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FLDS Church Leaders Indicted In Food Stamps Fraud

By Terry Gildea,
Terry Gildea
Published February 24, 2016 at 3:18 PM CST

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

The polygamous sect once led by Warren Jeffs is in trouble again. Eleven leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints face criminal charges. Federal prosecutors say they conspired to commit food stamp fraud and money laundering. Terry Gildea from KUER in Salt Lake City reports.

TERRY GILDEA, BYLINE: This morning, defendants Lyle Jeffs and John Wayman filed into a federal courtroom in downtown Salt Lake to be arraigned on two counts of fraud and money laundering. Lyle Jeffs is the brother of Warren Jeffs, the imprisoned leader of the FLDS Church. Both men pleaded not guilty. The indictment alleges Jeffs, Wayman and others took more than $12 million from food stamp recipients, laundered it and used it to maintain a series of safe houses and hiding places. Outside the courthouse, federal prosecutor Robert Lund spoke to reporters about the charges Jeffs and Wayman are facing.

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ROBERT LUND: The legal authorities preclude diversion of federal funds for purposes other than the stated purpose. And so, to the extent that federal monies were diverted for purposes other than intended, that's a crime.

GILDEA: Both Jeffs and Wayman will appear at detention hearings in the coming week. Lund says it's imperative that both defendants be held in custody.

LUND: And we have serious concerns about the defendants' flight risks, their access to locations and resources that could help them abscond and keep themselves from the court's jurisdiction.

GILDEA: One former member of the FLDS Church in the courtroom was Lyle Jeffs' son, Thomas. He says he's sad to see his father in custody, but believes the arrests could break down the hold these leaders have over the religious community.

THOMAS JEFFS: When I was even in the church I asked him why we were doing that. And he says, we'll be fine, and we're 10 steps ahead of the government, so there's nothing to fear.

GILDEA: Several other defendants were arraigned in St. George, Utah. Attorneys for the defendants and FLDS church authorities did not comment. This is the second federal case currently pending against the polygamous sect. The other is a religious discrimination suit being heard in Arizona. For NPR News, I'm Terry Gildea in Salt Lake City. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Corrected: February 23, 2016 at 11:00 PM CST
A previous headline incorrectly stated that leaders from the LDS Church were indicted. The leaders were actually from the FLDS Church — the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
U.S.
Terry Gildea
Terry Gildea comes to KUER from San Antonio where he spent four years as a reporter and host at Texas Public Radio. While at KSTX, he created, produced and hosted the station's first local talk show, The Source. He covered San Antonio's military community for the station and for NPR's Impact of War Project. Terry's features on wounded warriors, families on the home front and veterans navigating life after war have aired on Morning Edition, Weekend Edition and All Things Considered. His half-hour radio documentary exploring the burn unit at Brooke Army Medical Center was honored by the Houston Press and the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters. Prior to his position in San Antonio, Terry covered Congress for two years with Capitol News Connection and Public Radio International . He holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Washington and a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Terry enjoys spending time with his wife and two young sons, fixing bicycles and rooting for his hometown Seattle Mariners.
See stories by Terry Gildea
Terry Gildea
Terry Gildea comes to KUER from San Antonio where he spent four years as a reporter and host at Texas Public Radio. While at KSTX, he created, produced and hosted the station's first local talk show, The Source. He covered San Antonio's military community for the station and for NPR's Impact of War Project. Terry's features on wounded warriors, families on the home front and veterans navigating life after war have aired on Morning Edition, Weekend Edition and All Things Considered. His half-hour radio documentary exploring the burn unit at Brooke Army Medical Center was honored by the Houston Press Club and the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters. Prior to his position in San Antonio, Terry covered Congress for two years with Capitol News Connection and Public Radio International . He holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Washington and a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Terry enjoys spending time with his wife and two young sons, fixing bicycles and rooting for his hometown Seattle Mariners.