Editing Warren Jeffs (section)

==Convictions for sex crimes==
===Allegations and fugitive from justice===
In July 2004, Jeffs's nephew, Brent Jeffs, filed a lawsuit alleging that Jeffs had raped him in the FLDS Church's [[Salt Lake Valley]] compound in the late 1980s. Together with author [[Maia Szalavitz]], Brent wrote the memoir ''Lost Boy,'' which recounts alleged incidents of child sexual abuse inflicted upon him by Jeffs, his brothers, and other family members, committed when Brent was aged 5 or 6.<ref name="Jeffs 2009">{{cite book |last= Jeffs |first= Brent W. |title= Lost Boy |year= 2009 |location= New York |publisher= [[Broadway Books]] |isbn= 978-0767931779}}</ref><ref name=npr>{{citation |last= Gross |first= Terry |author-link= Terry Gross |title= From Polygamist Royalty To FLDS Lost Boy |url= https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=104359348 |work= [[Fresh Air]] |publisher= [[WHYY-FM]], [[NPR]] |access-date=June 3, 2019|date= May 21, 2009 }}</ref><ref name=Coliseum1>{{cite news|title=Lisa reads: Lost Boy by Brent W. Jeffs|url=http://whenfallsthecoliseum.com/2009/06/23/lisa-reads-lost-boy-by-brent-w-jeffs/|access-date=January 6, 2015|publisher=When Falls the Coliseum|date=June 23, 2009|archive-date=October 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021223849/http://whenfallsthecoliseum.com/2009/06/23/lisa-reads-lost-boy-by-brent-w-jeffs/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="David Kelly">{{cite news |last1= Kelly |first1= David |first2= Gary |last2= Cohn |title= Insider accounts put sect leader on the run |url= http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2002996905_secttwo16.html |agency= [[Los Angeles Times]] |newspaper= [[The Seattle Times]] |date= May 16, 2006 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131021170131/http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2002996905_secttwo16.html |archive-date= October 21, 2013 }}</ref> Brent's brother Clayne committed suicide after accusing Jeffs of sexually assaulting him as a child.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=David |last2=Cohn |first2=Gary |author-link2=Gary Cohn (journalist) |title=Where Few Dare to Disobey |url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-polygamyenclave-13may1206-story.html |access-date=May 11, 2019 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=May 16, 2006}}</ref> Two of Jeffs's nephews and two of Jeffs's own children have also publicly claimed to have been sexually abused by him.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Escobedo |first1=Tricia |title=Warren Jeffs' son, daughter allege sexual abuse |url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/29/us/warren-jeffs-children-allegations/index.html |access-date=May 7, 2019 |work=[[CNN]] |date=October 1, 2015}}</ref>

In June 2005, Jeffs was charged in [[Mohave County, Arizona]], with sexual assault on a minor and with conspiracy to commit sexual misconduct with a minor for allegedly [[arranged marriage|arranging]] in April 2001 a marriage between a then-14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old first cousin, Allen. The young girl, [[Elissa Wall]] (then known as "Jane Doe IV," and the younger sister of Rebecca Wall), testified that she begged Rulon Jeffs to let her wait until she was older or choose another man for her. The elder Jeffs was apparently "sympathetic," but his son was not, and she was forced to go through with the marriage. Wall alleged that Allen often raped her and that she repeatedly [[miscarried]]. She eventually left Allen and the community.

In July 2005, the Arizona Attorney General's office distributed wanted posters offering $10,000 for information leading to Jeffs's arrest and conviction. On October 28, Jeffs's brother [[Seth Jeffs|Seth]] was arrested under suspicion of harboring a fugitive. During a routine traffic stop in [[Pueblo County, Colorado]], police found nearly $142,000 in cash, $7,000 worth of prepaid debit cards and personal records. During Seth's court case, FBI Agent Andrew Stearns testified that Seth had told him that he did not know where his older brother was and that he would not reveal his whereabouts if he did. Seth was convicted of harboring a fugitive on May 1, 2006.<ref>{{cite news |title=Polygamist's Brother Pleads Guilty to Harboring a Fugitive |url=https://www.ksl.com/article/240154 |access-date=May 13, 2019 |work=[[KSL (radio network)|KSL Broadcasting]] |agency=Associated Press |date=May 1, 2006 |language=en}}</ref> On July 14, he was sentenced to three years probation and a $2,500 fine.<ref>{{cite web |author1=[[United States Attorney]]'s Office [[United States District Court for the District of Colorado|District of Colorado]] |title=Seth Steed Jeffs Sentenced for Harboring Fugitive Brother |url=https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/co/news/2006/July06/7_14_06.html |website=www.justice.gov |access-date=May 13, 2019 |date=July 14, 2006}}</ref>

On April 5, 2006, Utah issued an arrest warrant for Jeffs on felony charges of accomplice rape of a teenage girl between 14 and 18 years old.<ref name="findlaw"/> Shortly after, on May 6, the FBI placed Jeffs on its Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, offering a $60,000 reward.<ref>{{cite web |title=FBI Announces New Top Tenner: Warren Jeffs |url=https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2006/may/jeffs050606 |website=[[FBI]] |access-date=May 13, 2019 |language=en-us |date=May 5, 2006}}</ref> He was the 482nd fugitive placed on the list. The reward was soon raised to $100,000, and the public was warned that "Jeffs may travel with a number of loyal and armed bodyguards."<ref>{{cite web |author=FBI |date=June 23, 2006 |url=http://www.njlawman.com/most%20wanted%202.htm <!-- contents may change, see archive --> |title=America's Most Wanted |work=njlawman.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060623065039/http://www.njlawman.com/Most%20Wanted%202.htm |archive-date=June 23, 2006 |url-status=live |access-date=May 11, 2011}}</ref>

On June 8, 2006, Jeffs returned to Colorado City to perform more "child-bride marriages."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Winslow |first1=Ben |title=Jeffs seen in Arizona? |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/640185888/Jeffs-seen-in-Arizona.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731175649/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/640185888/Jeffs-seen-in-Arizona.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 31, 2010 |access-date=May 13, 2019 |work=[[Deseret News]] |date=June 10, 2006 |language=en}}</ref> On May 27, 2008, ''[[The Smoking Gun]]'' website released images of Jeffs with two underage wives, one of whom was 12 years old, celebrating first wedding anniversaries in 2005 and 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Kiss Of Jeffs |url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/kiss-jeffs |website=[[The Smoking Gun]] |access-date=May 13, 2019 |language=en |date=July 20, 2011}}</ref>

===Arrest, trial and convictions===
On August 28, 2006, around 9&nbsp;p.m. PDT, Jeffs was pulled over on [[Interstate 15 in Nevada|Interstate 15]] in [[Clark County, Nevada]], by highway trooper Eddie Dutchover because the temporary license plates on his red 2007 [[Cadillac Escalade]] were not visible. One of Jeffs's wives, Naomi Jessop, and his brother Isaac were with him. Jeffs possessed four computers, sixteen cell phones, disguises (including three wigs and twelve pairs of sunglasses), and more than $55,000 in cash. Jeffs's wife and brother were questioned and released.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Kirk |last2=Dougherty |first2=John |last3=Scott |first3=Cathy |author-link1=Kirk W. Johnson |author-link2=John Dougherty (journalist) |author-link3=Cathy Scott |title=Leader of Polygamist Mormon Sect Is Arrested |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/30/us/30polygamy.html |access-date=May 13, 2019 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 30, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Fugitive Polygamist Sect Leader Arrested in Las Vegas |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/fugitive-polygamist-sect-leader-arrested-in-las-vegas |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[FOX News]] |date=March 25, 2015}}</ref><ref name="wrt1">{{cite web |date=August 31, 2006 |url=http://www.thespectrum.com/news/extras/jeffs/courtdocuments.pdf |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20060927093046/http://www.thespectrum.com/news/extras/jeffs/courtdocuments.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 27, 2006 |title=Arrest Warrants and Affidavits |publisher=Fifth District Court, Washington County, State of Utah |access-date=September 5, 2011}}</ref>

In a Nevada court hearing on August 31, Jeffs waived any challenge to extradition and agreed to be returned to Utah<ref>{{cite news |last1=McCabe |first1=Francis |last2=Haynes |first2=Brian |title=Polygamist leader: Jeffs bound for Utah |url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Sep-01-Fri-2006/news/9387587.html |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]] |date=August 31, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061002211330/http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2006/09_10/2006_09_01_McCabe_FLDSHead.htm |archive-date=October 2, 2006}}</ref> to face two first-degree felony charges of accomplice rape.<ref name="findlaw" /> Each charge carries an indeterminate penalty of five years to life in prison. Arizona prosecutors were next in line to try Jeffs. He was held in the [[Washington County, Utah|Washington County]] jail, pending an April 23, 2007 trial on two counts of rape, as an accomplice for his role in arranging the marriage between Elissa Wall and her first cousin.<ref>{{cite news |date=2007 |url=http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=6243736 |title=Police academies consider future of officers in polygamist towns |agency=Associated Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927221630/http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=6243736 |work=[[KVOA]] |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |access-date=May 14, 2019}}</ref>

Jeffs was believed to be leading his group from jail and a Utah state board has expressed dissatisfaction in dealing with Hildale police, believing that many members of the force had ties to Jeffs, and thus did not cooperate.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Authorities concerned about Jeffs' ties to border officers |url=https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/authorities-concerned-about-jeffs-ties-to-border-officers/article_d13e8f63-fbd8-514e-86bb-ce9b679d1a62.html |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[Casper Star-Tribune]] |date=December 7, 2006 |language=en}}</ref> In May and July 2007, Jeffs was indicted in Arizona on eight counts, including sexual misconduct with a minor and incest.<ref name="indicted" />

Jeffs's trial began on September 11, 2007, in [[St. George, Utah]], with Judge James L. Shumate presiding. Jeffs was housed in Utah's [[Purgatory Correctional Facility]] in [[solitary confinement]] for the duration. At the culmination of the trial, on September 25, Jeffs was found guilty of two counts of being an accomplice to rape.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dobner |first1=Jennifer |title=Polygamist Leader in Utah Convicted of Sex Charges in Arranged Marriage |url=https://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/wireStory?id=3645951 |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=September 25, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926005713/https://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/wireStory?id=3645951 |archive-date=September 26, 2007}}</ref> He was sentenced to prison for ten years to life and began serving his sentence at the [[Utah State Prison]].<ref name="Deseret112207">{{cite news |last1=Winslow |first1=Ben |title=Jeffs is now an inmate at Utah State Prison |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/695229917/Jeffs-is-now-an-inmate-at-Utah-State-Prison.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007024518/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/695229917/Jeffs-is-now-an-inmate-at-Utah-State-Prison.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 7, 2012 |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[Deseret News]] |date=November 22, 2007 |language=en}}</ref> On July 27, 2010, the [[Utah Supreme Court]], citing deficient jury instructions, reversed Jeffs's convictions and ordered a new trial. The court found that the trial judge should have told the jury that Jeffs could not be convicted unless it could be proved that he intended for Elissa's husband to engage in nonconsensual sex with her.<ref>{{cite web |last=Frosch |first=Dan |date=July 27, 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/us/28jeffs.html |title=Polygamist Convictions Overturned |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=September 6, 2011}}</ref> Elissa subsequently wrote an autobiography on her experiences in the FLDS Church and with Jeffs entitled ''Stolen Innocence.'' The book was co-authored with former ''[[New York Times]]'' journalist [[Lisa Pulitzer]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Leavitt |first1=Caroline |author-link1=Caroline Leavitt |title=Picks and Pans Review: A Brave Escape from Polygamy |url=https://people.com/archive/picks-and-pans-review-a-brave-escape-from-polygamy-vol-69-no-20/ |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[People (magazine)|People]] |date=May 26, 2008 |language=en}}</ref>

Jeffs was also scheduled to be tried in Arizona.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Townsend |first1=Amanda |last2=O'Neill |first2=Ann |title=Polygamist prophet is now a criminal defendant |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/09/12/jeffs.walkup/ |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[CNN]].com |date=September 12, 2007}}</ref> He had entered a not-guilty plea on February 27, 2008, to sex charges stemming from the arranged marriages of three teenaged girls to older men.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Polygamist 'Prophet' pleads not guilty in Arizona child bride case |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/02/27/jeffs.charges.ap/index.html |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[CNN]] |date=February 27, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080303023924/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/02/27/jeffs.charges.ap/index.html |archive-date=March 3, 2008}}</ref> He was transported to the Mohave County jail to await trial. On June 9, 2010, a state judge, at the request of Mohave County prosecutor Matt Smith, dismissed all charges with prejudice. Smith said that the Arizona victims no longer wanted to testify and that Jeffs had spent almost two years in jail awaiting trial, more than he would have received had he been convicted. Combined with the pending charges against Jeffs in Texas, Smith concluded that "it would be impractical and unnecessary" to try Jeffs in Arizona. Jeffs was then returned to Utah; at the time, his appeal of the 2007 conviction was still pending.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Judge dismisses Ariz. charges against Warren Jeffs |url=https://www.ksl.com/article/11108148 |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[KSL.com]] |date=June 9, 2010 |language=en}}</ref>

On August 9, 2011, Jeffs was convicted in Texas on two counts of sexual assault of a child<ref>{{cite news |last1=Weber |first1=Paul J. |title=Harsh rules, sex assault described inside Jeffs' sect |url=http://www.freep.com/article/20110807/NEWS07/108070604/Harsh-rules-sex-assault-described-inside-Jeffs-sect |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[Detroit Free Press]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=August 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807170305/http://www.freep.com/article/20110807/NEWS07/108070604/Harsh-rules-sex-assault-described-inside-Jeffs-sect |archive-date=August 7, 2011}}</ref> and sentenced to life in prison.<ref name="Whitehurst"/><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Nephew, niece allege polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs abused them |url=http://articles.cnn.com/2011-08-06/justice/texas.polygamist.jeffs_1_warren-jeffs-alta-academy-polygamist-sect-leader |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[CNN]] |date=August 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121163446/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-08-06/justice/texas.polygamist.jeffs_1_warren-jeffs-alta-academy-polygamist-sect-leader?_s=PM:CRIME |archive-date=January 21, 2012}}</ref> He will be eligible for parole on July 22, 2038.<ref name="OffenderSearch">{{cite web |author1=Texas Department of Criminal Justice |title=Offender Information Search: Jeffs, Warren Steed |url=http://offender.tdcj.texas.gov/OffenderSearch/offenderDetail.action?sid=08888382 |website=offender.tdcj.texas.gov |access-date=May 15, 2019 |author1-link=Texas Department of Criminal Justice |archive-date=December 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151227185956/http://offender.tdcj.texas.gov/OffenderSearch/offenderDetail.action?sid=08888382 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Incarceration===
Jeffs tried to hang himself in jail in 2007 in Utah.<ref name=trust/> On July 9, 2008, he was taken from the Mohave County, Arizona jail in [[Kingman, Arizona]], to a [[Las Vegas|Las Vegas, Nevada]], hospital for what was described as a serious medical problem. Sheriff Tom Sheahan did not specify the problem, but said it was serious enough to move him about 100 miles from the Kingman Regional Medical Center to the Nevada hospital.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Brooke |title=Jailed polygamous leader Jeffs hospitalized in Las Vegas |url=http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_9823858 |access-date=May 15, 2019 |work=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |date=July 9, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022102012/http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=%2Fopinion%2Fci_9823858 |archive-date=October 22, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Jeffs has engaged in lengthy hunger strikes, which his doctors and attorneys have claimed were for spiritual reasons. In August 2009, Superior Court Judge Steve Conn ordered that Jeffs be [[Force-feeding|force-fed]] at the Arizona jail.<ref name=trust/>

On August 29, 2011, Jeffs was taken to East Texas Medical Center, [[Tyler, Texas]], and hospitalized in critical condition under a medically [[induced coma]] after excessive fasting. Officials were not sure how long he would remain hospitalized, but expected Jeffs to live.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Graczyk |first1=Michael |author-link1=Michael Graczyk |title=Convicted polygamist leader in medically induced coma |url=http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1688628722/Convicted-polygamist-leader-in-medically-induced-coma |access-date=May 15, 2019 |work=[[Peoria Journal Star]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=August 29, 2011 |archive-date=June 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616163346/http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1688628722/Convicted-polygamist-leader-in-medically-induced-coma |url-status=dead }}</ref> Jeffs is incarcerated at the [[Louis C. Powledge Unit]] of the TDCJ near [[Palestine, Texas]].<ref name="OffenderSearch"/><ref name=":3">{{cite news |last1=Parker |first1=Kolten |title=Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs hospitalized in Texas |url=http://www.chron.com/news/local/article/Polygamist-sect-leader-Warren-Jeffs-hospitalized-5324339.php |access-date=May 15, 2019 |work=[[Houston Chronicle]] |date=March 17, 2014}}</ref>

Jeffs predicted in December 2012 that the world would end before 2013 and called for his followers to prepare for the end.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rosenlof |first1=Celeste Tholen |title=Warren Jeffs tells FLDS faithful world will end before 2013 |url=http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=23541460 |access-date=May 15, 2019 |work=[[KSL News]] |date=December 28, 2012 |language=en}}</ref>

In 2012, while incarcerated at the Powledge Unit, Jeffs released a book titled ''Jesus Christ Message to All Nations'' compiling various revelations that he stated he had received. Among these were directives to set Jeffs free and warnings to specific countries around the world.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jeffs |first1=Warren |title=Jesus Christ Message to All Nations |date=2012 |publisher=[[Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] |location=[[Colorado City, Ariz.]] |isbn=9781937271169 |url=https://archive.org/details/jesuschristmessa00warr |url-access=registration |access-date=15 May 2019 |language=en}}</ref><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 21, 2023}}</ref> Copies of the book were mailed to Utah state legislators by the FLDS Church.<ref>{{cite news|last=Winslow|first=Ben|date=February 16, 2015|title=Utah lawmaker's bill could trash Warren Jeffs' mail-in revelations|website=[[KSTU]]|url=https://www.fox13now.com/2015/02/16/utah-lawmakers-bill-could-trash-warren-jeffs-mail-in-revelations|accessdate=September 21, 2023}}</ref> Federal prosecutors stated in 2016 that the publication had been financed by $250,000 in money defrauded from federal welfare programs and laundered through FLDS shops.<ref>{{cite news|last=McKirdy|first=Euan|date=July 13, 2016|title=Polygamist leader flees after slipping out ankle bracelet using oil, FBI says|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/13/us/flds-lyle-jeffs-escape/index.html|website=[[CNN]]|accessdate=September 21, 2023}}</ref>

The United Effort Plan (UEP) trust that formerly belonged to the FLDS was taken over by Utah in 2005 and controlled by the court for over a decade, before a judge handed it over to a community board mostly composed of former sect members. In 2017, both the trust and Jeffs were sued by a woman alleging she was sexually abused by Jeffs when she was a child. Jeffs allegedly suffered a mental breakdown in the summer of 2019, leaving him unfit to give a deposition in the sex abuse case against him. Attorneys representing the UEP community trust contended that forcing him to testify would be "futile." The plaintiff's attorney said there is a lack of evidence to support a claim of Jeff's incompetency, accusing the trust of being "understandably very fearful" about Jeffs's testimony since it is liable for his actions as the past president of the FLDS.<ref name=trust>[https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2019/08/12/lawyer-polygamist-flds-leader-warren-jeffs-has-mental-breakdown/1990815001/ Lawyer: Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs has mental breakdown], AZCentral, Bracy McCombs (AP), August 13, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2021.</ref>

Current FLDS members continue to consider Jeffs to be their leader and prophet who speaks to God and who has been wrongly convicted.<ref name=trust />