horne |date=August 2009 |title=The Primer: A Guidebook for Law Enforcement and Human Services Agencies Who Offer Assistance to Fundamentalist Mormon Families |url=https://digitallibrary.utah.gov/awweb/awarchive?item=23622 |access-date=13 June 2019 |website=[[Utah Government Digital Library]] |quote=A joint report from the offices of the [[Family Support Center (Utah)|Family Support Center]], the [[Utah Attorney General|Utah Attorney General's Office]], and the [[Arizona Attorney General|Arizona Attorney General's Office]] |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225161006/https://digitallibrary.utah.gov/awweb/awarchive?item=23622 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
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[[Leroy S. Johnson]] succeeded [[John Y. Barlow]], and stress on the doctrine ([[FLDS#One Man Rule|One Man Rule]]) strengthened. [[Rulon Jeffs]] succeeded Leroy, incorporating [[Short Creek Community|Short Creek]] as the [[FLDS]] in 1984 to reorganize to an [[Episcopal polity]] reflecting the [[FLDS#One Man Rule|One Man]] authority.<ref>{{cite news|title=Polygamist 'prophet' to serve at least 10 years in prison|work=CNN|publisher=Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.|date=20 November 2007|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/11/20/jeffs.sentence/}}</ref><ref name=CBCTimeline>{{cite news|title=Timeline: History of Polygamy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615042231/http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/bustupinbountiful/timeline.html|work=CBC News|publisher=The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=12 April 2008|archive-date=15 June 2013|url=http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/bustupinbountiful/timeline.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Presence of One Man Rule in FLDS Mormonism: Contextualizing an American Religion that Became Synonymous with Abuse |url=https://sacredmattersmagazine.com/the-presence-of-one-man-rule-in-flds-mormonism-contextualizing-an-american-religion-that-became-synonymous-with-abuse/ |access-date=2024-02-16 |language=en-US}}</ref> |
[[Leroy S. Johnson]] succeeded [[John Y. Barlow]], and stress on the doctrine ([[FLDS#One Man Rule|One Man Rule]]) strengthened. [[Rulon Jeffs]] succeeded Leroy, incorporating [[Short Creek Community|Short Creek]] as the [[FLDS]] in 1984 to reorganize to an [[Episcopal polity]] reflecting the [[FLDS#One Man Rule|One Man]] authority.<ref>{{cite news|title=Polygamist 'prophet' to serve at least 10 years in prison|work=CNN|publisher=Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.|date=20 November 2007|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/11/20/jeffs.sentence/}}</ref><ref name=CBCTimeline>{{cite news|title=Timeline: History of Polygamy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615042231/http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/bustupinbountiful/timeline.html|work=CBC News|publisher=The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=12 April 2008|archive-date=15 June 2013|url=http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/bustupinbountiful/timeline.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Presence of One Man Rule in FLDS Mormonism: Contextualizing an American Religion that Became Synonymous with Abuse |url=https://sacredmattersmagazine.com/the-presence-of-one-man-rule-in-flds-mormonism-contextualizing-an-american-religion-that-became-synonymous-with-abuse/ |access-date=2024-02-16 |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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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> |
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> |
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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 }}</ref> |
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> |
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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. |
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. |
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. |
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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 }}</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}}</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 }}</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> |
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> |
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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}}</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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===April 2008 raid=== |
===April 2008 raid=== |
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[[File:FLDS Eldorado hi.jpg|thumb|right|The FLDS temple at Yearning for Zion ranch in 2006]] |
[[File:FLDS Eldorado hi.jpg|thumb|right|The FLDS temple at Yearning for Zion ranch in 2006]] |
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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 }}</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. |
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. |
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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}} |
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=== |
===Child sex assault convictions=== |
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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]]}}</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]]}}</ref> |
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> |
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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 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> |
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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 }}</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 }}</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]]}} |
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]]}} |
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</ref> |
</ref> |
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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 }}</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> |
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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 }}</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> |
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===April 2010 raid=== |
===April 2010 raid=== |
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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 }}</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 /> |
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 /> |
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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.--> |
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}} |
{{Expand section|date=July 2014}} |
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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}}</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}}</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 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> |
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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> |
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=== |
===Current head=== |
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[[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}}</ref> Other claimed leaders in this period include: |
[[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: |
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* [[William E. Jessop]], 2007–2010, claimant to the succession |
* [[William E. Jessop]], 2007–2010, claimant to the succession |
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* [[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" /> |
* [[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> |
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> |
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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=[[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> |
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> |
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===Bishops=== |
===Bishops=== |
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===Dress=== |
===Dress=== |
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Men and women are forbidden to have any tattoos or body piercings. In general, women do not cut their hair short or wear makeup, [[trousers]], or any [[skirt]] above the knees.<ref>{{citation |last=House |first=Dawn |title=Polygamist matriarch knows her place in Colorado City society |date=June 28, 1998 |url=http://www.sltrib.com/1998/jun/06281998/sunday_a/40683.htm |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000306202538/http://www.sltrib.com/1998/jun/06281998/sunday_a/40683.htm |id=Archive Article ID: 100F3981B9AED0AD ([[NewsBank]]) |archive-date=March 6, 2000}}</ref> Men wear [[plain dress|plain clothing]], usually long-sleeved collared shirt and full-length trousers. Women and girls usually wear pastel-colored homemade long-sleeved [[prairie dress]]es, with hems between ankle and mid-calf, along with long stockings or trousers underneath, usually keeping their hair coiffed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Carolyn Jessop on FLDS dresses, women's 'little girl' voices and hair |work=AZ Central.com |url=http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/04/21/20080421polygamydress0421.html |url-access=subscription |
Men and women are forbidden to have any tattoos or body piercings. In general, women do not cut their hair short or wear makeup, [[trousers]], or any [[skirt]] above the knees.<ref>{{citation |last=House |first=Dawn |title=Polygamist matriarch knows her place in Colorado City society |date=June 28, 1998 |url=http://www.sltrib.com/1998/jun/06281998/sunday_a/40683.htm |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000306202538/http://www.sltrib.com/1998/jun/06281998/sunday_a/40683.htm |id=Archive Article ID: 100F3981B9AED0AD ([[NewsBank]]) |archive-date=March 6, 2000}}</ref> Men wear [[plain dress|plain clothing]], usually long-sleeved collared shirt and full-length trousers. Women and girls usually wear pastel-colored homemade long-sleeved [[prairie dress]]es, with hems between ankle and mid-calf, along with long stockings or trousers underneath, usually keeping their hair coiffed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Carolyn Jessop on FLDS dresses, women's 'little girl' voices and hair |work=AZ Central.com |url=http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/04/21/20080421polygamydress0421.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 18, 2023 |archive-date=July 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717151056/http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/04/21/20080421polygamydress0421.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{verify source|reason=Previously this citation was a Tumblr post quoting this article (archived: http://web.archive.org/web/20150607004606/https://politicsrusprinciple.tumblr.com/post/48146724442/carolyn-jessop-on-flds-dresses-womens-little). Someone with access ought to verify it.|date=April 2023}} |
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==Criticism== |
==Criticism== |
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{{Further|Sex trafficking in the United States#Forced marriages}} |
{{Further|Sex trafficking in the United States#Forced marriages}} |
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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}}</ref> |
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> |
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===Welfare receipt=== |
===Welfare receipt=== |
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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]] (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 }}</ref> |
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> |
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===Lost boys=== |
===Lost boys=== |
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{{further|Black people and Mormonism}} |
{{further|Black people and Mormonism}} |
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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 }}</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> |
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> |
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===Blood atonement=== |
===Blood atonement=== |
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===Birth defects=== |
===Birth defects=== |
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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 }}</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> |
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> |
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===Child labor abuses=== |
===Child labor abuses=== |
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* In 2017 "Evil Lives Here" (Season 2 Episode 3 'My Brother, the Devil') features Wallace Jeffs, half-brother to Warren Jeffs and nephew Brent Jeffs, revealing some of the horrors of the FLDS Church and the crimes of Warren Jeffs.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pincosy |first1=Joel |date=15 January 2017 |title=My Brother, the Devil |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6246570/?ref_=ttep_ep3 |website=Evil Lives Here}}</ref> |
* In 2017 "Evil Lives Here" (Season 2 Episode 3 'My Brother, the Devil') features Wallace Jeffs, half-brother to Warren Jeffs and nephew Brent Jeffs, revealing some of the horrors of the FLDS Church and the crimes of Warren Jeffs.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pincosy |first1=Joel |date=15 January 2017 |title=My Brother, the Devil |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6246570/?ref_=ttep_ep3 |website=Evil Lives Here}}</ref> |
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* On August 29, 2018, [[Great Big Story]] uploaded a short documentary-styled [[cinematic storytelling]] video titled "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XTLf79EJjk She Escaped a Cult and Now Helps Others]" as part of its documentary series "Defenders" and follows Briell Decker, one of Warren Jeffs's 79 former wives, in her journey to help others walk out of the terrors that she experienced when she was a member of the church. She started the Short Creek Dream Center with Director Jena Jones to help other ex-FLDS members embrace freedom in one of Warren Jeffs's former homes through giving themon and providing residents with counselling therapy sessions, meals, temporary lodging as well as future job preparations and arrangements.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://medium.com/great-big-story/in-utah-hope-and-healing-after-escaping-a-cultgreat-big-story-presents-125438dfb0e5|title=In Utah, Hope and Healing After Escaping a Cult |date=August 30, 2018|website=Medium}}</ref> |
* On August 29, 2018, [[Great Big Story]] uploaded a short documentary-styled [[cinematic storytelling]] video titled "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XTLf79EJjk She Escaped a Cult and Now Helps Others]" as part of its documentary series "Defenders" and follows Briell Decker, one of Warren Jeffs's 79 former wives, in her journey to help others walk out of the terrors that she experienced when she was a member of the church. She started the Short Creek Dream Center with Director Jena Jones to help other ex-FLDS members embrace freedom in one of Warren Jeffs's former homes through giving themon and providing residents with counselling therapy sessions, meals, temporary lodging as well as future job preparations and arrangements.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://medium.com/great-big-story/in-utah-hope-and-healing-after-escaping-a-cultgreat-big-story-presents-125438dfb0e5|title=In Utah, Hope and Healing After Escaping a Cult |date=August 30, 2018|website=Medium}}</ref> |
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* In 2022, [[Netflix]] premiered the documentary mini-series ''[[Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey]]'' which documents the rise and fall of Warren Jeffs, including testimony from investigators and escaped members of the church, and audio evidence from Warren Jeffs' |
* In 2022, [[Netflix]] premiered the documentary mini-series ''[[Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey]]'' which documents the rise and fall of Warren Jeffs, including testimony from investigators and escaped members of the church, and audio evidence from Warren Jeffs' trial for sexual assault of minors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20560404/ |website=Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey |date=8 June 2022|title=Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey }}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus of Latter-Day Saints | |
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![]()
The FLDS compound in Texas
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Classification | Latter Day Saint movement |
Orientation | Mormon fundamentalist |
Scripture | Undocumented |
Theology | Continuing revelation |
Structure | One Man Rule |
Associations | United Effort Plan |
Region | North America |
Founder | Joseph Smith[1] |
Origin | Early 1900s (asShort Creek Community) |
Separations | Church of Jesus Christ Inc.[2] |
Other name(s) | The Fundamentalists, First Ward, FLDS Church |
Official website | www |
Mormonism and polygamy |
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![]()
A Mormon "Saint" and Wives by Charles Weitfle (ca.1878–1885)
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Early Mormonism |
Antipolygamy laws |
Case law |
![]() |
|
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 fundamentalist Mormon denominations[3][4] whose members practice polygamy.[5] 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 marriages, 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.
The FLDS traces its claim to spiritual authority to when Brigham Young, then-president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsorLDS Church, once visited 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."[6] In 1904, the LDS Church issued the Second Manifesto, and eventually excommunicated those who continued to solemnize or enter into new plural marriages. Short Creek soon became a gathering place for those polygamist former members of the LDS Church.[7] They believed a statement published in 1912byLorin C. Woolley, of a purported 1886 divine revelation to then-LDS Church President 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, Wilford Woodruff sold his right to the Priesthood, thereby making John W. Woolley his successor by the One Man doctrine.[8]: 76–78 [9] After being excommunicated by the LDS Church, some of the locally prominent men in Short Creek,[7] the men Lorin C. Woolley and John Y. Barlow created the organization known as the Council of Friends. The Council of Friends, a group of seven high priests that was said to be the governing priesthood body on Earth, was the governing ecclesiastical body over the Short Creek Community until being incorporated as FLDS under Rulon Jeffs.[10] In 1935, the LDS Church excommunicated the Mormon residents of Short Creek who refused to sign an oath renouncing polygamy. Following this, John Y. Barlow led those in Short Creek who were dedicated to preserving the practice of plural marriage.[11][self-published source?] Consequently, Mormon fundamentalists that didn't follow John Y. Barlow separated, leading to the creation of multiple Mormon fundamentalist organizations outside Short Creek by 1954. This includes the Apostolic United Brethren, and Kingston group through Joseph White Musser.[12][13]
In the morning of July 26, 1953, 102 Arizona state police officers and National Guard soldiers raided the fundamentalist Mormon community of Short Creek, Arizona. They arrested the entire populace, including 236 children. Of those 236 children, 150 were not allowed to return to their parents for more than two years. Other parents never regained custody of their children.[14]
The Short Creek raid was the largest mass arrest of polygamists in American history, and it received a great deal of press coverage.[15] After the raid, polygamists continued to live there, and later the town was renamed Colorado City.[15]
Under John Y. Barlow, he claimed to be both head of temporal affairs and the Priesthood through his United Effort Plan. By 1984, a schism emerged in Short Creek who took issue with his One Man authority. These followers moved south of Colorado City to Centennial Park, Arizona and called themselves "The Work of Jesus Christ", or "Second Ward."[16]
Leroy S. Johnson succeeded John Y. Barlow, and stress on the doctrine (One Man Rule) strengthened. Rulon Jeffs succeeded Leroy, incorporating Short Creek as the FLDS in 1984 to reorganize to an Episcopal polity reflecting the One Man authority.[17][18][19]
With no clear succession, Warren Jeffs assumed leadership. Winston Blackmore, who had been serving in Canada as the Bishop of Bountiful for the FLDS Church, was excommunicated by Jeffs in an apparent power struggle. This led to a split within the community in Bountiful, British Columbia, with an estimated 700 FLDS members leaving the church to follow Blackmore.[20]
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.[21] 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.[citation needed] The conviction was the first legal action against a member of the FLDS Church since the Short Creek raid.[citation needed]
In November 2003, church member David Allred purchased for YFZ Land LLC the 1,371-acre (555-hectare) Isaacs Ranch four miles (six kilometers) northeast of Eldorado, Texas, on Schleicher County Road 300 "as a hunting retreat". The property would be known within the sect as 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 10,000 square feet (930 m2), a concrete plant, and a plowed field. After seeing FLDS Church critic Flora Jessop on the 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 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 88 feet (27 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.[22]
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.
In October 2004, Flora Jessop reported that David Allred purchased a 60-acre (240,000 m2) parcel of land near Mancos, Colorado, (midway between Cortez and Durango) about the same time he bought the Schleicher County property.[citation needed] Allred told authorities the parcel was to be used as a hunting retreat.[23]
In July 2005, eight men of the church were indicted for sexual contact with minors. All of them turned themselves in to police in Kingman, Arizona, within days.[24]
On July 29, 2005, Brent W. Jeffs filed suit accusing three of his uncles, including Warren Jeffs, of sexually assaulting him when he was a child. The suit also named the FLDS Church as a defendant. On August 10, former FLDS Church member Shem Fischer, Dan Fischer's brother, added the church and Warren Jeffs as defendants to a 2002 lawsuit claiming he was illegally fired because he no longer adhered to the faith. Fischer, who was a salesman for a wooden cabinetry business in Hildale, claimed church officials interfered with his relationship with his employer and blacklisted him. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the company and found that Fischer was not fired from his job, but quit instead. The district court ruling was overturned in part on the basis that Fischer was discriminated against on the basis of religion when he reapplied for his position and was denied employment because he had left the FLDS church. The parties eventually settled the case for an agreed payment of damages to Shem Fischer. [citation needed]
In July 2005, six teenaged and young adult "Lost Boys" who claimed they were cast out of their homes on the Utah–Arizona border to reduce competition for wives, filed suit against the FLDS Church. "The [boys] have been excommunicated pursuant to that policy and practice and have been cut off from family, friends, benefits, business and employment relationships, and purportedly condemned to eternal damnation", their suit read. "They have become 'lost boys' in the world outside the FLDS community."[citation needed]
On May 7, 2006, the FBI named Warren Jeffs to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.[25] He was captured on Interstate 15 on August 28, 2006, just north of Las Vegas, after a routine traffic stop.
The mayor of Colorado City, Terrill C. Johnson, was arrested on May 26, 2006, for eight fraudulent vehicle registration charges for registering his vehicles in a state in which he was not resident, which is a felony. He was booked into Purgatory Correctional FacilityinHurricane, Utah, and was released after paying the $5,000 bail in cash.[26]
On September 25, 2007, after trial by a jury in St. George, Utah, Jeffs was found guilty of two counts of being an accomplice to rape[27][28] and was sentenced to ten years to life in prison.[29] This conviction was later overturned, but he was subsequently sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years and fined $10,000 after being convicted on charges of aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault.
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."[30] 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 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.[31][32] Many press accounts[33][34][35][36] suggested that Merril Jessop, who had been leading the Eldorado compound,[37] was the de facto leader of the church. Additionally, on January 9, 2010, documents filed with the Utah Department of Commerce named Wendell L. Nielsen as the president of the sect.[38][39] 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.[40] In 2010, Willie Jessop, the church's spokesman, refused to name the incumbent prophet "out of fear there'd be retaliation by the government".[41]
On January 28, 2011, Jeffs reasserted his leadership of the denomination, and Nielsen was removed as the church's legal president.[42] 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.[43] 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.[44] A 2012 CNN documentary confirmed that Jeffs still led the church from prison.[45]
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 Rangers, executed their search and arrest warrants on the premises.[46][47][48][49] The April 2008 events at the YFZ Ranch generated intense press coverage in the U.S., especially in the 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]
The abuse hotline calls that prompted the raid are now believed to have been made by Rozita Swinton, a non-FLDS woman with no known connection to the FLDS community in Texas.[50] Nevertheless, a court determined that the search warrants executed at the YFZ compound were legally issued and executed, and that the evidence seized could not be excluded on the grounds that the initial call may have been a hoax.[51]
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.[52] As of June 2010, six FLDS members had been convicted of felonies and received sentences ranging from seven to 75 years' imprisonment.[53]
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.[54] The same jury sentenced Jessop to 10 years in prison and assessed a fine of $8,000.[55]
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.[56] 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.[57] His conviction and sentence were later upheld on appeal.[58]
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.[59]
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.[60] The court found that Jessop, 35, sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl while living at the FLDS Ranch in Schleicher County, Texas.[60] The jury sentenced Jessop to 75 years in prison and assessed a $10,000 fine.[61]
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.[62] 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.[63] 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.[62] A search warrant was also executed at Jake Barlow's residence.[63]
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] 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]
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In November 2012, the Texas Attorney General's Office instituted legal proceedings to seize the FLDS ranch property in Eldorado, Texas.[64][65][66] 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",[65] therefore, the property is contraband and subject to seizure.[66][67] On April 17, 2014, Texas officials took physical possession of the property.[68]
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.[69]
In June 2014, the Arizona Office of the Attorney General filed a motion[70] in U.S. District Court seeking to dissolve the local police forces and "the disbandment of the Colorado City, Arizona/Hildale, Utah Marshal's Office and the appointment of a federal monitor over municipal functions and services." As the basis for the legal proceeding, the Arizona Attorney General stated that "[t]he disbandment of the Colorado City/Hildale Marshal's Office is necessary and appropriate because this police department has operated for decades, and continues to operate, as the de facto law enforcement arm of the FLDS Church."[71]
Documents presented to the media and state prosecutors in 2022–23 indicate that Warren Jeffs issued a series of revelations from prison in 2022 reasserting his authority over the church and calling its members together. In one document from June 2022, Jeffs instructed that fathers seeking "restoral" should reunite with their wives and children, while warning that God "cannot allow sin living to dwell" in the church any longer;[72] another, distributed in August, required that children be gathered back to the church over the next five years in preparation for the imminent end of the world.[73]
A group of mothers who had left the church stated in April 2023 that a number of children cared for by former members had gone missing since the August 2022 revelation, and were likely to have rejoined the church.[73] In June 2023, Heber Jeffs, a nephew of Warren Jeffs, was sentenced to three years' probation on a charge of custodial interference after abetting the disappearance of the daughter of a former member of the church in 2022 in accordance with the revelations of that year.[74]
By 2023, investigators stated that the members of the FLDS Church had spread out to avoid the attention of authorities, some moving north into North Dakota, and were communicating regularly with Warren Jeffs over Zoom.[75] Warren Jeffs's son Helaman Jeffs had also emerged as a figure of authority within the church by this time.[76] The revelations in 2022 were to be distributed by Helaman Jeffs,[72][73] and he was also given the authority to perform polygamous marriages.[77]
As senior member of the Priesthood Council in Short Creek:
As president of the FLDS Church:
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.[36] Other claimed leaders in this period include:
In 2011, Warren Jeffs retook legal control of the church and purged 45 of its members.[85]
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[update].[86][87]
As of 2018[update]:
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In direct contrast to the structure of the Short Creek Community, the FLDS Church teaches that God only works through one man who has all Priesthood keys.[88] In operation the President cannot be a member of the Priesthood Council. Rulon Jeffs denied succession, making his son Warren Jeffs his father renewed.[89]
The FLDS Church teaches the doctrine of plural marriage, which states that God commands in order for a man to receive the highest form of salvation to have a minimum of three wives.[90] Connected with this doctrine is the patriarchal doctrine, the belief that wives are required to be subordinate to their husbands and placement marriage. The prophet elects to take wives from men as well as give wives to men according to their worthiness. This practice is also called the law of placingorplacement marriage.
The land and houses formerly occupied by the FLDS Church on the Utah/Arizona border are owned by the United Effort Plan (UEP), established in 1942 as a subsidiary organization of the church.[91] The UEP also owns most of the property of the businesses that were controlled by FLDS Church members in that area. The church viewed this "United Order" as a means of living the traditional Latter Day Saint doctrine of the "Law of Consecration". In 2005, the UEP was seized by the state of Utah following a lawsuit by the Attorney General.[91][92] The UEP was worth $100 million at this time.[93] State control of the UEP ended in 2019, with the trust reformed into a "religiously neutral" entity benefiting the original donors and their heirs, including those who had left the FLDS Church.[94]
As an extension of the Adam-God teaching, it is taught that likewise there are literal children of Satan as there are literal children of God.[95] Children of Satan were to be born with the Mark Of Cain as pay for his slaying of Abel in creation, and therefor justifying the Priesthood Ban. The seed of Cain survived the Flood through Ham's wife so that Satan would be represented, but with a curse of bondage.[96]
Men and women are forbidden to have any tattoos or body piercings. In general, women do not cut their hair short or wear makeup, trousers, or any skirt above the knees.[97] Men wear plain clothing, usually long-sleeved collared shirt and full-length trousers. Women and girls usually wear pastel-colored homemade long-sleeved prairie dresses, with hems between ankle and mid-calf, along with long stockings or trousers underneath, usually keeping their hair coiffed.[98][verification needed]
At the time of his death, FLDS Church leader Rulon Jeffs was confirmed to have married 46 women and fathered more than 60 children. It was estimated in 2018 that Warren Jeffs might have at least 79 wives.[99] Because the type of polygamy which is practiced is actually polygyny, the practice of it inevitably leads to bride shortages, child marriages, incest, and child abuse.[100]
The FLDS Church members are known to violate laws when they practice polygamy.[101] Former members of the FLDS Church, including Warren Jeffs' son Wendell Jeffson, have testified that its members including Warren Jeffs himself, regularly practice incest and child sexual abuse.[102][103][104][105]
In 2015, Lyle Jeffs's estranged wife Charlene Jeffs claimed in a custody dispute that the FLDS Church currently enforces a doctrine which only allows women to have sex with men who are members of the group appointed as "seed bearers", defined as "elect" men of a "worthy blood line chosen by the Priesthood to impregnate" women.[106] Under this doctrine, men no longer are allowed to have children with their wives. Charlene Jeffs wrote in her custody petition: "It is the husband's responsibility to hold the hands of their wives while the seed bearer 'spreads his seed'. In layman terms, the husband is required to sit in the room while the chosen seed bearer, or a couple of them, rape his wife or wives."[107] She also described the "Law of Sarah", in which FLDS women perform sex acts on each other in order to prepare for a sexual encounter with a man who is in the FLDS leadership.[107] Lorin Holm, who claimed to have been part of Jeffs' "inner circle" before he was excommunicated from the group in 2011, later described the "Law of Sarah" practice in Jeffs's community as being akin to a lesbian sex show with Jeffs participating and sermonizing. Holm also said that mothers who would not take part were sent away to "redeem themselves", and their children were given to other women.[108] This interpretation of the "Law of Sarah" differs from the "Law of Sarah" described in the 1843 polygamy revelationofJoseph Smith, in which Smith referred to the Law as a basis for consent to polygamous marriages by wives.[109]
In 2022, FLDS Church leader Samuel Bateman was found to have 20 wives, which included underage girls, and, according to his family, also sought to marry his teenage daughter.[110] According to criminal charges which were filed against him for destroying evidence linked to a federal investigationonsexual abuses, Bateman, who acted as the self-proclaimed "prophet" of a Colorado City-based splinter sect of the FLDS Church, used his position in the church to also sexually abuse 10 underage girls who he took as his wives in "atonement" ceremonies.[111]
The FLDS Church has been suspected of trafficking underage female children across state lines, and it has also been suspected of trafficking underage girls across the U.S. borders with Canada[112] and Mexico,[113] for the purpose of involuntary plural marriage and child sexual abuse.[114] 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.[112] RCMP spokesman Dan Moskaluk said of the activities of the FLDS Church: "In essence, it's human trafficking in connection with illicit sexual activity."[115] 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.[116] 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.[117]
FLDS Church leaders have encouraged their flock to take advantage of government assistance in the form of welfare and the WIC (woman-infant-child) programs.[citation needed] 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.'"[118]
Former members have reported that the FLDS Church has excommunicated more than 400[119] teenage boys for offenses such as dating or listening to rock music. Some former members claim that the real motive for these excommunications is to ensure a sufficient female majority to allow for each male to marry three or more wives.[120] In 2014, six men aged 18 to 22 filed a conspiracy lawsuit against Jeffs and Sam Barlow, a former Mohave County deputy sheriff and close associate of Jeffs, for the "systematic excommunication" of young men to reduce competition for wives.[121][122][123]
The FLDS sect has kicked out boys as young as 15 years old.[120] With the few experiences they have with the world outside of the FLDS, they are left to fend for themselves. Lost boys tend to stay around the area of Hildale, Utah. As they are banished from the world they know they are thrown into situations and things they were never familiar with. Most of those who are banished tend to delve into things such as partying and alcohol.[120]
In its Spring 2005 Intelligence Report, the Southern Poverty Law Center added the FLDS Church to its listofhate groups[124] because of the church's racist doctrines, which include its fierce condemnation of interracial relationships. Warren Jeffs has said, "the black race is the people through which the devil has always been able to bring evil unto the earth".[125]
Former FLDS Church member Robert Richter reported to the Phoenix New Times that Warren Jeffs has repeatedly alluded to the 19th-century teaching of "blood atonement" in church sermons. Under the doctrine of blood atonement, certain serious sins, such as murder, can only be atoned for by the sinner's death.[3]
The Colorado City/Hildale area has the world's highest incidence of fumarase deficiency, an extremely rare genetic disease.[126] Geneticists attribute this to the prevalence of cousin marriages between descendants of two of the town's founders, Joseph Smith Jessop and John Yeates Barlow.[126][127][128][129] It causes encephalopathy, severe intellectual disability, unusual facial features, brain malformation, and epileptic seizures.[130][131]
On April 20, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor assessed fines which totaled US$1.96 million against a group of FLDS Church members, including Lyle Jeffs, a brother of the church's controversial leader, Warren Jeffs, for alleged child labour violations which were committed during the church's 2012 pecan harvest at an orchard near Hurricane, Utah.[132]
In April 2017, filings in U.S. District Court stated that Paragon Contractors, a company with ties to the FLDS Church, and Brian Jessop agreed to pay $200,000 in federal fines over the following year. These fines were levied against Paragon Contractors because it previously violated federal child labor laws. This settled a dispute with the U.S. Department of Labor hours before Paragon Contractors was due to face a potential contempt of court citation before a federal judge. The company was facing sanctions because in 2012, hundreds of children who were members of the Hildale-based FLDS Church were put to work harvesting pecans on a farm which was located in southern Utah under orders from FLDS Church leaders.[133]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has stated that "the polygamists and polygamist organizations in parts of the Western United States and Canada have no affiliation whatsoever with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints",[134] and it has also declared that polygamy is strictly prohibited by the current doctrine of the LDS Church. Additionally, the LDS Church states that the term "Mormon" is incorrectly applied to the FLDS adherents and it also discourages its own members from using the term "Mormon" as a descriptive term for members of the LDS Church themselves.[135]
Popular media, including books and television programs, have focused on the FLDS Church.
Finally giving up the fight, Blackmore has agreed to change his group's corporate name to 'the Church of Jesus Christ (Original Doctrine) Inc.'
The FLDS are now believed to have only 8,000 members.
A joint report from the offices of the Family Support Center, the Utah Attorney General's Office, and the Arizona Attorney General's Office
Utah records show Nielson formally quit that post Jan. 28.
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.
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