Warren Jeffs Still In Control Of FLDS Faithful
 
Reported by Rod Decker
KUTV 2 News
Warren Jeffs

U.S. polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs talks with his attorneys during the first day of his trial in St. George, Utah, Thursday.

Warren Jeffs has resigned as head of the FLDS Church business arm. Even though he is in prison, his FLDS followers are still doing what he says. They won't take their homes back from the state-appointed trustee because Jeffs has told them not to.

And the legal arguments haven't stopped, either.

2News Rod Decker has more.

FLDS people didn't own their own homes or farms or businesses. They donated them all to their church and got back the use of them while they were faithful. State lawyers seized all the property and put it into a trust. Now Warren Jeffs has resigned as formal head of that trust, but evidently, his people are still following him.

FLDS people donate everything they have to the United Effort Plan. State lawyers said Warren Jeffs was stealing from the plan. Though no proof of theft was brought, the courts seized all the property and put it in a trust. Warren Jeffs is now in prison for rape as an accomplice. He can't steal now. So trustee Bruce Wisan wants to give the property back, but to each individual FLDS member, not to the United Effort Plan.

That's not working.

"They don't want them. They say we don't want to take that which is consecrated to God. Our prophet tells us not to," said Wisan.

So even though Warren Jeffs is in prison, FLDS people won't accept the deeds to their own homes, until he tells them it's okay.

There are cases in court. Warren Jeffs’ defense lawyer says the polygamous prophet should get a new trial because the one that convicted him of rape as accomplice was full of errors.

Warren Jeffs' victim Elissa Wall has renewed her suit for the abuse she suffered. She wants several million dollars out of the trust of the property seized from FLDS people.

Wisan says just because Warren Jeffs committed crimes is no reason to take the property of his followers.

The trust has nothing to do with any crimes he may have committed.
 
KUTV.com
Originally broadcast December 6, 2007
 
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