The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as the FLDS Church, has a long and disturbing history of church leaders engaging in deviant behavior and committing sexual abuse against children in their congregation. The organization’s founder and leader, Warren Jeffs, is currently serving a life sentence in a Texas prison on multiple counts of rape and sexual assault against children.
The horrifying details of Jeffs’ depravity captured national attention during his 2006 trial, but since his conviction, several sources close to the church have maintained that Jeffs still manages to give orders and runs the FLDS Church from behind bars.
Nearly 10 years after Jeffs’ incarceration, we are seeing major cracks form within the upper levels of the organization. On June 30th, 2015, the former wife of Warren Jeffs’ brother, Lyle Jeffs, announced that she would appear in federal court to testify about the dangerous and unconstitutional behavior practiced by the FLDS Church. Charlene Jeffs is the closest relative of an FLDS leader to testify against the organization in court. Her appearance could offer a great deal of help and support to the thousands of children still trapped in the dangerous and exploitative environment of the FLDS community.
Charlene Jeffs’ testimony will focus on the “unconstitutional conduct” of the FLDS church, which includes keeping children forcibly separated from their parents. Charlene Jeffs also maintains that the Police departments in the cities where the FLDS compounds are located, including Hildale, UT and Colorado City, AZ, take direction from church leaders and assist in helping these religious figures avoid prosecution for their crimes against women and children.
It now appears that more members are beginning to flee from the controversial religious community. A Utah-based private investigator who has conducted substantial research on the group believes that 500 to 1,000 members have left the church since 2013. Observes and advocates for the rights of child sexual abuse victims remain hopeful that more former members will have the opportunity to escape the repressive and dangerous environment created by the leaders of the FLDS Church.
At Nix Patterson & Roach, Child Sexual Abuse law firm, we sincerely hope that more former victims of the FLDS Church will come forward to receive the help they need in order to begin to recover and move on with their lives.
If you or a loved one has witnessed or been a victim of child sexual abuse, the Child Sexual Abuse attorneys of Nix, Patterson & Roach are here to help. Attorney Neil Smith is highly experienced in working with cases of child sexual abuse. These cases can be extremely complex and highly sensitive.
Our attorneys have years of experience achieving justice for victims that were abused or assaulted by clergy members, teachers, or anyone else in a position of power over children.
At Nix, Patterson & Roach, we want child victims and families to know that you have a safe place to turn for help. Call us today at 1-800-220-1088 for a FREE, confidential and no-obligation consultation. We will handle your case with the utmost discretion, compassion and dedication. Trust our firm to help secure the justice you deserve for your serious physical and emotional damages.
Perpetrators of child sexual abuse must be held accountable for their actions, and Nix, Patterson & Roach can help. Call attorney Neil Smith today.