Polygamist Compound; Targeting Polygamy; Inside Polygamy; You Pay for It; Polygamists Under Fire

ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES CNN

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: And good evening. New details tonight about Warren Jeffs' polygamist compound. A new word on the search for the man some call messiah, others say is evil incarnate. ANNOUNCER: Searching for one of America's most wanted. Outlawed Polygamist Warren Jeffs. Still on the run, does his trail lead across the border? Out of the compound and into the mainstream. Tonight, how some women escape polygamy, only to find more troubles ahead. ANNOUNCER: Across the country and around the world, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360. Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, here's Anderson Cooper. COOPER: Good evening. We begin tonight with the search from British Columbia to Texas for Warren Jeffs. According to the FBI, the tips are coming in as fast as they can process them. In recent days, agents have searched a home outside Denver for the fugitive polygamist. They found nothing there. Reports have also placed him in Mesquite, Nevada, and at his compound in Eldorado, Texas. This is where Journalist John Krakauer told us Jeffs could be hiding, perhaps even planning his final stand. CNN's Rick Sanchez is there. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On 1,700 fenced acres of west Texas, a village is springing up from the scrub. For the followers of Warren Jeffs, it's a kind of promised land. They adhere to strict rules. For the women and children, hair pulled back, long dresses with leggings. They seem stuck in time. Purposely isolated to maintain a code of life based on old values, traditions, the early 1800s. Just ask Local Newspaper Editor Randy Mankin, who first reported Jeffs' polygamist sect moved here. RANDY MANKIN, ELDORADO SUCCESS: The prophet tells his people not to read papers or watch television, but someone in there has a satellite dish. SANCHEZ: Mankin and others wonder if Jeffs and his deputies, while depriving his followers of news and modern influences, are themselves using them as a tool to help control his followers. And over on top of his building, a wireless antenna, like this one, capable of supporting an Internet network inside the compound. The local sheriff says what he and his deputies have found is anything but primitive. DAVID DORAN, SCHLEICHER COUNTY SHERIFF: They're very sophisticated as far as electronics go. They're able to set up a perimeter around their property, to alert if somebody's coming in. SANCHEZ: We found that ourselves when we visited the compound. We pulled out, they pulled in. When we approached, they left us in the dust. It's as if they were talking to each other on two-ways. The sheriff says they were. DORAN: They have a scrambler on their radio system where an average person couldn't pick up a scanner and listen to their conversations. SANCHEZ: Then there's a surveillance system, one that revealed itself to Randy Mankin one night when he was investigating the compound. MANKIN: We were there on the county road, using some night vision surveillance, looking in toward the ranch and to see them looking back at us with night vision surveillance was kind of eerie. SANCHEZ (on camera): You can't help but wonder what they're hiding here in west Texas. Why the computers and the two-ways and the surveillance equipment? Is it being used to keep people out? Or to keep their people in? (Voice-over): There are people who have left the organization who say that their communications, their phone calls have been listened to by someone? MANKIN: Yes. SANCHEZ: That's true? MANKIN: That's true. SANCHEZ (on camera): A private detective, who has been investigating Warren Jeffs, tells us about one case where a follower's phone call was monitored. It was the wife of a polygamist who was planning to flee, but was discovered before she was able to do so. It is cases like that which show how Jeffs gets his real knowledge. Knowledge that, to his followers makes him seem like a prophet. Rick Sanchez, CNN, Eldorado, Texas. (END VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: Well, right behind the FBI is a long list of people who cannot wait to see Warren Jeffs caught and locked away. Many of them used to practice polygamy themselves. They used to follow Warren Jeffs. You are about to meet a woman who has made it her mission to end the practice of polygamy in America, a lifestyle that she herself once embraced. Here's CNN's Randi Kaye. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vicky Prunty still remembers her wedding day. She was looking forward to years of marital bliss. Instead, after seven years, her husband became a polygamist and added another wife. (On camera): What does it feel like to share your husband with another woman? VICKY PRUNTY, FORMER POLYGAMIST: It's not a natural feeling to share the one you love with other women. And it brought a lot of sorrow. KAYE (voice-over): For Vicky, it was unbearable. She ran away with her children. Her husband thought she was Satan. PRUNTY: He would pray for my death with the children, but even before that, they really believed that I had demons, and he would try to cast the demons out of me so that I was more obedient. KAYE: Unsure where to turn, Vicky married another polygamist. The marriage lasted just a few months. PRUNTY: The husband sat all of his wives down and said, he never believed in it, but what men wouldn't want to have sex with more than one wife? KAYE (on camera): Was that a breaking point for you? PRUNTY: Oh, I absolutely felt exploited. I remember going into the shower after hearing that and just scrubbing myself. KAYE (voice-over): Again, Vicky ran. This time for good. But she was now a single mom with six children, no identity, no money, no knowledge of how the rest of the world works. PRUNTY: I was afraid of even going into the grocery store and the scanners that you see today, all the labels on the food items, the bar codes, to us was the mark of the beast. KAYE (on camera): Vicky says she felt like a refuge in a new world. A lot of polygamist wives don't have driver's licenses or credit cards, no bank account or social security card. And their children don't even have birth certificates. They just don't believe in them. (Voice-over): Vicky landed on her feet and started Tapestry against Polygamy, a group to help polygamist wives enter the mainstream. PRUNTY: Our lives are so interwoven, and because of our experiences, we're in a way unraveling a tapestry and creating a new one. KAYE: Hundreds of women have turned to Tapestry for help, but helping others means danger. (On camera): Have you personally been threatened? PRUNTY: They talked to one of my children and asked them if I was their mother and said that they were watching them as they walked home from school. KAYE: Why are you so determined to help the other women? PRUNTY: Once you know what's going on, you have a moral responsibility to do something about it. I felt an obligation to see things to an end. KAYE (voice-over): And to Vicky, the only end is the end of polygamy. Randi Kaye, CNN, Salt Lake City, Utah. (END VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: Well, what happens if Warren Jeffs is apprehended, sent to jail or perhaps even killed when authorities move against him? Author Jon Krakauer, who researched polygamist communities for his book, "Under the Banner of Heaven," says that would make Warren Jeffs a martyr. Some of his followers might even seek revenge for years to come. I spoke to Jon Krakauer earlier. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: And this notion of revenge killings, I mean, that's based in religious doctrine? JON KRAKAUER, AUTHOR, "UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN": That's right. And it's very controversial. Obviously, the mainstream church is very different than it was in the 19th century. But in that century, the doctrine of blood atonement was official doctrine. COOPER: Blood atonement? KRAKAUER: Blood atonement, it's called. It was most prevalent in Utah in the mid-19th century, in the 1850s, 1860s, when Utah was at war with the country. And the Mormon church believed at that time, and the fundamentalists believe today, that some crime, some sins were so great, they had to be atoned by spilling the sinner's blood on the ground. And so -- and if you kill someone who deserves to be blood atoned, if you blood atone them, as they say, then that's no crime. And Warren has preached that openly in numerous sermons. It's, you know, it's one of those beliefs it. And it sounds alarmist and it's easy to make too much of it, but it needs to be taken seriously. I mean, these people, by nature, Warren's followers, are not violent. They're good people, most of them. They're good, hard working people. They happen to believe in a very dangerous man. And to protect him or to avenge his death, they would do things that they wouldn't do ordinarily because they are true believers. And you have to take that seriously. COOPER: You know, there are some who will say, look, this is just a group's religious beliefs and -- I mean, in your book, I was reading after there was this raid on a polygamist group back -- I think it was in the '60s -- that ended very badly in bloodshed, there was almost an up swell of support for polygamists. People felt sorry for them. They felt like they were being persecuted. Is that the same case -- I mean, are these people just being persecuted? KRAKAUER: No, no. Not at all. You know, you can have -- you can believe whatever you want to do. It's when your actions break laws and you refuse to adhere to the laws of the nation or state, then, you know, the First Amendment doesn't apply. And that's what's going on here. There have been all kinds of crimes committed, abuses of women and children, financial scams, theft. This isn't a religious question, this is a mistake -- I mean, Warren and his people have tried -- have successfully turned this into a religious issue for years, ever since the '53 raid. We're just good old boys, who have a little different idea of marriage down here in the desert. You know, leave us alone, let us practice our faith. Well, it's not. It's much more than that. There's something very evil right beneath the surface. And it needs to be nipped. It needs to be stopped. I mean, this is -- great damage has been done to hundreds, thousands of people and will continue to be done if something isn't done. I mean, you can't -- law enforcement's in a bind. They can't do nothing. They've got to -- Warren Jeffs, contrary to what some people have said, needs to be on the 10 most wanted list. He deserves to be there. He is a person of that, you know, his evil is of that magnitude. But to deal with him is going to be very difficult. And that remains to be seen what's going to happen next. COOPER: Jon Krakauer, again, appreciate you joining us. Thanks. KRAKAUER: Sure. (END VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: Well, besides being a self-proclaimed messenger of God, Polygamist Leader Warren Jeffs has held more earthly occupations. Here's the raw data. Jeffs was a teacher and a principal of his own private school, where the day apparently began with hymns, never the Pledge of Allegiance. The FBI also said that Jeffs is an accountant. There is, of course, some irony in that. Authorities will tell you that Jeffs and some of his followers are also tax cheats. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARK SHURTLEFF, UTAH ATTORNEY GENERAL: They hate the government. They will bleed it. They will take everything they can from it through welfare, through tax evasion and fraud. (END VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: Coming up, we'll tell you how their polygamist community is costing you money. Plus, her husband is getting the low poll numbers, but First Lady Laura Bush is riding high. We'll see how Republicans are hoping to use that to their advantage this fall. And taxes are getting cut again. Of course, not everyone is getting the same break. We're covering all the angles. The winners, the losers and the politics behind it all, when 360 continues. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: Warren Jeffs' alleged sexual exploitation of women and children is reason enough to bring him to justice. But there is another. And it touches every taxpayer. According to his accusers, Jeffs helps finance his operation by stealing tax dollars -- your tax dollars. Again, here's CNN's Randi Kaye, "Keeping them Honest." (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KAYE: Warren Jeffs may live thousands of miles from you, but he may not be that far from your wallet. Jeffs and his followers are costing you money and getting away with it, critics say, by hiding behind religion. MARK SHURTLEFF, UTAH ATTORNEY GENERAL: Their religious belief is that they are to, what they call bleed the beast, the beast being the government. Why they hate the government, they will bleed it. They will take everything they can from it through welfare, through tax evasion and fraud. KAYE: You see, as practicing polygamists, Jeffs and his group believe it's their religious right to have multiple wives and dozens of children and often lean on taxpayers to foot the bill. (On camera): Here's how it works, the men have multiple wives, but only one marriage is recognized as legal by the state of Utah. So the rest of the wives claim to be single moms, struggling to raise a houseful of dependents. That makes them eligible for government aid. So they collect welfare -- lots of it. And it's all legal. SHURTLEFF: More than 65 percent of the people are on welfare, they're on food stamps, compared to about 6 percent in the general populations. KAYE (voice-over): Keeping Warren Jeffs and his followers honest is a challenge. SHURTLEFF: He's like a crime boss. I mean, he runs an organization, an empire, where he has absolute control. KAYE: Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff hasn't filed charges, but he's investigating Jeffs for cooking the books, avoiding taxes, even setting up offshore accounts. SHURTLEFF: He has them convinced from the moment they're born that he is God on earth, and that if you disobey him, if you leave his church, if you disobey his commandments, then you will burn in hell forever. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To say nothing, do nothing... KAYE (on camera): A judge appointed Accountant Bruce Wisan to take control of the group's $110 million trust and the land in it. (Voice-over): Wisan's biggest challenge? Collecting more than $1 million in overdue property taxes from polygamist property owners living in Colorado City, Arizona, where Jeffs' church is based. (On camera): Is it their responsibility to pay? BRUCE WISAN, ACCOUNTANT: Well, it is. And they've received benefits of living on the trust land for free. They didn't pay for the land. In many cases, community efforts built the houses. So all they have to pay is utilities and property taxes. I don't think that's unreasonable. KAYE (voice-over): Why they stopped paying? Because when Wisan took control of the trust, Jeffs ordered his members to stop paying taxes. So the standoff continues between religion and real estate and between Warren Jeffs and those hot on his trail. The question is how much will it cost you before Jeffs is caught? Randi Kaye, CNN, Salt Lake City, Utah. (END VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: Other polygamists fear the attention that Jeffs and his sect are getting is going to pressure authorities to crack down on their families. In Canada an American polygamist may get deported. We'll give you a rare look inside a polygamist family now fearful of what will happen to them. Plus, a verdict in the case of a priest charged with the bizarre ritual murder of a nun. The latest from the courtroom, when 360 continues. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: We found a former follower of Warren Jeffs living in Canada with his many wives and dozens of children. Now, this man no longer follows Jeffs, but he is a polygamist. And because it's illegal in Canada, he now fears the government's going to crack down on him. CNN's Dan Simon reports from British Columbia. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It looks like a motel, but it's home for Winston Blackmore and his wives -- about 20, he told CNN, and their children -- about 100 of them. Polygamy is illegal in Canada, but the family has escaped a government crackdown, until now. You're in this country now illegally? EDITH BARLOW, WIFE OF POLYGAMIST: Yes. SIMON: Edith Barlow came to Bountiful more than 10 years ago from Colorado City, Arizona, to marry Blackmore and have children. But now she's been told she has to leave the country or face deportation. Her application to become a Canadian citizen was turned down. BARLOW: MY biggest thing is I don't understand why I can't be here with them. SIMON: You're breaking the law. BARLOW: Well, that's true, but I don't have any other options. SIMON: That's because she says leaving would also mean leaving her children behind -- five of them, from 16 months to 8 years old, all born in Canada. If you wanted to, could you just take your kids with you back to the States? BARLOW: My children have every right to be in Canada, and that's where they want to be. And that's where their father wants them to be. SIMON: Edith is not alone. Two of Blackmore's other wives, including Marsha Chatwin, are also facing deportation. What happens if the Canadian government decides that they want to deport you back to the U.S.? MARSHA CHATWIN, WIFE OF POLYGAMIST: Well, they'd have to drag me because I don't want to leave my children. SIMON: But these aren't the family's only problems. Blackmore says he could face trouble for having sex with some of his wives when they were in their teens. In Canada, a girl can marry at 16, but if they were any younger Blackmore could be arrested and prosecuted for having sex with a minor. Were any of the women under 16 when you married them? WINSTON BLACKMORE, POLYGAMIST: Yes, just barely. SIMON: Just barely? BLACKMORE: Just barely. SIMON: Blackmore didn't exactly say how many of his wives were under 16 when they married. BLACKMORE: There was one that was and one that lied about her age, but that's not unusual for women, is it? SIMON: Blackmore might be laughing now, but he knows there's a real possibility he could be thrown in prison. He says the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada's equivalent of the FBI, has been interviewing him and his wives about their age when they married and first had sex. The agency declined to confirm it's investigating Blackmore and his wives. It did say quote, "We do have an active investigation...but there's no firm timeline." Blackmore and his wives think they know why, after years of living a polygamist life, the government is now investigating them. They believe the FBI's hunt for Fugitive Polygamy Leader Warren Jeffs has cast a new and negative light on the polygamist lifestyle. How do you convince the government that what they're doing is wrong? CHATWIN: That's why I'm here, to tell them. SIMON: A large polygamist family under pressure and on the verge of breaking apart. (END VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: Why did Blackmore break away or get removed by Warren Jeffs as head of the fundamentalist church up in Bountiful? SIMON (on camera): Well, what happened is Blackmore started challenging Jeffs' authority. Jeffs was coming in here and he was removing people from the church. He was ex-communicating them. And Blackmore had a big problem with that. Also, Jeffs, you know, is a self-proclaimed prophet. And he was making certain predictions. And when they didn't happen, Blackmore thought this guy was bogus and he voiced it to certain people in the church. Jeffs, obviously, didn't like it and tossed him out. COOPER: Interesting. Dan Simon, thanks.

CNN.com Originally broadcast May 11, 2006

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