Warren Jeffs

Warren Jeffs
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive
Description
BornWarren Steed Jeffs
(1955-12-03) December 3, 1955 (age 68)
Sacramento, California, U.S.
OccupationLeader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
ParentsRulon Jeffs and Merilyn Steed
Spouse78[1] including Naomi Jeffs (née Jessop)
ChildrenMore than 60, including:[2]
Helaman Jeffs
Rachel Jeffs
Roy Jeffs
Status
ConvictionsTexas: Utah:
Child rape as an accomplice (2 counts; overturned)[4][5]
PenaltyTexas:
Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 27 years
Utah:
Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 10 years (overturned)
StatusIncarcerated[6]
AddedMay 6, 2006[7]
Number482
Captured

Warren Steed Jeffs (born December 3, 1955) is an American cult leader who is serving a life sentence in Texas for child sexual assault following two convictions in 2011. He is the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a polygamous cult based in Arizona.[8] The FLDS Church was founded in the early-20th century when its founders deemed the renunciation of polygamy by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to be apostate. The LDS Church disavows any relation between it and the FLDS Church, although there are significant historical ties.[9]

In 2006, Jeffs was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List for his flight from the charges that he had arranged illegal child marriages between his adult male followers and underage girls in Utah.[7] In 2007, Arizona charged him with eight additional counts in two separate cases, including incest and sexual conduct with minors.[10]

In September 2007, Jeffs was convicted of two counts of rape as an accomplice,[11] for which he was sentenced to imprisonment for ten years to life in Utah State Prison. This conviction was overturned by the Utah Supreme Court in 2010 due to flawed jury instructions.[12]

Jeffs was extradited to Texas,[13] where he was found guilty of sexual assault of a minor, for raping a 15-year-old child bride; and aggravated sexual assault against a child, for raping a 12-year-old child bride; for which he was sentenced to life in prison, plus twenty years, and fined $10,000.[3] Jeffs is incarcerated at the Louis C. Powledge Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice near Palestine, Texas.[14][15]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Egan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Escobedo, Tricia (March 8, 2016). "Roy Jeffs: Why I left my father's church". CNN. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Whitehurst, Lindsay (August 10, 2011). "Warren Jeffs gets life in prison for sex with underage girls". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  4. ^ "US polygamy sect leader sentenced". BBC News. November 20, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  5. ^ "Polygamist Charged With Felony Accomplice Rape of a Minor". FindLaw.com. April 5, 2006. Archived from the original on November 22, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  6. ^ "Texas: Polygamist Leader Convicted". The New York Times. August 4, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference FBI-added-Jeffs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Wagner, Dennis (February 24, 2011). "Jailed sect leader retakes legal control of church". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  9. ^ "Polygamy". Newsroom. LDS Church. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  10. ^ "Sect leader indicted on sexual conduct with minor, incest charges". CNN. July 12, 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  11. ^ Hylton, Hilary (September 25, 2007). "Jeffs' Conviction: A Winning Ploy". Time. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  12. ^ "Polygamist Warren Jeffs' Convictions Overturned". CBS News. July 27, 2010. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  13. ^ Ward, Mike (December 1, 2010). "Polygamist sect leader Jeffs arrives in Texas". Statesman.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference OffenderSearch was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).