Suit may destroy UEP Trust of FLDS
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700247076,00.html
Excerpts
The future of the Fundamentalist LDS Church's real-estate holdings arm may hang on a lawsuit filed by a former child bride.
That's what attorneys for the court-controlled United Effort Plan Trust claim in new court papers filed in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court. In a renewed motion for summary judgment over a multimillion dollar personal injury lawsuit filed by Elissa Wall, lawyers for the UEP Trust fear that if a judge holds the trust liable — it may not survive.
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"Given the large number of Mr. Jeffs' victims, and the serious nature of his crimes, the Trust may well lose all of its assets to tort plaintiffs harmed by Mr. Jeffs — leaving nothing for the numerous innocent beneficiaries who presently reside in houses on Trust property."
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The UEP Trust controls homes, businesses and property in the FLDS strongholds of Hildale, Utah; Colorado City, Ariz.; and Bountiful, British Columbia in Canada. In 2005, a judge took control of the trust and its estimated $110 million assets amid allegations that Jeffs and other FLDS leaders mismanaged it.
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"Exposing the charitable UEP Trust to liability for the unlawful acts of Warren Jeffs would come at a high cost to the men, women and children currently living in homes on trust land who have never endorsed child rape or any other unlawful acts alleged by plaintiff," he wrote.
Wall's attorney, Greg Hoole, said the lawsuit is not about making anybody rich — but holding people accountable.
"Elissa Wall has made it very clear she does not intend to keep any of the money that will likely be awarded to her," he said. "It's essentially about accountability and the trust needs to step up and be held accountable for its role in the abuses that have been perpetuated against children over the past decades in this community."
FLDS parents to take court-ordered classes
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700247079,00.html
Excerpts
Promising to teach tolerance, awareness and respect of others, the court-ordered parenting classes for members of the Fundamentalist LDS Church are scheduled to finally begin later this week.
The Deseret News has obtained a copy of the curriculum of the programs that parents from the YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas will be required to attend as per the agreement of their children being returned to them in June.
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Program One is called "Developing Potential." It's billed as an introductory program to provide a child with "the framework for a life rich in family, friends and personal growth. Teaching children these core strengths will allow children to learn to live and prosper together with people of all kinds."
The other programs scheduled to be taught have titles such as, "Attachment," "Self-Regulation," "Affiliation," "Attunement," "Tolerance" and "Respect." Instructors are given 12 handouts with exercises and a 55-slide PowerPoint presentation to complement the programs.
The descriptions for the various classes say the children will be taught how to "form and maintain healthy emotional bonds with another person," "control primary urges," and become aware and tolerant of different races and cultures.
"With positive modeling, caregivers can insure and build on children's tolerance. The tolerant child is more flexible and adaptive," the curriculum says.
Under the title of "Affiliation," children are taught that the family is the child's most important group. "Most other groups they will join are based on circumstance or common interests," according to the curriculum.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
5 Men Indicted and New Photos
Here are some new photo slideshows of the FLDS:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/07/27/magazine/20080727_FLDS_SLIDESHOW_index.html?scp=2&sq=FLDS&st=cse
5 polygamist sect men arraigned in abuse case
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iIdMpRHjN4hpNKBhfYyAsR4DDo4QD927RT280
click image for bigger version.
Excerpt
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Five followers of jailed polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs were arraigned Tuesday on charges relating to child abuse and ordered to avoid their alleged victims when they post bond.
Raymond Merrill Jessop, 36, Allan Eugene Keate, 56, Michael George Emack, 57, and Merrill Leroy Jessop, 33, are charged with sexual assault of a child. Merrill Leroy Jessop faces an additional charge of bigamy.
Lloyd Hammon Barlow, the 38-year-old physician who lived at the Yearning For Zion Ranch, faces three misdemeanor counts of failure to report child abuse. He posted a $15,000 bond Tuesday, said Tela Mange, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Safety.
The other men remained jailed Tuesday evening on bonds of $100,000 for each charge. They were ordered by Justice of the Peace James Doyle to avoid their victims, to stay in Texas and only leave Schleicher County after notifying law enforcement.
The men will enter pleas at a later court hearing.
Prosecutors have refused to provide details on what the men from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are accused of doing, but documents from a separate custody case included a journal entry from Jeffs indicating Raymond Merrill Jessop was married to Jeffs' daughter the day after she turned 15.
The same entry, dated July 2006, said Merrill Leroy Jessop married another sect daughter that day, though it's not clear how old she was.
Jeffs, who was also indicted for sexual assault of a child in Eldorado, is jailed in Arizona awaiting trial on charges related to the marriage of underage girls to older sect members there. He was convicted in Utah last year as an accomplice to rape for marrying a girl to her cousin.
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/07/27/magazine/20080727_FLDS_SLIDESHOW_index.html?scp=2&sq=FLDS&st=cse
5 polygamist sect men arraigned in abuse case
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iIdMpRHjN4hpNKBhfYyAsR4DDo4QD927RT280
click image for bigger version.
Excerpt
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Five followers of jailed polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs were arraigned Tuesday on charges relating to child abuse and ordered to avoid their alleged victims when they post bond.
Raymond Merrill Jessop, 36, Allan Eugene Keate, 56, Michael George Emack, 57, and Merrill Leroy Jessop, 33, are charged with sexual assault of a child. Merrill Leroy Jessop faces an additional charge of bigamy.
Lloyd Hammon Barlow, the 38-year-old physician who lived at the Yearning For Zion Ranch, faces three misdemeanor counts of failure to report child abuse. He posted a $15,000 bond Tuesday, said Tela Mange, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Safety.
The other men remained jailed Tuesday evening on bonds of $100,000 for each charge. They were ordered by Justice of the Peace James Doyle to avoid their victims, to stay in Texas and only leave Schleicher County after notifying law enforcement.
The men will enter pleas at a later court hearing.
Prosecutors have refused to provide details on what the men from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are accused of doing, but documents from a separate custody case included a journal entry from Jeffs indicating Raymond Merrill Jessop was married to Jeffs' daughter the day after she turned 15.
The same entry, dated July 2006, said Merrill Leroy Jessop married another sect daughter that day, though it's not clear how old she was.
Jeffs, who was also indicted for sexual assault of a child in Eldorado, is jailed in Arizona awaiting trial on charges related to the marriage of underage girls to older sect members there. He was convicted in Utah last year as an accomplice to rape for marrying a girl to her cousin.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Who owns YFZ and more DNA gathered.
2 articles for you today:
Trust serves papers on FLDS ranch
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700242957,00.html
Excerpts
Lawyers for the court-controlled real-estate holdings arm of the Fundamentalist LDS Church have served court papers on the polygamous sect's Texas ranch.
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The request demands "documents and tangible objects addressed to the custodian of records for Bank of America."
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Over the years, lawyers have struggled to get documents about the FLDS Church's management of the trust — claiming that records have disappeared, been destroyed or moved. They had to go to court to see records seized when Jeffs was arrested in 2006 outside Las Vegas, and when his brother was arrested in Colorado.
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In 2005, a Utah court took control of the UEP Trust amid allegations that Jeffs and other FLDS leaders had been mismanaging it. A judge in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court appointed Wisan as special fiduciary. Since then, he has been trying to enact court-ordered reforms to the UEP, including subdividing property in the FLDS enclaves of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz.
The UEP was founded on the early-Mormon concept of a "united order," where members deeded everything to the church and it was doled out according to just wants and needs. The UEP controls homes, businesses and property in Hildale, Colorado City, and in Bountiful, British Columbia, in Canada.
Texas officials gather more DNA evidence for criminal case against FLDS leader
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21751/warren-jeffs-dna-flds
Excerpts
Texas authorities working to build a criminal case against polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs took a third genetic sample from an FLDS mother and her child on Saturday.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office served a search warrant on Veda Keate, 19, in Converse, Texas, at the apartment where she is living with her 2-year-old daughter, sister and mother. Robert Switzer, a San Antonio defense attorney, arranged for Keate to meet with a nurse and two deputies.
Keate told The Salt Lake Tribune she and her daughter had given two previous DNA samples and she protested having to undergo a third collection. Keate said she asked why the AG’s office could not use samples taken by Texas Child Protective Services.
[...]
Switzer said he and Keate were shown an affidavit that said Texas authorities believe his client’s child was fathered by Jeffs when she was under the legal age of consent - which is 16 for a legal marriage and 17 for sexual contact when there is an age difference of three years or less.
Trust serves papers on FLDS ranch
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700242957,00.html
Excerpts
Lawyers for the court-controlled real-estate holdings arm of the Fundamentalist LDS Church have served court papers on the polygamous sect's Texas ranch.
-----------------------
The request demands "documents and tangible objects addressed to the custodian of records for Bank of America."
------------------------
Over the years, lawyers have struggled to get documents about the FLDS Church's management of the trust — claiming that records have disappeared, been destroyed or moved. They had to go to court to see records seized when Jeffs was arrested in 2006 outside Las Vegas, and when his brother was arrested in Colorado.
-------------------------
In 2005, a Utah court took control of the UEP Trust amid allegations that Jeffs and other FLDS leaders had been mismanaging it. A judge in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court appointed Wisan as special fiduciary. Since then, he has been trying to enact court-ordered reforms to the UEP, including subdividing property in the FLDS enclaves of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz.
The UEP was founded on the early-Mormon concept of a "united order," where members deeded everything to the church and it was doled out according to just wants and needs. The UEP controls homes, businesses and property in Hildale, Colorado City, and in Bountiful, British Columbia, in Canada.
Texas officials gather more DNA evidence for criminal case against FLDS leader
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21751/warren-jeffs-dna-flds
Excerpts
Texas authorities working to build a criminal case against polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs took a third genetic sample from an FLDS mother and her child on Saturday.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office served a search warrant on Veda Keate, 19, in Converse, Texas, at the apartment where she is living with her 2-year-old daughter, sister and mother. Robert Switzer, a San Antonio defense attorney, arranged for Keate to meet with a nurse and two deputies.
Keate told The Salt Lake Tribune she and her daughter had given two previous DNA samples and she protested having to undergo a third collection. Keate said she asked why the AG’s office could not use samples taken by Texas Child Protective Services.
[...]
Switzer said he and Keate were shown an affidavit that said Texas authorities believe his client’s child was fathered by Jeffs when she was under the legal age of consent - which is 16 for a legal marriage and 17 for sexual contact when there is an age difference of three years or less.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Zoning Violations Found at Compound
County says FLDS compound violates zoning regulations
http://www.wetmountaintribune.com/home.asp?i=439&p=1
Excerpts
With a search warrant in hand, local authorities accompanied Custer County zoning director Jackie Hobby to the FLDS compound in Bull Domingo last week to check for possible building and zoning violations. The Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints compound was inspected last Thursday, July 3.
---------------------------------
County judge Peter Michaelson signed the warrant. The warrant allowed law enforcement to accompany Hobby, however, it did not give law enforcement authorities permission to search for possible signs of criminal activity.
“Of course,” said Jobe, “had we seen any criminal activity in plain sight we could have taken action. But that was not the case. We saw no criminal activity.”
---------------------------------
Hobby said the current septic system is designed for use by no more than four people in the household and there are more than four people living on site. As a result, the FLDS group has 30 days to show they are moving toward compliance. Compliance, noted Hobby, is an engineer- designed system. As for building without a permit, the group must apply for a zoning permit and they will have to pay three times the regular fee.
http://www.wetmountaintribune.com/home.asp?i=439&p=1
Excerpts
With a search warrant in hand, local authorities accompanied Custer County zoning director Jackie Hobby to the FLDS compound in Bull Domingo last week to check for possible building and zoning violations. The Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints compound was inspected last Thursday, July 3.
---------------------------------
County judge Peter Michaelson signed the warrant. The warrant allowed law enforcement to accompany Hobby, however, it did not give law enforcement authorities permission to search for possible signs of criminal activity.
“Of course,” said Jobe, “had we seen any criminal activity in plain sight we could have taken action. But that was not the case. We saw no criminal activity.”
---------------------------------
Hobby said the current septic system is designed for use by no more than four people in the household and there are more than four people living on site. As a result, the FLDS group has 30 days to show they are moving toward compliance. Compliance, noted Hobby, is an engineer- designed system. As for building without a permit, the group must apply for a zoning permit and they will have to pay three times the regular fee.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
FLDS Sells kidswear on the web
FLDS fashions for kids sold on enterprising Web site
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9737603
ELDORADO, Texas - A new clothing brand may be born out of the Texas raid on a polygamous sect.
FLDS women for the first time are offering their handmade, distinctive style of children's clothes to the public through the Web site fldsdress.com.
Launched initially to provide Texas authorities with clothing for FLDS children in custody, the online store now is aimed at helping their mothers earn a living.
The venture, which has already drawn queries from throughout the U.S., is banking on interest in modest clothes, curiosity and charity to be a success.
-----------------------------------------------
The department took custody of 440 children from the sect's Yearning for Zion Ranch in early April and eventually placed them in shelters throughout Texas, where they were expected to stay for up to a year.
Most children had only a few changes of clothes - long dresses for girls and pants and long-sleeved shirts for boys, covering long underwear.
"Some children had only the shirt on their backs, literally," Jessop said.
By late April, some children had been told to stop using their unique underwear, and clothing was getting mixed up and lost on laundry days. That added to the pressure, Jessop said, to have the children don "gentile" - regular - clothes.
But the mothers resisted.
"We said, 'These are our children and this is the way we've chosen to dress them,'" Jessop said. "No way, no way."
When CPS said there was no place to buy clothing that met the sect's dress code, the mothers had an answer.
"We said, 'Yes you can. You can buy them from us,'" Jessop said.
With their children gone, many mothers had idle hands, empty hours and a need to support themselves.
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9737603
ELDORADO, Texas - A new clothing brand may be born out of the Texas raid on a polygamous sect.
FLDS women for the first time are offering their handmade, distinctive style of children's clothes to the public through the Web site fldsdress.com.
Launched initially to provide Texas authorities with clothing for FLDS children in custody, the online store now is aimed at helping their mothers earn a living.The venture, which has already drawn queries from throughout the U.S., is banking on interest in modest clothes, curiosity and charity to be a success.
-----------------------------------------------
The department took custody of 440 children from the sect's Yearning for Zion Ranch in early April and eventually placed them in shelters throughout Texas, where they were expected to stay for up to a year.
Most children had only a few changes of clothes - long dresses for girls and pants and long-sleeved shirts for boys, covering long underwear."Some children had only the shirt on their backs, literally," Jessop said.
By late April, some children had been told to stop using their unique underwear, and clothing was getting mixed up and lost on laundry days. That added to the pressure, Jessop said, to have the children don "gentile" - regular - clothes.
But the mothers resisted.
"We said, 'These are our children and this is the way we've chosen to dress them,'" Jessop said. "No way, no way."
When CPS said there was no place to buy clothing that met the sect's dress code, the mothers had an answer.
"We said, 'Yes you can. You can buy them from us,'" Jessop said.
With their children gone, many mothers had idle hands, empty hours and a need to support themselves.
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