Catch Me if You Can! Where's Warren?  Now he's in Prison!

Courtesy of the Nevada Highway Patrol Warren Jeffs, the FLDS "Prophet", was indicted in Mohave County, Arizona on one count each of sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor.  He was charged under an Arizona law that makes it a felony to sanction forced marriages of teenagers with much older men. Warren isn't accused of having sexual contact with the unidentified 16-year-old victim himself. In July, 2005, the Attorneys General of Arizona and Utah announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.  The FBI joined the hunt by filing a federal warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution against Warren and later added their own $50,000 reward for finding him.   In April 2006, the Washington County (Utah) Attorney charged Warren with two counts of rape as an accomplice, a first-degree felony, and a judge signed a $500,000 cash-only warrant for his arrest.   On May 6, 2006 the FBI made Warren Jeffs one of their "Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" and upped the reward for his capture to $100,000.   That night he was featured on "America's Most Wanted". Warren was on the run and trying to stay one step ahead of the Law! He was spotted in Mesquite, Nevada and in Durango, Colorado.  Rumor had it that he often traveled to areas around Colorado City, Arizona and Bountiful, Canada to perform "celestial" plural marriages.  He may have periodically been hiding out at the compound in Eldorado, Texas or the one in Pringle, South Dakota. Warren was arrested riding in a RED Cadillac wearing shorts and a short-sleeve white T-shirt, munching on a salad and heading north out of Las Vegas just after dusk on Monday, August 28, 2006. Warren was allowed to change into his "regular" clothes before he was taken from the FBI office to the Clark County Detention Center and photographed for his mug shot. One of his many wives, Naomi was also riding in the car and she was wearing JEANS. These outfits certainly are a far cry from the ankle to wrist dress code, worn over white religious undergarments, that Warren's faithful followers are required to wear. In the RED Caddy was a LOT of LOOT: tens-of-thousands of dollars in cash (mostly $100 dollar bills), multiple cell phones, multiple pre-paid credit cards, multiple sets of car keys, GPS systems, laptop computers, wigs - you name it.

News Release

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff For Immediate Release June 10, 2005 Contact Paul Murphy:   (801) 538-1892

WARREN JEFFS INDICTED SHURTLEFF APPLAUDS MOHAVE COUNTY'S INVESTIGATION

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said today that child sex abuse indictments against Warren Jeffs are just the beginning of efforts to make sure all young girls in polygamous communities are protected.  The Mohave County Attorney issued an arrest warrant after a grand jury indicted Jeffs on two felony counts of sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual assault with a minor.  "Mohave County Attorney Matt Smith and Investigator Gary Engels should be commended for putting the time and resources into this difficult investigation.  We hope these indictments will encourage other victims to come forward and let perpetrators know that they will be brought to justice."  Jeffs is accused of arranging a marriage in 2002 between a 28-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl.  An unnamed defendant has also been indicted on three felony counts of sexual assault and sexual conduct with a minor.  The Mohave County Attorney's Office has also recently obtained indictments against two other men accused of taking part in arranged marriages with minors.  "State, local and federal authorities will continue to jointly investigate allegations of child abuse, domestic violence and fraud in closed communities," says Shurtleff.  "These efforts should serve notice that no one is above the law and we will vigorously prosecute crimes that victimize anyone under the guise of religion."  All defendants are presumed innocent unless they are proven guilty.

Effort to Find Warren Jeffs Could be Tricky

John Hollenhorst Reporting KSL TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast June 13, 2005

Law enforcement agencies around the nation have been put on the lookout for polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, but it's not certain they'll make an aggressive attempt to arrest him.   The situation has become legally tricky and worrisome.   First we should point out, the Jeffs group has never been linked to acts of violence.  But investigators say Jeffs has become increasingly secretive and isolated.  They're not sure what to expect now that he's been charged with arranging an illegal marriage to an underage girl.   Last Friday at the Jeffs compound in Texas, a neighbor reportedly saw a convoy of vans and SUV's leaving the ranch.  That was just after criminal charges against Jeffs were announced.  No one outside really knows if Jeffs is there, or was there, or at other FLDS compounds in Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Canada and possibly Mexico.   Arizona investigator Gary Engels developed the criminal case against Jeffs.  He doubts the secretive FLDS prophet will ever willingly surrender.   Gary Engels, Arizona Investigator: "I really can't see him doing that because I really believe he thinks he's above the laws of the land."     Read more

Where's leader of sect?

Polygamist last seen in Nevada; law officers wary

By Mark Shaffer The Arizona Republic - Flagstaff Bureau Originally published June 14, 2005

Law-enforcement officials in Arizona and Texas said Monday that they aren't yet willing to take action to get indicted polygamist leader Warren Jeffs into custody.   In large part that's because they say they don't know the whereabouts of the 49-year-old president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.   "The last reported sighting of him we had was in Mesquite, Nev., four or five weeks ago," said Mohave County Attorney Matthew Smith.   Smith announced Friday that Jeffs had been indicted on one count each of sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor in Colorado City from March to June 2002.   Jeffs isn't accused of having sexual contact with the unidentified 16-year-old victim himself.  He was charged under a recent state law that makes it a felony to sanction forced marriages of teenagers with much older men.   Colorado City is near Hildale, Utah, where the church sect is located.   David Doran, sheriff of Schleicher County in western Texas, where the polygamist sect bought land and built several buildings last year, said in a prepared statement that he had been in contact with those living on the YFZ ranch, near the town of Eldorado, since the warrant was issued.   "There is no evidence or information indicating that Jeffs is on the property," Doran said.     Read more

Polygamist ordered to give up

Ariz. attorney general says fugitive Jeffs has one week to comply

By Deborah Frazier Rocky Mountain News Originally published June 15, 2005

Warren Jeffs, the fugitive polygamist leader who has a secluded retreat in southwestern Colorado, has a week to turn himself in, Arizona's attorney general said Tuesday.   A grand jury in Mohave County, Ariz., indicted Jeffs last week on felony child sexual abuse charges for allegedly arranging a marriage between a 16-year-old girl and an older married man in 2002.   Warrants for Jeffs' arrest were sent to Montezuma County in Colorado and Eldorado, Texas, where his followers have built communities, and to Utah and Arizona, where his sect has long been headquartered.   "We'll give him some time to turn himself in, maybe a week, then we will look at other options," said Terry Goddard, Arizona's attorney general.   Goddard declined to specify the other options.   Jeffs is president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which splintered off from the traditional Mormon church in the late 1890s.   He has an estimated 10,000 followers in Utah, Arizona, Texas, Canada, Mexico, Nevada and at the southwest Colorado refuge, about 10 miles north of Mancos.   "If Mr. Jeffs is out there and would like to turn himself in and wants to do it in a discreet fashion, we would encourage him to come in with his attorney," said Montezuma County Sheriff Gerald Wallace.   Wallace said Jeffs could pay the $500,000 bond, a court date would be set and he would be released.     Read more

Leader in B.C. sect flees in polygamy case

U.S. prosecutors have charged him with arranging a marriage between a teenaged girl and a married man

By Jane Armstrong The Globe and Mail Originally published Thursday, June 16, 2005

Vancouver — The reclusive leader of a Utah-based sect that broke away from the Mormons -- and has a large colony in British Columbia -- is now a fugitive after U.S. prosecutors charged him with arranging a marriage between a teenaged girl and a married man.   The arrest warrant for Warren Jeffs, president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has raised fears of a violent showdown between authorities and the volatile, 49-year-old leader reminiscent of the deadly 1993 standoff at Waco, Tex.   Until recently, Mr. Jeffs was thought to be at a gated compound in the tiny Texas town of Eldorado surrounded by hand-picked devotees.  But Arizona prosecutors, who last week filed two felony sex-related charges, concede they don't know their suspect's whereabouts.   Mojave County attorney Matthew Smith even conceded Canada might be a hiding spot.  "It's not beyond the realm of possibility."   "But I have not heard that," Mr. Smith said in a telephone interview.  "The best guess for a lot of people is that he's in Texas."   The RCMP said U.S. officials have not contacted them, and that they have no reason to believe Mr. Jeffs is in Canada.  Staff Sergeant John Ward said the Mounties would co-operate if the United States made an official request.     Read more

FBI seeking leader of polygamist sect

By Mark Shaffer The Arizona Republic - Flagstaff Bureau Originally published July 8, 2005

The FBI on Friday issued a plea for the public's help in finding the fugitive leader of Colorado City's polygamist sect.   Warren S. Jeffs, 49, was indicted by a Mohave County grand jury in early June on sex-crimes charges involving marrying off an underage girl to another member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a multiple-marriage sect.   Jeffs was charged in a federal warrant with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution on June 27 when he failed to surrender to authorities.   He was believed to have been on land owned by the FLDS near Eldorado, Texas, when he was indicted before fleeing for Colorado and, later to another polygamist community with ties to Colorado City in British Columbia, near the U.S. border.   Deborah McCarley, a special agent for the FBI in Phoenix, said that the agency joined the hunt for Jeffs after assistance was sought by the Mohave County Attorney's Office.   McCarley said such public notices generally are reserved for the worst cases, like the search for Robert Fisher of Scottsdale, who was accused of killing his wife and two children and burning their home in 2001.   "But this is an individual (Jeffs) who is wanted for a very heinous crime, also," McCarley said.     Read more

News Release

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff For Immediate Release July 13, 2005 Contact Paul Murphy:   (801) 538-1892

UTAH & ARIZONA OFFER $10,000 REWARD FOR WARREN JEFFS' ARREST

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard announced today a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of fugitive Warren Jeffs.  The reward is being offered jointly by the states of Utah and Arizona.  Jeffs was indicted in June on one count of sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor.  Both are class 6 felonies in Arizona, and if convicted, Jeffs could face anywhere from four months to two years in prison.  "This man is a fugitive and we need the public's help to bring him to justice," says Shurtleff.  "The alleged victim is from Utah and we have committed to work with Arizona to protect the citizens of Hildale and Colorado City."  The Mohave County Sheriff's Office has agreed to take any calls in this case.  Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Jeffs is asked to contact the Mohave County Sheriff's Office at 800-522-4312 or 928-753-2141.  The reward is the latest step in a series of recent efforts to address issues of concern in the two towns on the Utah/Arizona border.  Other ongoing efforts include:     Read more

$10K Reward Offered For Warren Jeffs

The Associated Press KUTV Channel 2 Originally published July 13, 2005

The attorneys general for Arizona and Utah on Wednesday announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the reclusive leader of a polygamous church based in communities along the states' common border.   Warren Jeffs, who has not been publicly sighted in months, was charged in Arizona in early June with counts that include conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor.   "I find it hard to believe (Jeffs is) the active leader of 10,000 and no one knows where he is," Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said.   Jeffs is accused of arranging the marriage of a 16-year-old girl to another man.  If convicted, he could face up to two years in jail.   Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah, are dominated by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a sect that broke away from the Mormon church and practices polygamy.   Capturing the 49-year-old Jeffs is considered to be a key in ending the turmoil in the two towns, where polygamist men marry one wife legally and then take on other women as so-called "spiritual" wives.   "It is because he is the leader.   It is because he is the role model for literally thousands of people," Goddard said of the extensive efforts to locate Jeffs.  "It is particularly, perhaps uniquely, important that he have to answer these charges before a court of law."     Read more

Reward Posted For Polygamist Leader Warren Jeffs

Sam Penrod reporting KSL TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast July 13, 2005

State prosecutors posted a reward today for information on the whereabouts of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.  Jeffs has eluded authorities for several weeks, after he was indicted on charges of arranging marriages involving underage girls.   Sam Penrod reports there is now a big bounty on Jeffs's head.   Ten thousand dollars, that is the price Arizona and Utah prosecutors say they will pay, for information leading to Jeffs' arrest.   It is the latest attempt to force Jeffs to appear in a court of law, an appearance that law enforcement officials all agree will require someone close to Jeffs, to turn him in.   The reclusive leader of the FLDS sect has rarely been seen in public, but in recent months, few of his followers even report seeing Warren Jeffs.  Indicted in June on charges conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor, for allegedly arranging numerous marriages of underage girls, Jeffs remains a fugitive from justice.     Read more

States offer reward for FLDS leader

Attorneys general offer $10,000 for information leading to Jeffs' arrest

By Patrice St. Germain The Spectrum Originally published July 14, 2005

ST. GEORGE - The Arizona and Utah attorney generals are banding together to track down Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints leader Warren Jeffs by offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.  It's the first time that either office has posted a reward.   In June, a Mohave County, Ariz. grand jury indicted Jeffs on one count of sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor.  If convicted, he faces four months to two years in jail.   Jeffs has not been seen publicly since January.   Cedar City private investigator Sam Brower said he doesn't think the reward will work.   "I think it's (the reward) a good thing and it's about time and maybe it will help bring some people out of the woodwork," Brower said.  "But, most who may know where Jeffs is don't consider it a money issue.  It's a spiritual issue and most who know will not be plied with money."     Read more

News agencies descend on Colorado City

Hunt for FLDS leader captures national interest

By Patrice St. Germain The Spectrum Originally published July 20, 2005

COLORADO CITY, ARIZ. - During the past few weeks, interest in the twin cities of Hildale and Colorado City has increased as crews from local to national news agencies and other media, including a team from the television show, "America's Most Wanted," have visited the polygamist communities.   Most of the interest revolves around Warren Jeffs, the head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.   Jeffs was indicted in June by the Mohave County Attorney's Office on one count of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor.   The FBI joined the hunt when a federal warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was filed against Jeffs.  Most recently, the Utah and Arizona Attorneys General banded together to offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to Jeffs' arrest.   While "America's Most Wanted" normally deals with more violent crimes, Alison Hemmingsen, a freelance producer for Morning Light Media, said the timing was right.   "I pitched the idea to 'America's Most Wanted' several times, but I pitched it again and things have been happening," Hemmingsen said.   "I think part of the interest has to do with the kids being hurt."     Read more

Manhunt for the Mormon with 70 wives

By Chris Ayres in Los Angeles Belfast Telegraph - Belfast, Ireland Originally published July 28, 2005

He's a controversial cult leader in Arizona with a reputed 70 wives - and now he's a hunted man with a $10,000 reward on his head.   The search for Warren Jeffs, the 49-year-old self-proclaimed prophet and president of the 10,000-member Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, marks the first time that Arizona has offered a reward for information leading to the capture and arrest of a fugitive, and it could mark the end of America's long-tolerated polygamist sects.   The FBI is also searching for Mr Jeffs on a federal warrant for "unlawful flight to avoid prosecution".   Mr Jeffs vanished several months ago from his palatial home in Colorado City, a secretive polygamist community with a population of about 5,000 that straddles the Utah-Arizona border.   His church, which has had absolute control over the town, stands accused of forcing teenage girls to marry elders as rewards for loyalty, and of driving young men away from their homes and families to thin out the male population.  Women are taught from infancy to be subservient or to suffer eternal damnation.     Read more

Jeffs on FBI's most-wanted list

By Patrice St. Germain The Spectrum Originally published August 19, 2005

ST. GEORGE - Warren Steed Jeffs, 49, the prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints, is on the FBI's list of wanted fugitives for the month of August.   Jeffs was indicted by a Mohave County, Ariz., Grand Jury in June on charges of sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor.  Jeffs, whose whereabouts are unknown, is also charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.  A federal arrest warrant was issued on June 27.   Debora McCarley, a special agent with the Phoenix office of the FBI, said information has been received that Jeffs is either in Texas or in Bountiful, British Columbia, Canada.  It's unlikely that Jeffs will be found locally.   When asked if Jeffs would be arrested if he is seen in the twin cities formerly known as Short Creek, Fred Barlow, police chief of the Hildale-Colorado City Town Marshall's Office, would not comment.     Read more

FBI searches Leesburg for polygamous leader

By Martin E. Comas Orlando Sentinel Originally published August 19, 2005

LEESBURG -- The leader of a polygamous sect of the Mormon Church who is wanted by the FBI on sex-crimes charges may be in Leesburg, a bureau spokesman said Thursday.   FBI officials in Jacksonville said they received a tip that Warren Jeffs was seen in Leesburg in June, possibly accompanied by his bodyguards and some of his followers, trying to buy property.   "We haven't been able to substantiate it, but we have been looking into it," said Special Agent Jeff Westcott, an FBI spokesman in Jacksonville.   Jeffs, 49, is the self-proclaimed leader, or prophet, of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Most of the sect's estimated 10,000 followers live in the border towns of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah.  The church also owns land in Colorado, Texas and British Columbia.   Jeffs is wanted on three charges of sexual conduct with a minor.  Those charges in connection to his role within his sect allege that he performs marriages between underage girls and older men, including one several years ago between a teenage girl and a married 28-year-old man.     Read more

County wants plan in place to handle crowds at Jeffs trial

By Brian DiTullio Today's News-Herald Originally published Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Mohave County officials want to be prepared should a "media circus" descend on Kingman for a trial involving Warren Jeffs.   Jeffs, spiritual leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the twin communities of Colorado City and Hildale, Utah, would be required to appear in Superior Court in Kingman once he is found.  With national media interested in this story, County Supervisor Pete Byers is set to ask the Board of Supervisors to prepare for the possible trial.   "Clerk of Courts Virlynn Tinnel brought it up to me," said Byers in a press release.  "What are we going to do if they do catch Jeffs?  I have to believe it will be worse than the Michael Jackson trial.  He has had so much press worldwide that the area around our courthouse could become a media circus.  We may have to bus people in."   Byers said he is putting it on the Board of Supervisors meeting agenda and asking the board to form a committee "consisting of county and city officials, law enforcement and court personnel to prepare for the possibility of this thing happening.  We need to begin working on a plan now."     Read more

Possible Warren Jeffs Sighting In Utah County

Alex Cabrero and KSL NewsRadio Reporting KSL TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast October 21, 2005

Could Warren Jeffs have been in Lehi today?  The FBI is looking into that.  An employee at the new Cabela's store thought it was him and called police.  Now investigators are trying to find out if it's true.   If this person was Warren Jeffs, you might ask yourself why he was at Cabela’s, a very crowded and public place.   He is wanted by the FBI so you’d think it’d be one of the last places he would be found.  On the night before hunting season starts, the hunters packed Cabela’s to stock up on supplies, but it turns out the big catch might have already been in the store.   Jim Branin, Shopper: "It’s pretty crazy.  It’s kind of like a little electric energy going through here after he was gone."   He, as in Warren Jeffs, the FLDS church leader wanted by the FBI.  A cashier at the store thought she recognized him and called police.     Read more

Jeffs reportedly seen at Lehi store

By Jeremy Twitchell Deseret Morning News Originally published Saturday, October 22, 2005

LEHI — FBI officials are investigating a reported sighting of Warren Jeffs, the fugitive leader of a polygamous sect, Friday afternoon at Cabela's in Lehi.   A store employee told the FBI that a man he believed was Jeffs entered the store in a wheelchair and was accompanied by a number of women and two larger men that appeared to be security guards.   The group is said to have entered at about 3:30 p.m., stayed for about 45 minutes, and left in two vehicles.   Jeffs is the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a polygamy-practicing group residing along the Utah-Arizona border.   In June, an Arizona grand jury indicted Jeffs on one count of sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor.   The charges stem from a 2002 incident in which Jeffs allegedly performed the marriage of a 16-year-old girl to a 28-year-old man who was already married.   Jeffs fled Arizona and has also been charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.     Read more

Investigation Continues Into Possible Jeffs Sighting

Alex Cabrero reporting KSL TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast October 22, 2005

Brent Robbins, Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation: "We're continuing our efforts and conducting additional interviews in an attempt to locate mr. Jeffs."   Warren Jeffs, the wanted leader of the Fundamentalist LDS church, has always been on the run.  Now, there's a chance he's hiding in Utah.   A lot of people were shopping at the Cabela's store in Lehi last night, buying last minute supplies for today's hunt.  But could one of those shoppers actually have been Warren Jeffs?   A lot of people who heard the story last night are still thinking: There's no way Warren Jeff's was in Cabela's.   How many Elvis in Burger King jokes have you heard?  But, the FBI isn't joking, and even after looking at store surveillance tape, they're still taking it seriously.   The FBI is always ready for taking people in who don't want to be taken.  Today was just practice, part of an FBI citizens academy class.   But you never know, when the real situation might come up.     Read more

More Sightings of Warren Jeffs Reported

John Hollenhorst Reporting KSL TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast October 24, 2005

"We"ve had two more reports of possible sightings of Mr. Jeffs".   New clues in the search for a polygamous leader.  Or is it a case of mistaken identity?  Ever since a possible sighting last Friday at Cabela's outdoor store in Lehi FBI agents have tried to figure out if one of their most wanted fugitives is somewhere in Northern Utah.  Over the weekend they learned of two more possible sightings.   I suppose even a fugitive has to relax.  But the question is, would Warren Jeffs relax by going fishing at one of Utah's most popular lakes, with hundreds of people around who might recognize him?  One sighting was at Strawberry Reservoir.  Two employees at the marina store sold fishing licenses to four men, including one in a wheelchair.   Employees say the men didn't have IDs and kept changing their statements about whether they were Utah residents.  A few miles away, employees at the Daniel's Summit Lodge reported sighting a similar group.   FBI agents say the sightings add credibility to a reported sighting at the fishing tackle department Friday.     Read more

FBI: Fugitive Warren Jeffs Believed Seen Fishing

The Associated Press KUTV Channel 2 News Originally broadcast October 24, 2005

Federal agents are investigating a report that fugitive polygamous leader Warren Jeffs was at Strawberry Reservoir on Sunday - fishing.   "They got away before we had a chance to find them," FBI Special Agent Brent Robbins said Monday.   Agents are taking the tip seriously because it matches the description of Jeffs and a group of "bodyguard types" last week at a Cabela's outdoor store in Lehi, where they bought fishing gear.   Jeffs was seen on Sunday in a wheelchair, the same prop he used at Cabela's to divert attention from his slim physique, Robbins said.   "He's tall - 6-foot-4 - and at 150 pounds, that's like a walking toothpick.  He figures if he's in a wheelchair, that will disguise his obvious physical characteristics," Robbins said.   Sources also tell 2News that a crew truck the group was seen driving at Cabela's is registered to a Mr. Jared B. Jeffs.  The address was listed as Barlow Street in Hildale Utah.     Read more

Search for Warren Jeffs: Cars Lead Investigators to Colorado City

Sam Penrod reporting KSL TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast October 24, 2005

A new development tonight in the search for polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.  Cars spotted along the Wasatch Front this weekend, which may have contained him, have been found in his Colorado City headquarters.   Jeffs is still on the run.   And it's not clear if he was at Cabela's or Strawberry Reservoir.  But it seems clear if he wasn't, friends of the fugitive polygamous leader were.   The focus of the search tonight is now back in the Colorado City area.  And the Jeffs sightings in Northern Utah this weekend are becoming very credible, as law enforcement continues to pursue one of Utah's and Arizona's most wanted fugitives.   The search for polygamous leader Warren Jeffs, which intensified this weekend after a reported sighting at Cabelas, has now lead investigators back to Colorado City.   Around 2 p.m., the two SUV's spotted at Cabelas and also at Strawberry Reservoir on Sunday were found by Mohave County investigator Gary Engels, who built the criminal case against Jeffs for allegedly arranging polygamous marriages involving underage girls.   Gary Engels, Mohave County, Arizona, Investigator: "I just felt like it was necessary for me to drive around the town today to take a look and see if I could find any of these vehicles.  I got lucky and found one."     Read more

Investigators Believe Jeffs Frequently Visits Utah

John Hollenhorst Reporting KSL TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast October 25, 2005

"We're talking about somebody that has unlimited resources, many, many vehicles, and thousands of people that are willing to help him and hide him."   There have been NO arrests and NO more sightings of fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.   That follows several possible weekend sightings in Northern Utah.  But investigators say they believe Jeffs frequently comes to the area, exposing himself to possible arrest for one compelling reason, to perform plural marriages.   Authorities questioned several residents in Jeffs polygamist community.  They think they know which of Jeffs followers were present at the Northern Utah sightings, but it's not clear that Warren Jeffs was with them.   In Colorado City, vehicles were found matching those seen in Lehi at Cabela's.  They're registered to people close to Warren Jeffs.   It's believed that Jeffs' brother went with others into Cabela's outdoor store in a wheelchair.  They later bought fishing licenses at Strawberry Reservoir.  Gary Engles is the investigator who found the cars in Colorado City.     Read more

Private eye hoping to collar Jeffs

He believes the FBI is underestimating the threat posed by leader

By Jesse Hyde Deseret Morning News Originally published Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Craig McLachlan leans back in his soft leather chair and looks at the ceiling.   Warren Jeffs is close, he can feel it.   He rubs the stubble on his shaved head and sighs.  For 37 years, McLachlan has worked as a Salt Lake private investigator, and he's learned to trust his hunches.   Jeffs may be somewhere in Utah, McLachlan thinks, somewhere not far from here, a single-story brick office building on Salt Lake's gritty south side.   McLachlan takes out a yellow legal pad.  Objective, he writes in pencil.  Find and locate W.J.   For months, McLachlan, 58, has been plotting the overthrow of the fugitive polygamist leader, chasing leads in Florida, Texas and Arizona.     Read more

Brother Charged With Concealing Warren Jeffs

By Jacques Billeaud The Associated Press KUTV Channel 2 Originally broadcast October 31, 2005

(KUTV) The younger brother of a fugitive polygamist leader was charged in Colorado with harboring a wanted person after the younger sibling was found with $140,000 in cash and prepaid credit and cell phone cards -items that authorities say are generally used to help wanted people evade capture.   Seth Steed Jeffs, 32, of Hildale, Utah, was charged in federal court in Denver with harboring and concealing his brother, Warren Jeffs, president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, officials said Monday.   Warren Jeffs has been a fugitive since his June indictment in Arizona on charges of arranging a marriage between a 16-year-old girl and a man who was already married.  The FBI added a charge of unlawful flight against Jeffs and joined the search for him.   When questioned by authorities, Seth Jeffs said he didn't know his brother's whereabouts and wouldn't help investigators find him, according to an affidavit filed by an FBI agent in Colorado.   "It would be stupid to tell anyone where he is because he would get caught," the affidavit quotes Seth Jeffs as saying.     Read more

Prophet's Kin Arrested

The younger brother of fundamentalist Mormon Prophet Warren Jeffs is charged with concealing Jeffs' whereabouts

By John Dougherty Phoenix New Times Originally published October 31, 2005

A courier for fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs was arrested following a traffic stop in Pueblo, Colorado, carrying at least $142,000 in cash, the FBI announced on Halloween.   Seth Steed Jeffs, 32, was arraigned October 31 in U.S. District Court in Denver and charged with concealing his older brother, the prophet of the fundamentalist Mormon Church, from arrest.  The charge could bring a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  Seth Jeffs, whose address is 760 North Maple Street, Hildale, Utah, was taken into custody by the FBI after the October 28 traffic stop and is being held pending a November 2 detention hearing at which bail is expected to be set.   Seth Jeffs' arrest marks the biggest break for law enforcement since the FBI placed fundamentalist Mormon Prophet Warren Jeffs on its most-wanted list in August.  The arrest came after a private citizen called police about a vehicle that was driving erratically on Interstate 25 near Pueblo.   The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office pulled over a late-model Ford Excursion about 3 a.m.   After questioning the occupants, deputies cited Seth Jeffs and Nathaniel Steed Allred for misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution and prostitution charges, respectively.   Allred, 27, reportedly told sheriff's deputies that Seth Jeffs paid him $5,000 to accompany him on the trip and provide sexual services.     Read more

Fugitive's brother held

Feds accuse sibling of hiding polygamist Warren Steed Jeffs

By Karen Abbott Rocky Mountain News Originally published November 1, 2005

The brother of fugitive polygamist leader Warren Steed Jeffs is in federal custody after a traffic stop near Pueblo, accused of hiding Jeffs from authorities.   In the car with Seth Steed Jeffs, 32, younger brother of Warren Jeffs, was about $142,000 in cash, seven cell phones, many letters addressed to "The Prophet" or "Warren Jeffs" and a glass container fashioned into a donation jar, with Warren Jeffs' photograph and a label reading "Pennies for the Prophet," court documents said.   The jar contained cash, prepaid credit cards and prepaid cell-phone cards, documents said.   Seth Jeffs was stopped about 3 a.m. Friday, traveling south on Interstate 25 at U.S. 50 after a citizen telephoned the sheriff's office to report a suspected drunken driver traveling in a car straddling two lanes, according to Pueblo sheriff's spokesman Steve Bryant.   A deputy responding to the tip spotted the car going slowly through a stop sign and coming almost to a stop on U.S. 50, Bryant said.  The deputy thought the driver might be lost.   The two men in the car - Seth Jeffs in the passenger seat and Nathaniel Steed Allred driving - told the deputy conflicting stories about where they were going, Bryant said.     Read more

FBI arrests Warren Jeffs' brother

Seth Jeffs charged with harboring and concealing a federal fugitive

By Patrice St. Germain The Spectrum Originally published November 1, 2005

ST. GEORGE - The FBI arrested the younger brother of Warren Jeffs,fugitive leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, in Pueblo, Colo., on Monday.   Seth Steed Jeffs, 32, Hildale, was charged with harboring and concealing a federal fugitive - his brother, who disappeared after being charged on June 9 by a Mohave County Arizona Grand Jury with two counts of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor.  On June 27, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Warren Jeffs, the leader of the polygamous church, for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.   Seth Jeffs was first arrested last Friday after a report of a suspected intoxicated driver on Interstate 25 near U.S. 50 in Pueblo.  Also arrested was Nathaniel Steed Allred.  The two were charged with prostitution and solicitation for prostitution after Allred told a deputy that Jeffs had hired him for sexual companionship and was paid $5,000 for his sexual services.     Read more

Jeffs' Brother Not Working With Authorities

Richard Piatt Reporting KSL TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast November 1, 2005

Polygamous leader Warren Jeffs is still eluding authorities, and it doesn't look the like the legal troubles of his younger brother will help authorities in their search.   Younger brother Seth Jeffs is still behind bars in Denver, and federal agents there are still hopeful he will give them some information about where his brother is.   Seth Jeffs is downright defiant about helping authorities find his brother.  In fact, he says neither he, nor any of his brother's followers ever will.  Seth Jeffs, under arrest in Colorado for protecting his brother and for soliciting a male prostitute, tells authorities, "It would be stupid to tell anyone where he is because he would get caught."   It's as simple as that for Jeffs.  And he says the same goes for the rest of his congregation.  Investigators believe Warren is being protected from arrest by his thousands of polygamist followers and relatives.  The guessing game has stretched into several states and across borders to Mexico and Canada.     Read more

Bond set for sect leader's brother

By Alicia Caldwell Denver Post Originally published November 3, 2005

A federal magistrate has set a $25,000 property bond for Seth Jeffs, the brother of a fugitive polygamist.   Jeffs, 32, was charged Monday with hiding Warren Steed Jeffs, leader and "prophet" of a polygamist sect known as the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints.   Sheriff's deputies found Seth Jeffs carrying $142,000 and letters addressed to "The Prophet" when he was arrested on Friday.   The judge in today's preliminary hearing in Federal Court expressed concern about Seth Jeffs as a flight risk because of his apparent ability to raise large amounts of money, but determined a property bond would be appropriate.  Jeffs doesn't own any property, but others can put it up for him.       Read more

Fugitive's brother to be set free on bail

By Karen Abbott Rocky Mountain News Originally published November 3, 2005

A man accused of hiding his brother, the fugitive leader of a polygamist sect, from authorities will be set free tomorrow if he posts a bond secured by property, a federal magistrate ruled this afternoon.   Ed Pluss, attorney for Seth Jeffs, said that the bond likely will be posted tomorrow, after he consulted with Jeffs' brother.  That brother, Lyle Jeffs, declined to comment after the hearing.   Seth Jeffs, 32, is accused of hiding his older brother, Warren Jeffs, who is the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  The sect split from the traditional Mormon church in the late 1890s after Mormons renounced polygamy Warren Jeffs is wanted in Arizona on charges of felony sexual child abuse for allegedly arranging a marriage between a 16-year-old girl and an older married man in 2002.   Prosecutors, who have charged Seth Jeffs with harboring a fugitive, a federal felony, had asked Colorado U.S. Magistrate Judge Craig Shaffer to order him kept behind bars while the case is pending against him.   Shaffer ruled today that enough evidence exists to try Seth Jeffs.     Read more

Polygamist leader's brother held for trial

By Judith Kohler The Associated Press The Daily Sentinel - Grand Junction, Colorado Originally published November 3, 2005

DENVER — A federal judge ruled Thursday that there is enough evidence to pursue charges against Seth Steed Jeffs, who's accused of harboring his brother and fugitive polygamist leader, Warren Jeffs.   The formal charges came a week after sheriff's deputies arrested Seth Jeffs, 32, of Hildale, Utah, during a traffic stop in Colorado and seized $142,000 in cash, thousands of dollars in prepaid debit cards and his older brother's personal records and correspondence.   "He's part of a chain that is purposefully trying to conceal Warren Jeffs," federal prosecutor Philip Brimmer said of the defendant.   "He doesn't have to be all of that chain.  He is an important link to that chain."   Jeffs' attorney, Ed Pluss, argued that his client was merely taking the money and documents to Texas to a bishop of the Leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which the elder Jeffs heads.   Magistrate Judge Craig Shaffer sided with prosecutors, saying they had probable cause to pursue a federal indictment against Jeffs.     Read more

U.S. judge grants bail to brother of sought polygamist

Seth Jeffs is accused of helping his brother avoid arrest. The judge denied claims he is a flight risk.

By Alicia Caldwell Denver Post Originally published November 4, 2005

A federal magistrate judge on Thursday set bail for a man accused of helping his brother, a polygamous religious leader accused of sex with a minor, evade a nationwide manhunt.   Prosecutors argued that Seth Jeffs, brother of Warren Jeffs, was a flight risk because of his ready access to large amounts of cash and his status with tightknit polygamous communities in Mexico and Canada.   Despite concerns that Seth Jeffs might disappear in much the same fashion his brother has, U.S. Magistrate Judge Craig Shaffer set a $25,000 property bail in the case.   "I truly do not believe the defendant should be penalized or it should work against this defendant that he is a member of a particular religious community," Shaffer said.   Seth Jeffs belongs to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which broke away from mainstream Mormonism in 1890.  Authorities have been searching for Warren Jeffs, the leader of the fundamentalist church, since June.     Read more

Seth Jeffs to spend weekend behind bars

Rocky Mountain News rockymountainnews.com Originally published November 5, 2005

Seth Jeffs, accused of hiding his fugitive brother from authorities, will spend the weekend in jail.   Federal authorities said Jeffs, 32, was unable to get paperwork in order to post a $25,000 property bond, as his lawyer had expected on Thursday.   Jeffs' older brother, Warren Jeffs, is the leader of a polygamist sect called the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

FLDS' Jeffs living well on the run

Followers finance polygamist leader

By Mark Shaffer Arizona Republic - Flagstaff Bureau Originally published November 7, 2005

He's been stripped from the board that controls more than $100 million of property in Colorado City and neighboring Hildale, Utah, and has been kept on the run by FBI agents.   But don't think that Warren Jeffs, the fugitive leader of the country's largest polygamist sect, isn't living high on the hog.   He appears to be living a lavish underground lifestyle fueled by tens of thousands of dollars his followers have funneled through his immediate family.  And many of his adult male followers seem to have followed his admonition to give him $1,000 a month, in addition to their normal church tithes.   Jeffs, 49, who was indicted by a Mohave County grand jury in June on charges of sexual misconduct for marrying underage women to much older men, also is likely spending the majority of his time in isolated parts of west Texas and the Nevada-Utah border as a nationwide manhunt continues, state and federal law enforcement sources say.   The arrest last week of Jeffs' brother, Seth Steed Jeffs, near Pueblo, Colo., offered a revealing glimpse into Warren Jeffs' life on the lam.     Read more

Brother Of Fugitive Polygamist Due In Colorado Court

Seth Jeffs Found With Items That Link To Fugitive Brother

Denver's ABC 7 TheDenverChannel.com Originally broadcast November 7, 2005

DENVER -- The brother of fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs is due for a detention hearing in Denver Monday on charges he harbored his brother.   Seth Jeffs, 32, of Hildale, Utah, was arrested in Pueblo County during a traffic stop last month with $142,000 in cash and $7,000 in prepaid credit and cell phone cards, plus his older brother's personal records and correspondence.   Authorities said those items can be used to evade capture, but Seth Jeffs' lawyer says his client was just taking the items to a bishop of the church his brother heads.   Authorities also found several hundred letters addressed to Warren from church members "relating to a variety of personal and FLDS matters," according to the arrest affidavit.  Also found in the car was a donation jar bearing a photo of the church leader and a label that read: "Pennies for the Prophet," authorities said.   Seth Jeffs also is accused of solicitation for prostitution because he was arrested during a traffic stop with Nathaniel Steed Allred, who told officers Jeffs paid him $5,000 for "sexual services."  Allred is accused of prostitution.

Brother Of Fugitive Polygamist Staying In Denver

The Associated Press CBS 4 - Denver Originally broadcast November 7, 2005

DENVER - The brother of a fugitive polygamist leader was back in federal custody in Denver Monday.   A paperwork conflict concerning the man's bond caused the move back to Denver.   Seth Steed Jeffs, 32, of Hildale, Utah was charged with harboring and concealing his brother, Warren, president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.   Seth Jeffs took out a $25,000 lien on some property to make bond, but Magistrate Judge Craig Shaffer said he won't release Jeffs until a property lien is filed.   Officials refused to accept documents by fax.   Authorities said 49-year-old Warren Jeffs has eluded capture since June.   A grand jury indicted him in Arizona for allegedly arranging marriage between a 16-year-old girl, and a man already married.   His church has property in Colorado City, Arizona; Utah and Texas plus members in Canada and Mexico.   Seth Jeffs stood mute in court.  If his bond is approved, he must surrender his passport and limit his travels to Utah, Colorado and Mohave County, Arizona.   He's scheduled for arraignment Nov 17.

Arizona AG: Fugitive polygamist a regular visitor to Texas ranch

The Associated Press Denton Record-Chronicle - Denton, Texas Originally published November 7, 2005

A fugitive polygamist leader has been a regular visitor to his sect's ranch in Texas since his indictment earlier this year on sexual misconduct charges, Arizona's attorney general says.   "He appears to come and go with impunity there," said Attorney General Terry Goddard.  He would not elaborate.   Authorities have been seeking Warren Jeffs since he was indicted by a Mohave County grand jury in June on charges of sexual misconduct for marrying underage women to much older men.   His brother, Seth Steed Jeffs, was arrested near Pueblo, Colo. last week and is being detained on local prostitution-related charges and a federal count of concealing a person from arrest, namely Warren Jeffs.   Goddard said he believes Warren Jeffs could be captured in short order in Texas, where Jeffs' sect, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is establishing a community about 160 miles northwest of San Antonio.  The sect has no connection with the mainstream Mormon Church, which banned polygamy in the late 1800s.   "I don't want to be critical but, frankly, I don't think they've been as aggressive as I would like.  This needs to be a multistate effort," Goddard said.     Read more

Polygamist sect figure released on bond

By Karen Abbott Rocky Mountain News Originally published November 7, 2005

A man accused of hiding his fugitive polygamist brother from authorities was expected to be freed this afternoon after he posted a $25,000 property bond in Colorado U.S. District Court.   Seth Jeffs, 32, of Hildale, Utah, posted the bond hours after a morning hearing at which his lawyer, Ed Pluss, and Colorado U.S. Magistrate Judge Craig Shaffer said they expected paperwork delays to postpone Jeffs' release for several days.   Prosecutors had asked Shaffer last week to keep Jeffs behind bars while the case is pending against him, but Shaffer declined.   Jeffs' older brother, Warren Jeffs, is the leader of a polygamist sect called the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  The sect split from the traditional Mormon church in the late 1890s after Mormons renounced polygamy.   Warren Jeffs is wanted in Arizona on charges of felony sexual abuse of a child.     Read more

Authorities Stop Vans In Search For Warren Jeffs

The Associated Press KUTV Channel 2 Originally published November 12, 2005

ST. GEORGE, Utah A tip to police prompted officers to pull over a pair of passenger vans driving near here Friday to look for fugitive Warren Jeffs, the fugitive leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.   Jeffs, 49, is wanted by Arizona authorities on two counts of sexual assault on a minor and one count of conspiracy to commit sexual conduct on a minor.  He is also charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, a federal offense.   He has not been seen publicly in more than a year and has been considered a fugitive by authorities since June.   A reward of $10,000 for information leading to Jeffs' arrest is being offered by the attorneys general of Utah and Arizona.   On Friday an anonymous tipster told the Iron County Sheriff's Office Jeffs might be at home in Beryl, Utah, about 65 miles north of St. George.     Read more

Did Jeffs get away?

Authorities stop vans; fugitive polygamist leader isn't found

By Patrice St. Germain The Spectrum Originally published November 12, 2005

ST. GEORGE - Following up on an anonymous tip from the public that fugitive Warren Jeffs had been sighted, the Iron County Sheriff's Office responded Friday afternoon to a remote area in Beryl Valley.   The tip sent law enforcement officers from both Iron and Washington counties on a search for two vans that were eventually stopped Friday afternoon on Red Hills Parkway, just off state Road 18 in St. George.  Investigators said Friday night that Jeffs was not in either van and is still on the loose.   Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was indicted June 9 by a grand jury in Mohave County, Ariz., on two counts of sexual assault on a minor and one count of conspiracy to commit sexual conduct on a minor.  Jeffs is also charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, a federal offense.  Jeffs has been considered a fugitive from justice since June 27.   Iron County Sheriff Mark Gower said his deputies did not approach the Beryl Valley home because deputies did not have probable cause.     Read more

FUGITIVE HUNT

A compound in Texas becomes a focal point as Arizona officials say the leader of polygamous sect is hiding there

By Thomas Korosec Houston Chronicle Originally published November 14, 2005

With 1,700 hilly acres and a gate accessible from a maze of back roads, the Yearn for Zion Ranch could be an ideal hide-out.   Whether the West Texas compound is being used by polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs during his five-month flight from sexual misconduct charges became a contentious issue last week when Arizona officials suggested Jeffs could be captured there in short order.   The sheriff in Schleicher County, where the ranch is located, disputes the claim, saying there is nothing to indicate that Jeffs has been to the ranch since he became a fugitive in June.   "The attorney general is uninformed," said Sheriff David Doran, referring to Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, who earlier said he had "good information" that Jeffs "comes and goes with impunity" from the Texas ranch.     Read more

Jeffs indicted as brother's keeper

DenverPost.com Originally published November 16, 2005

The brother of a fugitive polygamist cult leader has been indicted by a federal grand jury for harboring him.   Seth Steed Jeffs, 32, was indicted late Tuesday on a single count of helping his brother, Warren Steed Jeffs, hide from law enforcement.   Warren Jeffs is the leader and "prophet" of a polygamous sect known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ("FLDS").   This group separated from mainstream Mormonism in 1890 when the Mormon Church denounced polygamy.   He's been the subject of a nationwide manhunt since June, accused of sexual conduct with a minor.   Seth Jeffs' car was stopped in Pueblo County on October 28, after sheriff's officers received a report about a suspected drunk driver.  The man he was with, Nathaniel Steed Allred, admitted to deputies he was hired by Seth Jeffs for sexual companionship.     Read more

Polygamist's Brother Indicted By Grand Jury

The Associated Press CBS Channel 4 - Denver Originally broadcast November 16, 2005

(AP) DENVER - A federal grand jury indicted the brother of fugitive polygamist sect leader Warren Steed Jeffs on a charge of concealing him, prosecutors said Wednesday.   The one-count indictment against Seth Steed Jeffs, 32, of Hildale, Utah, formalizes a charge prosecutors filed Oct. 31, said Jeff Dorschner, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Denver.   Seth Jeffs was arrested after a traffic stop Oct. 28 in Pueblo County.  Authorities said he had nearly $142,000 in cash, about $7,000 worth of prepaid debit and phone cards and Warren Jeffs' personal papers in his SUV.   Prosecutors accused Seth Jeffs of providing the means for Warren Jeffs, 49, to remain on the run.   Seth Jeffs is free on $25,000 bond and scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate judge in Denver on Thursday, Dorschner said.   If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.     Read more

Criminal Law - FBI & US Attorney indict man for harboring fugitive

US Attorney Law Fuel Press Release LawFuel.com Originally published November 16, 2005

DENVER - LAWFUEL - The Law News Network - Bill Leone, United States Attorney for the District of Colorado, and Richard C. Powers, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Denver Office, announced that SETH STEED JEFFS, age 32, of Hildale, Utah, was indicted by a federal grand jury for harboring and concealing Warren Jeffs from arrest/aiding and abetting.  The one count indictment was returned late yesterday.   SETH JEFFS, who is free on a $25,000 property bond, is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Denver on Thursday, November 17, 2005 at 1:30 p.m. before a U.S. Magistrate Judge for arraignment on the indictment.  He was originally charged by Criminal Complaint on October 31, 2005.  The indictment formalizes the criminal charges.     Read more

Polygamist's brother pleads not guilty to harboring fugitive

By Jon Sarche Associated Press writer The Waco Tribune-Herald - Waco, Texas Originally published November 17, 2005

DENVER - The brother of fugitive polygamist sect leader Warren Steed Jeffs pleaded not guilty Thursday to a charge of helping him avoid arrest.   Seth Steed Jeffs, 32, of Hildale, Utah, faces one federal count of concealing his brother.  He said nothing during the brief hearing, allowing his attorney to enter the plea, and he declined to comment afterward.  His attorney, Daniel Smith, also declined to comment.   Seth Jeffs is free on $25,000 bond.   If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  A judge scheduled a Jan. 9 trial date.   He was arrested after a traffic stop Oct. 28 in Pueblo County, south of Denver.  Authorities said he had nearly $142,000 in cash, about $7,000 worth of prepaid debit and phone cards and Warren Jeffs' personal papers in his SUV.   Prosecutors accused Seth Jeffs of providing the means for his brother to remain on the run.     Read more

Some fear a Branch Davidian fate for polygamy clan

By Valerie Richardson The Washington Times Originally published November 27, 2005

DENVER -- Pueblo County sheriff's deputies pulled over a Ford Excursion weaving on U.S. Highway 50 last month and found more than a suspected drunken driver.   In the back of the vehicle was Seth Steed Jeffs, younger brother of Warren Steed Jeffs, the iron-fisted leader of the Jeffs' polygamy clan wanted by state and federal authorities for purportedly arranging the marriages of underage girls to older, married men.   With Mr. Jeffs were items likely intended for his brother, including $142,000 in cash in envelopes addressed to the fugitive; prepaid phone cards; debit cards; seven cell phones; and a donation jar with Warren Jeffs' photo labeled "Pennies for the Prophet."   It was a huge break in the manhunt for Warren Jeffs, 49, who disappeared months before an Arizona grand jury indicted him in June on charges of sexual misconduct with a minor.     Read more

Fourth Amendment doesn't search just anyone

Opinion The Spectrum Originally published December 9, 2005

This letter is in response to Ed Kociela's column on Nov. 19 titled "Religion no excuse for crimes."  In this column, Mr. Kociela made a stab at Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff for not prosecuting the estimated 40,000 polygamists in Utah and a county sheriff that refused to knock on a door where it was thought Warren Jeffs was hiding because of a lack of probable cause.   Mr. Kociela, for reasons unknown, did not name that sheriff, but I will.   My name is Sheriff Mark Gower of Iron County, the sheriff made reference to in this column.  I will now give you the other side of the story as to why Iron County deputies did not venture onto private property and attempt to search a home without probable cause.   On the day in question, Nov. 11, the Cedar City public safety dispatch center received an anonymous phone call from a person who would not identify who they were.  This caller reported that several vans had pulled into an address in western Iron County and several people in black suits had unloaded out of the vans.  This caller never saw Warren Jeffs, but thought there might be a chance he was in one of the vans.  The information provided by this caller was unreliable and in no way it could be followed up on or investigated to develop probable cause for a search warrant of the home and property.     Read more

Polygamist prophet on the lam in B.C.?

Sect leader wanted by U.S. authorities

By Mark Hume The Globe and Mail - Canada Originally published Friday, December 9, 2005

VANCOUVER -- When U.S. law enforcement authorities pulled over a van being driven erratically on Interstate 25 near Pueblo, Colo., last month, they got an intriguing glimpse into the hidden world of Warren Jeffs -- a fugitive and self-styled prophet of a polygamist sect with ties to Canada.   In the van was Mr. Jeffs's younger brother, Seth Steed Jeffs, 32, who was carrying with him $142,000 (U.S.) in cash, seven cellphones, prepaid phone cards, credit cards and several hundred letters addressed to Warren Jeffs from loyal followers of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.   The sect, which practises polygamy, has an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 members with property in Arizona, Utah, Texas, Canada and Mexico.  About 1,000 of those members live in Bountiful, near Creston, in southeastern B.C.   Seth Jeffs, detained on a federal count of concealing a person from arrest, denied knowing his brother's whereabouts and said he was delivering the cash and documents to organization leaders in Texas.   Police, however, suspected that what they had really come across was a supply run that was providing just a small part of the funds being made available to Mr. Jeffs during his life as a fugitive from justice.   They believe he is being shuttled from one polygamous sect to another -- and now may be hiding somewhere in B.C.     Read more

Another Possible Sighting of FLDS Leader Warren Jeffs

KSL NewsRadio KSL.com Originally broadcast December 15, 2005

SALT LAKE CITY (KSL News Services) – Authorities are looking into another possible sighting of fugitive polygamous leader Warren Jeffs.   The potential sighting comes as sightings of the FLDS church leader are becoming few and far between.   This time, Jeffs may have been spotted in Spring City near the central Utah town of Ephraim.  FBI Special Agent Brent Robbins says they're looking into it but haven't been able to catch Jeffs.  He says Jeffs has many people helping him stay on the run.   Jeffs is wanted on charges related to arranging child bride marriages.

$60,000 reward offered for polygamist prophet's arrest

By Mike Watkiss / 3TV reporter Phoenix News KTVK Originally broadcast January 17, 2006

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard announced Tuesday that the reward leading to the arrest and conviction of polygamist leader Warren Steed Jeffs has been bumped up to $60,000.   Assistant Special Agent in charge D. Shepard Rabbiner and Goddard are expected to make the announcement at a 2 p.m. news conference.   Jeffs is the leader of thousands of practicing polygamists living in Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah.   Last summer the Attorney General's Office offered a $10,000 reward.   For more details on this story, watch "Good Evening Arizona."

FBI adds $50,000 to reward in hunt for FLDS leader

By Patrice St. Germain The Spectrum Originally published January 18, 2006

ST. GEORGE -The FBI has raised the stakes in its hunt for polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.   Tuesday, the agency added $50,000 to the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which is based in the twin cities of Hildale and Colorado City, Ariz.   In July, the Utah and Arizona attorney's general banded together to offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to Jeffs' arrest, but despite several reported Jeffs sightings - including one in November in Southern Utah - the 49-year-old FLDS leader has remained elusive.   Gary Engels, an investigator for the Mohave County Attorney who has maintained an office in Colorado City for the last 14 months, said the increased reward is a step in the right direction, but said it still isn't enough money.   "It (the reward) would have to be a life-changing amount of money," Engels said.  "For the most zealous, this is their salvation, their prophet, and no amount of money is going to work."     Read more

FBI ups rewards for polygamous leader to $50,000

The Associated Press Mainichi Daily News - Japan Originally published January 18, 2006

PHOENIX -- The FBI has raised the reward for fugitive polygamous leader Warren Jeffs to $50,000 in hopes of shaking loose information that will lead to his arrest.   The FBI reward announced Tuesday is for Jeffs' capture and conviction.  It is in addition to a $10,000 reward for information leading to Jeffs' arrest already offered by the attorneys general of Utah and Arizona.   "We're hoping that the additional reward money will motivate some individual who has yet to come forward to do so," said FBI Special Agent Deborah McCarley.   Jeffs heads the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, centered in Colorado City and nearby Hildale, Utah.  Most of the sect's estimated 10,000 followers live there, but the church also has property in other states and Canada.     Read more

How much is that criminal worth?

Bounty hunter says current reward not enough to search for Warren Jeffs

By Patrice St. Germain The Spectrum Originally published January 19, 2006

With a $50,000 reward offered by the FBI for the arrest and conviction of Warren Jeffs, who made the agency's fugitive list in August, the self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints joins another group of not only wanted fugitives, but those with rewards.   But the money - even with $60,000 now at stake, which includes $10,000 put up by the attorneys general of Utah and Arizona - isn't enough to make local private investigator, bail bondsman and bounty hunter Sam Brower give up his other cases to search for Jeffs.   Brower points out that Jeffs hasn't jumped bail, so unless he is found and convicted, a person may not get any money other than the $10,000 offered by the Utah and Arizona attorneys general.   Also, those who have jumped bail don't have the same constitutional rights that are protecting Jeffs.   "Bounty hunters have the rights to enter a residence and go beyond the constitutional protection that most are protected by," Brower said.  "When you jump bail, you are no longer protected."   Brower said Jeffs has something that most bail jumpers don't have - vast funds and resources.     Read more

Polygamist on the lam cashing in on friends' help

Leads still slim after brother's Pueblo capture

By Dave Curtin Denver Post Originally published January 20, 2006

In the six months since fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs was indicted by a grand jury for arranging an underage marriage, there have been few clues to his whereabouts.   The best hint as to how he's living on the lam came in October 2005 when his brother, Seth, was pulled over by Pueblo County sheriff's deputies near Interstate 25 and U.S. 50.   Seth Jeffs' vehicle was reportedly full of letters addressed to Warren Jeffs, $142,000 in cash and prepaid credit cards and cellphones.   Seth Jeffs, 32, is to stand trial in U.S. District Court in Denver for harboring a fugitive.  Warren Jeffs continues to elude a nationwide manhunt.   "After the arrest in Colorado I thought we were close.  I thought that would be our shoehorn to (Warren Jeffs)," said Brent Robbins, an FBI special agent in Salt Lake City.  "I think it's safe to say he went farther underground."     Read more

Polygamous Prophet Update

By Jordan Smith The Austin Chronicle Originally published February 2, 2006

In an attempt to entice reticent tipsters, the FBI is now offering $50,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest and conviction of fugitive fundamentalist Mormon "prophet" Warren Jeffs, leader of polygamist breakaway Mormon sect the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Jeffs has been on the lam for over six months, dodging Arizona state felony charges in connection with arranging marriages between teen girls and older, married men, and a federal count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.  Between the federal booty and state reward offerings, there is now a total of $60K in reward money being offered for Jeffs' capture.  Meanwhile, last month federal authorities took a trip to the twin towns of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah – which, for nearly 100 years, have been the de facto headquarters for the church – to deliver subpoenas to various church members whom they believe may have information regarding Jeffs' whereabouts.     Read more

Fugitives

'Prophet' Still On the Run, but Authorities Closing in on Sect

Intelligence Report Winter 2005 Southern Poverty Law Center - Montgomery, AL Originally published February 2, 2006

At 3 a.m. on Oct. 28, sheriff's deputies in Pueblo County, Colo., pulled over a suspicious Ford Excursion and found a lot more than the drunken driver they expected.  Reclining on a mattress in the back was Seth Jeffs, the younger brother of fugitive "prophet" Warren Jeffs, leader of a controversial polygamist sect.   An Arizona warrant for the elder Jeffs was issued last June on felony charges of conspiracy and sexual conduct with a minor, relating to his alleged role in forcing underage girls to marry much older men who typically already had wives.  In August, the FBI said that he was among the agency's 20 most-wanted fugitives.   Warren Jeffs heads the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a group with an estimated 10,000 followers that has been strongly rejected by the mainstream Mormon church.   Jeffs' theology includes racist descriptions of blacks, and his sect is considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.     Read more

No sign of fugitive cult leader at West Texas temple and ranch

By Michael Graczyk The Associated Press Dallas/Fort Worth Star-Telegram Originally published February 18, 2006

ELDORADO, Texas - More than a year after a polygamist cult began building a compound in West Texas, the number of people living there and the whereabouts of the group's elusive leader remain a mystery to those outside the ranch's locked gates.   Warren Jeffs, 50, the "prophet" of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is wanted by the FBI and authorities in Utah and Arizona on a variety of charges, including sexual conduct with a minor and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.   The former accountant and private school teacher has been on the FBI's "Most Wanted Fugitive" list since June, and the reward for information leading to his arrest grew to $60,000 last month.   But despite reported sightings the length of North America - Jeffs has been rumored everywhere from Canada to Mexico - he's managed to elude authorities, and the new compound in Texas seems like a reasonable hiding place.     Read more

Pueblo traffic stop at issue in court

Seth Jeffs accused of hiding brother who leads sect

By Karen Abbott Rocky Mountain News Originally published February 22, 2006

A Pueblo sheriff's deputy suspected within two minutes of stopping Seth Jeffs and his cousin in the wee hours of an October morning that something more was going on than erratic driving, he testified Tuesday.   Deputy Eric Medina said he first thought Jeffs' cousin might be driving under the influence of drugs, then became suspicious that the two men were smuggling narcotics or stolen audio equipment.   "I guarantee you, they're smugglers," Medina told fellow officers on a videotape of the traffic stop played in federal court Tuesday.   Jeffs is accused of hiding his fugitive brother, polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, from authorities.   Jeffs' lawyer, Daniel Smith, wants Colorado U.S. District Judge Robert Blackburn to bar the government from using Jeffs' incriminating statements and items taken from his vehicle as evidence.     Read more

Report: Enclave of polygamist sect is found in South Dakota

The Associated Press KGBT Channel 4 - Harlingen, Texas Originally published March 9, 2006

ELDORADO, Texas A West Texas newspaper says another outpost of the polygamous sect headed by fugitive Warren Jeffs has been found in South Dakota.   The discovery of the 100-acre site at Pringle, South Dakota, was reported by The Eldorado Success in its online edition.   The Success received anonymous e-mail and phone tips about the property and the people who bought, and found ties to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.   Jeffs is considered a prophet by his followers.  He's is wanted on a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution on an Arizona charge that he arranged a plural marriage between a 16-year-old girl and an older man.   It has been thought that he has traveled among the church's various properties, hiding out.   The sect is headquartered in the twin towns of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah.   It also has long had an enclave in British Columbia and in recent years has established outposts in Colorado, Nevada and on a West Texas ranch near Eldorado. ___ Information from: The Eldorado Success, http://www.myeldorado.net/

Do FLDS have U.S. network of safe houses?

'I think they're scattered all over,' investigator says

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Friday, March 10, 2006

A compound of the Fundamentalist LDS Church recently discovered in South Dakota may be part of a network of safe houses scattered across the country that help keep fugitive polygamous leader Warren Jeffs from being apprehended.   That's according to a private investigator who helped find the polygamous enclave near Pringle, which is nestled in the Black Hills southwest of Rapid City.  Sam Brower has been probing the FLDS group for years on behalf of former members who are suing Jeffs.   "I think they're scattered all over," Brower said Thursday.  "Some may be as small as just one or two houses and others larger compounds like this.   I think he has a network of safehouses that he can cruise around to."   In fact, Jeffs may have been spotted last year on the property.     Read more

Jeffs faces Washington County charges

Judge signs $500,000 cash-only warrant

The Spectrum Originally published April 6, 2006

ST. GEORGE — The Washington County Attorney has filed charges against Warren Jeffs, the fugitive leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.   During a press conference that concluded shortly after 3 p.m., Washington County Attorney Brock Belnap charged Jeffs with two counts of rape as an accomplice, a first-degree felony.  Fifth District Court Judge James E. Shumate signed a $500,000 cash-only warrant for Jeffs’ arrest.   Jeffs has been on the run since an arrest warrant was issued by the Superior Court of the State of Arizona, Mohave County, on June 9, 2005.  That warrant charges him with two counts of sexual assault on a minor on or about March 28 or 30, 2002, and on or between July 1 and Dec. 31, 2002; and one count of conspiracy to commit sexual conduct on a minor.   Jeffs also faces charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.  A federal warrant on this charge was issued on June 27, 2005.   For more, please see tomorrow's edition of The Spectrum & Daily News.

Warren Jeffs charged

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, April 6, 2006

Washington County prosecutors have filed a pair of first-degree felony rape as an accomplice charges against Warren Jeffs, the fugitive leader of the Fundamentalist LDS Church.   The charges were filed late Wednesday in St. George's 5th District Court.   The Washington County Attorney declined to comment on the charges until a news conference scheduled for 2 p.m. today.   According to an arrest warrant and an affidavit obtained by the Deseret Morning News, the Washington County Sheriff's Office began investigating Jeffs, who is also wanted on sexual misconduct charges in Arizona, from January to March 2006 for arranging a "spiritual" marriage.   The FLDS Church practices polygamy, but the court documents do not explicitly state if the marriage was polygamous.   A woman known only in court papers as "Jane Doe IV" claims that when she was between 14 to 18-years-old, religious leaders in the FLDS Church told her that God revealed she was to enter into a spiritual marriage with a man — known in court papers as "John Doe IV" — more than three years her age.  The documents did not specify the ages of either party.   The court papers say Jane met with Warren Jeffs and expressed concerns.   "She felt like she was too young to marry," deputies wrote in the affidavit.  "Jeffs told Jane that it was her spiritual duty to submit to the marriage and that the marriage arrangement was 'from God.' "     Read more

New Charges Filed Against Warren Jeffs

By Brent Hunsaker ABC 4 Originally broadcast April 6, 2006

Warren Jeffs, the leader of a large polygamist sect, is now a state fugitive as well as a federal one.  Jeffs, who has been hiding from the law for over a year, had new charges filed against him Thursday.  For the first time, Utah has made a criminal complaint against the man whose followers revere him as a a prophet.   He had already been federally charged for child rape several months ago, as well as for, in some cases, personally conducting, marriages of underage girls to older men; some of whom were three times as old as their young "spiritual wives."   Now, the state of Utah has charged him with two counts of being an accomplice in the rape of a child.  The charges stem from a case of one particular underage marriage.  Details are meager, but authorities say the victim is between the age of 14 to 18.   The charges were announced Thursday afternoon in Washington County.   The area had been home to a thriving polygamist community on the Utah-Arizona border until Jeffs began moving his believers to other states.   The Hilldale area is now tetering on the edge of bankruptcy.  Jeffs went into hiding as soon as he was first charged.     Read more

2 arrested in grand jury probe of FLDS Church

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, April 13, 2006

The arrests of two prominent members of the Fundamentalist LDS Church has revealed the existence of a federal grand jury investigation — presumably into the polygamous church and its fugitive leader Warren Jeffs — the Deseret Morning News has learned.   James Allred, 58, and Mica Barlow, 36, were subpoenaed to testify before the federal grand jury in Phoenix, Ariz., on April 5.   "They were subpoenaed to appear and testify in front of the grand jury," said Dennis Harkins, a deputy U.S. Marshal in Phoenix.  "They didn't do that so they were given a contempt of court warrant to self-surrender."   A federal judge issued bench warrants for their arrests on contempt of court charges.  Allred and Barlow surrendered on April 6 at the U.S. Marshal's Office inside the federal courthouse in Phoenix, Harkins said.   "They were booked in on contempt of court and are sitting in the facility until they decide to talk or until the judge releases them," he said Wednesday.  The men are currently in a private prison that contracts with federal authorities in Florence, Ariz.   U.S. Marshals would not say any more about the case.  There is no public record on the arrests or the warrants issued for Allred or Barlow in U.S. District Court in Arizona.     Read more

Videotape reveals Jeffs' mannerisms

4-hour record provided to News may help in search for the FLDS leader

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, April 13, 2006

To the world outside the Fundamentalist LDS Church, he has been known only as the fugitive polygamous prophet.  The photographs show a warm, patriarchal smile betraying what authorities contend is Warren Jeffs' cruel legacy of child bride marriages, the dissolution of families, the excommunications and the bleeding of a community's financial resources.   Now, law enforcement want a purported videotape of Jeffs that shows him moving about as he speaks.   The Deseret Morning News has obtained a copy of rare videotape of fugitive Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs.   "It's the first video I've heard of," Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said Wednesday.  "I've heard of lots of (audio) tape recordings, but not a video of him."   The video, which is nearly four hours long, was provided to the Deseret Morning News by a source who wished to remain anonymous because of family who remain within the FLDS Church.   The source contacted a reporter hoping to publicize Jeffs' moving images and assist police in apprehending the polygamist leader who is on the FBI's Most Wanted List.     Read more

Video Tape Provides Rare Glimpse of Warren Jeffs

John Hollenhorst Reporting KSL-TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast April 13, 2006

Warren Jeffs as Groucho Marx !?!? It's the first videotape ever to surface, showing the polygamist leader who's been on the FBI's Most Wanted list for nearly a year.  The video may not bring authorities any closer to arresting the fugitive polygamist leader, but it offers a rare glimpse into the lives of Warren Jeffs and his followers.   The video was shot in 1993.  A disgruntled former follower turned it over to the Deseret Morning News.  He hopes that by displaying Jeffs' personality and mannerisms, the video might help authorities track him down.   It's a stage show in 1993, with a little known MC, slated to become a famous fugitive.   Warren Jeffs, 1993: "Our next skit is called, 'The cross to the best.'"   Warren Jeffs is in a room packed with kids and parents, believers in the FLDS Church.   Rulon Jeffs was FLDS prophet then, his son Warren was headmaster of Alta Academy, where the video was shot.   The room where the performance was held still exists.  The Alta Academy building is still in Sandy, at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon.  The Jeffs vacated the compound in 2001 after predicting a nuclear explosion or terrorist attack during the Olympics.     Read more

Feds turn up the heat on Jeffs

Prosecutors charge him with unlawful flight

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Saturday, April 29, 2006

Federal prosecutors in Utah have turned up the heat on finding fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.   The U.S. Attorney for Utah has charged Jeffs with a single count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, accusing him of fleeing the state to avoid facing charges in St. George for rape as an accomplice.  Washington County prosecutors filed the first-degree felony counts against Jeffs earlier this month, accusing the Fundamentalist LDS Church leader of forcing a teenage girl into a polygamous marriage and threatening her with damnation if she left.   On Wednesday, a federal magistrate in Cedar City signed a warrant for Jeffs' arrest.   "Local law enforcement and the FBI asked us to get this," U.S. Attorney for Utah spokeswoman Melodie Rydalch said Thursday.   "It's another tool for law enforcement to help get Mr. Jeffs."   Jeffs is facing a similar federal warrant in Arizona.   FBI special agent Deborah McCarley said the two federal charges will allow more resources to be allocated in searching for Jeffs.   "We are still proactively looking for him," she said from the FBI's office in Phoenix on Thursday.  "We are still taking in leads from the community."     Read more

Brother of polygamy sect leader scheduled to appear in court

The Associated Press KOLD News 13 - Tucson Originally broadcast May 1, 2006

DENVER The brother of polygamist church leader Warren Jeffs is scheduled to appear today in a Denver federal courtroom for a change of plea hearing.   Court documents show 32-year-old Seth Jeffs had pleaded innocent after being indicted in November for allegedly providing the means for his fugitive brother to remain in hiding.   Jeffs was arrested on October 28th, 2005 for alleged prostitution and solicitation during a traffic stop near Pueblo.   Warren Jeffs is the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which Is based in the neighboring cities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona.  He has been considered a federal fugitive since June 2005, after authorities in Arizona charged him with allegedly arranging marriages between underage girls and older men who already were married.

Brother pleads guilty to harboring polygamist leader

By Howard Pankratz Denver Post Originally published May 1, 2006

The brother of fugitive Mormon polygamist Warren Jeffs pleaded guilty today in Denver to hiding the rebel religious leader.   Seth Steed Jeffs, 33, who was arrested in Pueblo last October, will be sentenced on July 14 for harboring a fugitive.   Although he could face up to five years in prison, federal advisory sentencing guidelines suggest a sentence from no time to seven months.   According to the plea agreement filed in federal court, Seth Jeffs admitted to FBI agents that he was delivering more than $142,000 to the Eldorado, Texas, facility of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS) so his brother could "do what he wants to do."   Jeffs, the younger brother of Warren, was stopped by the Pueblo County deputies following reports of a car being driven erratically on Interstate 25.   Inside Seth Jeffs' car, investigators found the $142,000, and numerous documents addressed to "The Prophet," or "Warren Jeffs."   Also found was a donation jar and a label which read: "Pennies for the prophet."   In the jar was money and several envelopes containing pre-paid credit cards and pre-paid cellular phone cards.  Seven cellular phones were also found.   During a second search of the vehicle, authorities recovered several hundred letters addressed to Warren Jeffs.     Read more

Polygamist's Younger Brother Pleads Guilty

By Don Mitchell The Associated Press The Washington Post Originally published Tuesday, May 2, 2006

DENVER -- The younger brother of a polygamist sect leader pleaded guilty Monday to harboring a fugitive, but didn't reveal if he has told authorities where his sibling is hiding from federal charges.   Seth Steed Jeffs, 33, "accepted responsibility for his conduct," federal prosecutor Bill Taylor said.  "Harboring a state fugitive is pretty serious conduct."   Taylor had no comment when asked whether Jeffs gave any information about his brother's whereabouts.  Jeffs, of Hildale, Utah, had orginally pleaded not guilty in November.   Jeffs' brother Warren Jeffs, the 50-year-old leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, was indicted in June on an Arizona charge of arranging a marriage between a 16-year-old girl and a married man and on a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.   He was also recently charged in Utah with two counts of rape as an accomplice in arranging the marriage of a teenage girl to a man in Nevada.   The church, which embraces polygamy, is based in Hildale and Colorado City, Ariz., and has a ranch outside Eldorado, Texas.     Read more

A Community Ruled By Fear

America's Most Wanted Washington, DC Originally published May 4, 2006

Investigators say that Colorado City, Arizona is a community that has been living in servitude and secrets.  The Arizona Attorney General's Office and the FBI began investigating reports of child abuse, domestic violence, incest and polygamy that stem from a powerful congregation called the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) and its leader, Warren Jeffs.   According to the FBI, Jeffs took control of Colorado City ten years ago and over time started similar communities in Utah, Texas, and Mexico.  Mojave County Attorney General's Office investigators say that Jeffs' teachings and sermons were designed to keep his flock loyal, unquestioning, and living in fear of reprisals.  For years, law enforcement officials were unable to move against Jeffs since his followers refused to testify against him.   Authorities say the main reason why Jeffs remained so powerful in Colorado City was his implementation of one-man rule.   This was a break from traditional Mormon doctrine in that, rather than a committee of appointed priests and bishops calling the shots, Jeffs was the absolute authority in the community.     Read more

Indicted "Prophet" In Hiding

America's Most Wanted Washington, DC Originally published May 4, 2006

Arizona Attorney General Terry Godard's investigation initially discovered many instances of child abuse, polygamy, and corruption in the FLDS-controlled local government.  In June 2005, a Mohave County grand jury indicted Jeffs on charges involving the marriage of a 16-year-old girl to a married man.  Currently, there are ten to fifteen similar cases pending.   Jeffs has been formally charged with Sexual Conduct with a Minor and Conspiracy to Conduct Sexual Conduct with a Minor.  The FBI maintains that Jeffs has not been back to Colorado City in almost two years and may be hiding out at other polygamist communities in British Columbia, Texas, or Mexico.   According to the FBI, Warren Jeffs is a difficult man to catch because not only will his loyal followers keep him protected and his location a secret, but Jeffs also had control of a $200 million dollar trust, built from profits and tithes from the communities he controls.     Read more

Tell me about this Warren Jeffs case

Interview with John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted" CNN LARRY KING LIVE Originally broadcast May 4, 2006

KING: Tell me about this Warren Jeffs case. JOHN WALSH, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": You know, this guy, Larry, is a dangerous, dangerous guy. The FBI and local authorities say that he's a cult leader, he has thousands of followers, millions of dollars. He's a spinoff -- and it's not even right to say that he was a spinoff of the Mormons, because people like the Smarts are Mormons, and this guy is an absolute aberration. But he's a polygamist. He believes in taking young girls and giving them to his followers, young girls as young as 12, 13 years old. He's wanted on multiple charges of child molestation. Who knows what else he's done, but he's been a fugitive for years. And I'd say he's a very, very dangerous cult leader, and I hope some of his followers are watching tonight and say, look, we'll give this guy up, because he's a nut case.

'Most Wanted' to feature Jeffs

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Saturday, May 6, 2006

More publicity is being heaped on fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.   The Fox TV show "America's Most Wanted" is expected to profile the Fundamentalist LDS Church leader tonight at 8 p.m. on Channel 13.   The crime-fighting show will feature interviews with ex-FLDS members and a 15-minute dramatization of Jeffs and his taped sermons.  In their full context, the presentations are hours-long, monotonous diatribes.   "We cast an actor who was quite good, looks a lot like him, sounds a lot like him and we aired a couple of his sermons," said "America's Most Wanted" creative producer Greg Klein.   "He does a good job in conveying who Warren is."   Authorities here in Utah hope the profile on the popular crime-fighting TV show helps draw new attention to the manhunt for Jeffs.   "We're hoping the show will get every American out there looking and bringing Warren Jeffs to justice," said Utah Attorney General's spokesman Paul Murphy.   It's difficult to gauge if "America's Most Wanted" will lead to Jeffs' capture.   "Often the people you think you're going to catch right away, you never catch," Klein said Friday.  "The ones you think you'll never catch — you catch."     Read more

Development in search for polygamist leader

By Kevin Curran 12 News - Phoenix Originally broadcast May 6, 2006

Federal and state officials have scheduled simultaneous news conferences in Phoenix and Salt Lake City regarding Warren Jeffs.  Jeffs is the prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS).   A terse statement issued by the FBI’s Phoenix division says the bureau’s acting special agent in charge will be joined by the U.S. Attorney for Arizona, Paul Charlton, and Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard for a 6:00 p.m. news conference, "to announce a development reference fugitive Warren Steed Jeffs."   At the same time in Salt Lake City, the FBI will hold a news conference attended by that office’s special agent in charge, Utah’s acting US Attorney, a representative from the Utah attorney general’s office, and Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith.   Jeffs commands unquestioned devotion from his followers, who form the nation's largest polygamous community in the twin cities of Colorado City, Ariz. and Hildale, Utah.  Hildale is in Washington County.     Read more

Update 2: Polygamy Sect Leader on FBI Wanted List

By Doug Alden The Associated Press Forbes Originally published May 6, 2006

The FBI announced Saturday it has placed polygamist church leader Warren Jeffs on its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, hoping the additional exposure and reward money leads to an arrest in the long-running investigation.   Jeffs, 50, is the leader of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, based in the state line communities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz.   The sect split from mainstream Mormonism after the broader church renounced polygamy in 1890.  The mainstream LDS church excommunicates members found to be practicing polygamy.   Jeffs is wanted in Arizona on criminal charges of sexual conduct with a minor.  He also was charged in Utah with rape as an accomplice. He is accused of arranging marriages between underage girls and older men.   Jeffs has not been seen by anyone outside of the FLDS community for nearly two years and also faces a charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.   "We are doing everything we can to track him down," said Tim Fuhrman, special agent in charge of the FBI's Salt Lake City field office.   By putting him on the top-10 list, the FBI's reward increases from $50,000 to $100,000.  The list is also distributed worldwide.     Read more

Jeffs Placed on FBI 10 Most Wanted List

Sam Penrod reporting KSL-TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast May 6, 2006

A major development tonight in the manhunt for polygamous leader Warren Jeffs.   Tim Fuhrman, FBI Special Agent in Charge: "We are here to announce that the FBI has placed Warren Steed Jeffs on its top ten most wanted fugitives list"   Warren Jeffs now joins the likes of Osama Bin Laden, as one of the top ten fugitives wanted by the federal government.   Jeffs has become a well known name in Utah and Arizona in recent months, as criminal charges have been filed against him.   The FBI say that by adding Warren Jeffs to its top ten list, that his name and face will get national, even international attention.   The odds are against him that he will be able to avoid arrest.  In the 56 year history of the FBI Top Ten list, 94 percent of the fugitives have been captured.   Warren Jeffs is now on a wanted poster, listed as one of the ten most wanted fugitives sought by the FBI.   Jeffs joins the list, which includes the most dangerous suspected criminals, including terrorists and serial murderers.     Read more

Jeffs on FBI's Top Ten

Most Wanted listing fuels search

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Sunday, May 7, 2006

The FBI has named Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs to its Top Ten Most Wanted list, fueling the nationwide manhunt to find the fugitive polygamist prophet.   "The list includes terrorists such as Osama bin Laden, serial murderers and child predators," FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Tim Fuhrman said at a news conference in Salt Lake City Saturday night.   A simultaneous news conference was held by FBI agents in Phoenix.   By adding Jeffs to the Top Ten list, Fuhrman said "the various methods of publicizing Jeffs' status as a fugitive will expand considerably."   Wanted posters of Jeffs will be placed in public buildings nationwide and distributed to police agencies worldwide.   The FBI will also have more resources available to pursue leads regarding Jeffs' whereabouts.   Jeffs had previously been on one of the agency's most-wanted lists, but the move to the Top Ten Most Wanted gives the case higher visibility.   "I feel like we're very close," Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith said of the hunt for Jeffs.  "Since the expulsions took place, we've been getting more and more intelligence and we feel like it's going to pay rich dividends."   Still, FBI agents admitted they do not know where Jeffs is.     Read more

Polygamist Leader Makes FBI 10 Most Wanted List

PAULA ZAHN NOW CNN Originally broadcast May 8, 2006

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone. Glad to have you with us. Here's what is happening at this moment. ZAHN: In tonight's "Outside the Law," he's a man on the run from the law. But how does a 50-year-old religious leader get on the FBI's 10 most wanted list, along with Osama bin Laden? Well, tonight, Warren Jeffs is a fugitive. But, to his followers, he's still a prophet. His story is tonight's "Outside the Law." (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ZAHN (voice-over): The list includes Osama bin Laden, murderers and violent robbers. Warren Jeffs is the newest member of the FBI's 10 most wanted list. He's the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, FLDS, for short, a polygamist sect that broke away from the mainstream Mormon Church almost a century ago. Fifty-year-old Warren Jeffs has been a fugitive for about a year. His group of about 10,000 people is based on the border of Arizona and Utah. Here, men believe that being married to a large number of brides will earn them a place in heaven. As one of those former brides told Larry King, the women had no choice in the matter.     Read more

Black Hills Could Hide Polygamist Fugitive

By Andy Harvey KELOLAND TV - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Originally published May 8, 2006

A polygamist leader with a compound in southwest South Dakota is now one of the FBI's 10 most wanted.   Warren Jeffs is wanted in Utah and Arizona, suspected of arranging marriages for underage girls.  People in the Black Hills say the area would be a perfect place for him to hide.   Wired fences, more than one hundred acres, and security cars all make up a very private place where fugitive Warren Jeffs could hide.   Resident Rita Anfinson said, "Yeah I think it would be a good place for him to hide.  I figure most people wouldn't know he was there."   Jeff's compound is in a very isolated part of the Black Hills southwest of Pringle and it's believed he's stayed there in the past.  That concerns people who live nearby now that the FBI wants him.   Anfinson said, "Oh it bothers me, don't get me wrong.  I bothers me a lot that he's out there doing what he's doing with these young people and stuff."   So far, local police haven't dealt with any tip calls, but they're working closely with federal authorities.   Custer County Sheriff Phil Hespen said, "We've got to be careful with our information.  We don't let sensitive stuff out at all.   It would kind of defeat the purpose."     Read more

National News Turns Attention Towards Warren Jeffs

Alex Cabrero Reporting KSL-TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast May 9, 2006

FLDS church leader, and now federal fugitive, Warren Jeffs is in the national spotlight.   Flip through the prime-time cable news shows last night and you'd find it was hard to avoid hearing Jeffs' name.   Utah attorney general Mark Shurtleff has been busy being interviewed for all these shows, from Larry King Live to Paula Zahn.  He took some time for our Alex Cabrero this afternoon to talk about what all this national coverage means.   Hopefully for Shurtleff, it means he will be caught, and caught peacefully.  For years now, Warren Jeff's was well known here in Utah and in Arizona, but his story wasn't as well known across the rest of the country until now.   Timothy Fuhrman: "We are here to announce the FBI has placed Warren Steed Jeffs on its Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list."   It's just a name on a list, but boy, does it mean a whole lot more.   Mark Shurtleff, Utah Attorney General: "Top Ten List is huge because it gets nationwide FBI involved."   Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has been thinking about Jeffs for years.  With Jeffs now on the Top 10 Most Wanted list, a lot of others are thinking about him too.     Read more

Search for Jeffs Takes FBI Agents to Colorado

KSL-TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast May 9, 2006

(KSL News) -- The search for fugitive Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs took FBI agents to Colorado today.   Acting on what they call "tips of value", agents visited a home in Lakewood.   They talked with the people there who've been renting the house for about a month.  They were alarmed to learn the search was for one of the FBI's Most Wanted.   Roy Fahrenholtz, Resident, Lakewood, Colo.: "That is a little surprising but in this day and age, who knows?"   Jeffs leads the FLDS Church. He has been in hiding since being accused of arranging marriages, between adult men and underage women.     See the house in Lakewood, Colorado

Officers search Lakewood neighborhood for polygamist leader

By Chip Yost - 9NEWS Investigative Reporter 9News - Denver, Colorado Originally broadcast May 9, 2006

LAKEWOOD - The search for polygamous leader Warren Jeffs zeroed in on a Lakewood neighborhood Tuesday.   Lakewood Police say an anonymous tip was sent in from another jurisdiction that someone had seen Jeffs at a home near La Salle Avenue and Flower Street.   Tuesday morning, officers from Jefferson County, Lakewood Police and the FBI came into the neighborhood.  Residents say the officers were seen going through the back yard and that they appeared to have a perimeter set up around the neighborhood.   Nearby residents say the officers did what appeared to be an extensive search inside the house and questioned the people living there.   When 9News arrived on scene early this afternoon, investigators were still in the neighborhood questioning residents.   The FBI would not comment specifically on what led them to the house on Flower Street or what information they found that kept them in the neighborhood for so long.  All the agency would say is that the FBI has received tips "of value" since Jeffs was put on the FBI's ten most wanted list over the weekend.   9News tried to get a comment from a couple inside the home that was searched.  However, when this reporter identified himself, they shut the door and then put a bed sheet over the living room window.   The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to Jeffs' arrest.

Polygamist with ties to Nevada on FBI's most wanted list

KVBC News 3 - Las Vegas Originally broadcast May 9, 2006

He's a self-proclaimed prophet with ties to Las Vegas and now he's considered as dangerous as terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.   The FBI just added polygamist cult leader Warren Jeffs to its most wanted list.  Jeffs is the leader of the Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints Church - a cult that has a compound just north of us in Lincoln County.   Monday there was an internet rumor going around that Jeffs wasn't far from Las Vegas.  It was rumored that authorities missed an opportunity to catch him in Mesquite.   The FBI is denying those rumors, but is saying that Warren Jeffs is on the move and they need your help catching him.   The FBI is hoping the $100,000 reward will have people on alert.  Wanted on criminal charges of sexual conduct with a minor, Jeffs is also accused of arranging marriages between underage girls and older men.   The FBI says he played criminal match-maker here in Nevada and also in the tiny town of Colorado City, Arizona where his devout followers consider him a prophet.     Read more

Federal Agents Search Lakewood Home For Polygamist

ABC 7 News- Denver, Colorado Originally published May 10, 2006

LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- Federal agents searched a Lakewood home for one of the FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives Tuesday, but came up empty.   The agents were looking for Warren Jeffs, 50, the president and prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.   Jeffs has been a fugitive since June 2005, when he was indicted on sex crimes in Arizona for allegedly marrying a 16-year-old girl to an older man.  In April, Utah prosecutors charged him with two counts of rape as an accomplice for allegedly forcing another underage girl into marriage.   Jeffs has not been seen in two years.   Agents searched the home in the 2600 block of South Flower Street around noon Tuesday, but made no arrests.  They wouldn't say if they found anything that related to Jeffs.  The couple in the home had been renting it for about a month.     Read more

Warren Jeffs: Making FBI's Most Wanted List

By Greta Van Susteren "On the Record" Originally broadcast May 10, 2006

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: Polygamist prophet Warren Jeffs is wanted for sexual contact with a minor and accomplice to rape — in this case, forcing a teenage girl to marry and have sex with an adult man. This week, the FBI named Jeffs one of their 10 Most Wanted fugitives. How did he make a list that includes international terrorist Usama bin Laden? Joining us in Washington is acting assistant director of criminal investigations at the FBI Chip Burrus. Nice to see you, sir. CHIP BURRUS, ACTING FBI ASST. DIRECTOR: Thank you. VAN SUSTEREN: Did someone have to move off the list to make an empty seat, or does the 10 Most Wanted sometimes include 11? BURRUS: No, it doesn't. It always includes 10. And the last person on the list was caught in Juarez, Mexico, 48 hours after we put him on the list. And he was a child molester, too.     Read more

Hiding in Plain Sight: Polygamy

ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES CNN Originally broadcast May 10, 2006

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone, from Salt Lake City, Utah, home of the Mormon faith. Tonight, we're investigating a practice that the church itself outlawed more than a century ago, polygamy, a problem hiding ANNOUNCER: He's on the same list as Osama bin Laden and nearly as shadowy -- a rare look at what makes Warren Jeffs run. The men cast out, how do they survive? What happens to their families? And what do the women say? ANNOUNCER: Across the country and around the world, this is a special edition of ANDERSON COOPER 360: "Hiding in Plain Sight: Polygamy." Live from Salt Lake City, here's Anderson Cooper. COOPER: And thanks for joining us. We are here in the beautiful city of Salt Lake in -- in beautiful Utah, the center of a nationwide manhunt. In the mountains around me, in neighboring states, possibly Canada, even Mexico, authorities are looking for this man, the leader of a fundamentalist offshoot of the Mormon Church, a radical sect that still practices polygamy.     Read more

Tip on Jeffs led FBI, cops to a house in Lakewood

By Hector Gutierrez Rocky Mountain News Originally published May 11, 2006

LAKEWOOD - An anonymous tip that the fugitive leader of a polygamist sect was at a home in the Westgate neighborhood triggered a search by local and federal authorities, the FBI said Wednesday.   Neighbors in the 2600 block of South Flower Street north of the Bear Creek Greenbelt said three people were living in the rental home that was cited by the tipster as the place where Warren Jeffs was seen.  The trio has lived in the house for several months, one neighbor said.   FBI agents interviewed the residents at the home, but did not take anyone into custody, said Monique Kelso, a spokeswoman for the FBI.   "Just as with any other leads that have been coming in of possible Warren Jeffs sightings in the United States, we follow every lead, no matter how big or how small they may be," Kelso said.   The FBI has a particular interest in Jeffs.  On Saturday, he was added to the bureau's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.   Jeffs is facing charges of sexual conduct with a minor in Arizona and being an accomplice to a rape.  Federal authorities also want him for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.   Jeffs' Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints, a splinter group of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is believed to have more than 10,000 followers, most in Utah and Arizona.  His brother, Seth Jeffs, was arrested in Pueblo in October and is accused of helping to hide his brother.     Read more

Hoping for Jeffs' capture

Opinion Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, May 11, 2006

I was very pleased to see that the fugitive Warren Jeffs has been added to the FBI's "10 Most Wanted List" and the reward for his capture has been increased to $100,000. His actions are far more serious than just ordinary polygamy. Jeffs has been known to travel extensively. It is good that his face now appears on posters. I hope those posters will be displayed in post offices, banks and stores nationwide. He has eluded capture because he has money and followers to shield him. Perhaps now he will be apprehended and prosecuted. James A. Marples Provo

FBI working hard to follow up as Jeffs leads pour in

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, May 11, 2006

Leads continued to pour into FBI offices in Salt Lake City and Phoenix in the nationwide manhunt for fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.   "The tips are coming in and the agents are working the leads as hard and as fast as they're coming in," FBI special agent Patrick Kiernan said Wednesday.   FBI agents searched a home in the Denver suburb of Lakewood, Colo., on Tuesday for any sign of Jeffs.  Reportedly, someone phoned in a tip to authorities that Jeffs was seen at a home.  However, FBI agents told the Deseret Morning News on Wednesday they did not find anything.   "The agents were out there and talking to people," Kiernan said.  "We will follow up aggressively on every lead."   Rumors have placed Jeffs in Mesquite, Nev., within the past few weeks and Eldorado, Texas, within the past few months.  However, law-enforcement officers have acknowledged that they do not have any concrete leads in the hunt for the fugitive Fundamentalist LDS Church leader.     Read more

Did Jeffs sense the law was closing in on him?

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Saturday, May 13, 2006

Warren Jeffs seemed to know that law enforcement was closing in on the Fundamentalist LDS Church.   "In the last moments ... the final preparation ... the storm clouds are gathering against us," he said in a secretly recorded priesthood sermon obtained by the Deseret Morning News.  "Only the Lord can protect us from the trials ahead."   In the Aug. 10, 2003, Sunday meeting recorded by a member shortly before the member was excommunicated, Jeffs railed against "sinners" within his flock.  Later that day, Jeffs addressed his entire congregation in Hildale and cancelled church meetings.  Within months, dozens were purged from FLDS ranks.   In the priesthood sermon, Jeffs tells the men to choose sides.   "There is only one side and that is the Lord's side," he said in a monotone voice.   Law enforcement involved in the manhunt for the fugitive polygamist leader are hoping to capture him and avoid bloodshed.   "That's the big question," said Gary Engels, an investigator in the Mohave County Attorney's Office assigned to look into the goings-on in the polygamous border towns of Hildale and Colorado City, Ariz.  "We don't know how he'll go.  If he'll go quietly or go out as a big martyr."     Read more

Polygamist on the Lam

A sect leader lands on the FBI's Most Wanted list.

By Andrew Murr Newsweek Originally published May 14, 2006 (May 22, 2006 Issue)

May 22, 2006 issue - Warren Jeffs is a prophet without honor in the eyes of the Feds: leader of a polygamist offshoot of Mormonism (the church banned polygamy in 1890), he has now made the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list.  Missing from public view for two years, Jeffs has failed to answer state criminal charges stemming from marriages he allegedly performed between teenage girls and older men.  As a result, the FBI has included him in the ranks of alleged murderers, mobsters—and Osama bin Laden.   Jeffs's sect, the 10,000-member Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), isn't recognized by the Mormon Church.  Until recently, law enforcement largely ignored polygamous groups like the FLDS.  But now it is going after them for an assortment of alleged sexual and financial abuses.     Read more

The Hunt For Warren Jeffs

By Don Jorgensen KELOLAND TV - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Originally published May 15, 2006

He's a self proclaimed prophet and leader of the nation's largest polygamist sect.   But 51 year old Warren Jeffs, who is believed to have 50 wives, is also on the FBI's most wanted list.   Jeffs is the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a group that practices polygamy.   Among other charges, Jeffs is accused of conducting a plural marriage between a 16 year old girl and an older man.   Jeffs is on the run and hasn't been seen in public in more than two years.  Some believe he could be hiding in a remote area of the Black Hills, in one of his six polygamist compounds.   Millions of people visit the Black Hills each year.  But in the shadows of the evergreens is a place that's not on any tourist map.   According to the FBI, behind these locked gates is a compound built by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or FLDS, followers of polygamist Warren Jeffs.   The entire compound is surrounded by barbed wire fence, with signs warning no trespassing.   Neighbors, who talked with us on camera, say they haven't seen Jeffs, nor have they had any problems with the FLDS members.     Read more

Utah cult leader inspires fear

United Press International MonstersAndCritics.com Originally published May 16, 2006

ELDORADO, TX, United States (UPI) -- A Texas judge says he and others are worried a violent confrontation could erupt with followers of alleged Utah polygamist Warren Jeffs.   Jeffs, who is on the FBI`s most wanted list, reportedly is living on the Yearning for Zion Ranch on the edge of Eldorado, Texas, ABC reports.   Jeffs is accused of a sexual assault on a minor.   He is believed to have millions of dollars at his disposal as well as devoted followers who are believed willing to help him hide.   The FBI has offered a $100,000 reward for Jeffs` arrest.   "They have enormous warehouses, orchards, vegetable gardens, dairy, chicken coops, a cheese-manufacturing house, their own water plant," Judge James Doyle told ABC.   Doyle said he is is not that concerned about polygamy and Jeffs` followers are basically peaceful.  But he said he worries about a confrontation.   "When you have radicals who are armed -- and they say they are -- then certainly if they are cornered and someone fires a shot then we may never know what is going to happen," Doyle said.

Wanted U.S. polygamist probably in Canada, says rival

By Brian Lawrence Canadian Press Originally published Tuesday, May 16, 2006

CRESTON, B.C. -- A U.S. polygamist on the FBI's most wanted list is probably in Canada, says his Canadian rival.   Winston Blackmore, who leads a breakaway Mormon polygamous sect based in Bountiful, B.C., says Warren Jeffs would be the "dumbest person if he weren't in Canada."   But at a news conference on his lawn Tuesday, Blackmore didn't say whether he knew where Jeffs was and said anyway, that's not his problem.   Jeffs heads the Utah-based Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a polygamist sect that broke away from the Mormon church when it abandoned polygamy more than a century ago.   The faith believes that polygamy is necessary for the glorification of its members in heaven.   He is wanted on criminal charges of sexual conduct with a minor and for arranging plural marriages of underaged girls.  He's also wanted for fraud.   Jeffs excommunicated Winston Blackmore several years ago and the Bountiful community is now divided almost down the middle between Blackmore followers and Jeffs followers.   Blackmore characterized their split Tuesday as something akin to a family feud.   "If he was in a vehicle, I'd look the other way.  We are extended family," he said, adding: "The fact that he's a federal fugitive, my apologies to the FBI, is not our problem."     Read more

Could the Hunt for Polygamist Warren Jeffs Turn Into a Government Standoff?

"Hannity & Colmes" Fox News Originally broadcast May 16, 2006

ALAN COLMES, CO-HOST: Admitted polygamist Warren Jeffs has landed on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list as a rape suspect and a fugitive. Jeffs leads a polygamist sect of as many as 10,000 followers and has allegedly arranged hundreds of marriages between underage girls and older men. He's not been seen in public for more than two years, and authorities think he may be hiding in one of his church's remote compounds. Is this case the next Waco? Joining us now, criminal defense attorney Steven Greenburg and former FBI assistant director, Danny Coulson. Danny, let me go to you first. Given that he's on the 10 most-wanted list what does it take to get on that list? DANNY COULSON, FORMER FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: It's someone they can't find, basically, an individual that the leads have dried up. They can't locate him, and they're starting to look for public support. And it takes a lot to get on the top 10 list. And obviously... COLMES: Does it have to do with the severity, the heinousness of the crime? COULSON: Yes, it does. We're talking about crimes against minors here, and that's a very significant thing. It's a significant thing in the state of Texas, certainly with regard to the federal system. And they want to find this guy before he does any more of this to any more children to be abused. It's really a child abuse case when you get right down to it, Alan.     Read more

Tracking a Fugitive: The Hunt for Warren Jeffs

ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES CNN Originally broadcast May 17, 2006

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, again.   Tonight, a special edition of 360, "Tracking a Fugitive," the hunt for polygamist leader Warren Jeffs. ANNOUNCER: Tracking the money trail -- how can fugitive polygamist Warren Jeffs be raking in millions of dollars a month while he's on the run.  We're keeping them honest.   A broken family who believes they've been cursed. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have 10 of them now on the wall over there that won't -- I don't even know when their grandchildren are born. ANNOUNCER: How the wrath of Warren Jeffs changed their lives forever.   And the lost boys. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm totally an outcast now. ANNOUNCER: He ran away from the faith; others were kicked out, and now they must start their lives all over again, and try to escape the shadows of a painful past.   This is a special edition of ANDERSON COOPER 360, "Tracking a Fugitive: The Hunt For Warren Jeffs."  Here's Anderson Cooper. COOPER: Good evening.  Tonight we are tracking the fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.  Since he's landed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List, the FBI says that tips have poured in.  But still, at this hour, his whereabouts are unknown.  A $100,000 bounty is on his head.   To his thousands of followers, Warren Jeffs is a messiah, a prophet who speaks for God.  To others, he's a madman, who's turned children into brides and destroyed families.  He's accused of sexual contact with a minor.   But that's only the beginning.  Tonight you'll hear stories of horror from those who knew Jeffs and dare to leave his sect.  Tonight, we'll get you as close as possible to Warren Jeffs, revealing his secret hideouts and his secret sources of income.  Warren Jeffs may be on the run, but his empire is vast, it is remote, and as you're about to see, it is surreal.     Read more

Eyes Wide Open In Texas Looking For Warren Jeffs

KUTV Channel 2 Originally broadcast May 22, 2006

(KUTV) One week after hitting the FBI’s top ten most wanted list and still no sign of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.   However, FBI agents have been seen outside a ranch in the small town of El Dorado, Texas.  Dan Rascon tells us Texas police officers are still playing it safe.   It's here in the small town of Elderado, Texas where locals are starting to keep a very close eye on what's taking place inside this gated community where a temple now stands.   This is where the faithful followers of Warren Jeffs can sometimes be seen coming and going.   The watch has intensified now that Jeff's has hit the FBI's ten most wanted list and his reward has jumped to 100 thousand dollars.   FBI agents can now been seen camping outside the complex.     Read more

FBI beefs up search for Jeffs

More agents assigned to polygamist leader's case

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Tuesday, May 30, 2006

With a fugitive like Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list, more case agents have been assigned to deal with tips, leads and whereabouts of the polygamist leader.   FBI agents in Salt Lake City declined to comment on the specific number of agents assigned to the Jeffs case but said additional resources are being freed up to deal with the high-profile fugitive.   "You couldn't expect one person to handle all this work," FBI Special Agent Patrick Kiernan said.  "The leads have continued to come in, and we continue to keep personnel and the FBI very busy."   As of early May, there were 2,698 people facing federal charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.  Putting Jeffs in the top 10 of that long list enables any FBI agent anywhere in the world to drop almost anything to assist in the manhunt.  Traditionally, a fugitive sighting goes through a number of channels and eventually trickles down to a case agent.   "They could get to it tomorrow or maybe next week, depending on what else they had going," Kiernan said.  "Now, if we request either personnel resources or equipment resources of any kind to the FBI, they're not likely to be turned down."     Read more

Jeffs deserves to be on FBI's most wanted

Opinion The Spectrum Originally published June 4, 2006

There's been a lot of reporting on the cat-and-mouse game between the FBI and its efforts to catch fugitive Warren Jeffs. I think it is good that Jeffs is now on the FBI's Ten-Most-Wanted List, and that the reward bounty on his head has been significantly increased. However, it is highly unfair to simply label Jeffs as a polygamist, when he is a predator who has made a mockery out of ancient beliefs pertaining to matrimony. Jeffs has allegedly done other misdeeds, including financial wrongdoing. In my opinion, he is able to escape apprehension because he has a small band of sympathizers and conspirators who shield him from view. The authorities should put out smaller rewards (perhaps $5,000) on anyone found to be harboring this fugitive. Jeffs is obviously spending a lot to keep himself in hiding. Only when those who aid and abet him are themselves sought for apprehension - then they might be tempted to turn him in and the big break-through will occur. Let us hope it is soon. James A. Marples Longview, Texas

FBI Director To Visit Salt Lake City Tomorrow

The Associated Press KUTV Channel 2 Originally broadcast June 6, 2006

SALT LAKE CITY -- FBI director Robert Mueller will be in Salt Lake City tomorrow.   His visit is part of a nationwide tour of FBI field offices.  FBI agents say Mueller’s visit is not specific to any event, but it’s an opportunity for him to get a feel for what’s going on.   The FBI’s Salt Lake office is one of the main offices involved in the manhunt for fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.  He’s on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. Mueller has not been to the Salt Lake office since the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, four years ago.   The Salt Lake office covers Utah, Idaho and Montana.

Utah receives visit from FBI director

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Wednesday, June 7, 2006

FBI director Robert Mueller will be in Salt Lake City today as part of a nationwide tour of FBI field offices.   "It's an opportunity for him to get a feel for what's going on," said FBI Special Agent Patrick Kiernan.   During his visit, Mueller will meet with the 300 or so employees in the FBI's Salt Lake City office, which covers Utah, Idaho and Montana, and is one of several field offices he is visiting during this trip.   Mueller has not been to the FBI's Salt Lake City office since the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.   "He wants to hear from field personnel about issues involving the FBI," said Tim Fuhrman, special agent in charge of the Salt Lake City office.  "He wants to thank them for their efforts and explain different things that he's working on in Washington."   The Salt Lake City office is one of the lead agencies involved in the manhunt for fugitive Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs.  The polygamist prophet is on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list.   Fuhrman told the Deseret Morning News he expects to discuss the Jeffs case with Mueller.     Read more

FBI Director Visits Utah Today

John Daley Reporting KSL TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast June 7, 2006

The head of the FBI thinks federal authorities will catch polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.   While in Salt Lake today, Robert Mueller took questions from reporters, including questions about another story: why the government wants to search documents gathered by perhaps Utah's most famous journalist ever.   At a press conference, FBI Director Robert Mueller answered a broad range of questions, including some about his agency's efforts to track down another well-known name of late, FLDS polygamist leader and fugitive Warren Jeffs.   Robert Mueller, FBI Director: "Always in a situation like this, it takes time.  And my expectation is we will catch him.  He is a fugitive, and an important fugitive, which is why he's on the ten most wanted list.  If you look at the history of the ten most wanted list, the publicity you get often leads very quickly and sometimes not so quickly to arresting the person.   My expectation is we will arrest him."   Mueller says the FBI is using all the resources at its disposal to track down Jeffs.     Read more

FBI Director Confident Warren Jeffs Will Be Caught

By Jennifer Dobner The Associated Press KUTV Channel 2 Originally published June 7, 2006

SALT LAKE CITY -- A month after he was placed on the FBI's most-wanted list, fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs is getting the full attention of federal law enforcement resources.   "He is a fugitive, and an important fugitive, which is why he's on the Ten Most Wanted list," FBI Director Robert S. Mueller said at a news conference Wednesday.   Jeffs, 50, is wanted in Utah and Arizona for arranging marriages between underage girls and much older men.  On May 6, Jeffs was named to the FBI's most wanted list, along with terrorist Osama Bin Laden.  He is considered armed and dangerous.   Jeffs is known to have a network of homes across in the West, Midwest region, and British Columbia.  And Mueller said "every lead will be followed," but he acknowledged that finding Jeffs will take time.   "We have persons who end up on the Top Ten for 24 hours, we have persons who end up on the Top Ten for 10 years.  It depends on the circumstances," said Mueller, who was in Salt Lake City as part of a tour of FBI offices nationwide.   Mueller said Jeffs belongs on a list beside Bin Laden and other because he preys on children.     Read more

Jeffs seen in Arizona?

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Saturday, June 10, 2006

Authorities believe fugitive Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs has recently been in the polygamous border town of Colorado City, Ariz., performing more child-bride marriages.   "I've heard from a number of different sources who said he's been here," Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard told the Deseret Morning News Friday.  "They said he's performed marriages, and (they) pointed out a mobile home they said was the wedding chapel."   Some living in the polygamous border towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City said they have also heard that Jeffs has been there within the past 1 1/2 months.  The Utah Attorney General's Office said it has heard from credible sources that Jeffs continues to exercise his religious authority.   "Certainly, Mr. Jeffs has the ability to communicate with people and invite them to meet him so he can continue to perform marriages," said Ken Wallentine, chief of law enforcement for the Utah Attorney General's Office.   The office has been conducting an organized crime investigation into Jeffs and the FLDS Church.     Read more

Investigators Say Jeffs Tip Came From One or Two People

KSL TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast June 12, 2006

KSL News) -- Utah law enforcement officials are investigating the claims that Warren Jeffs was seen in Colorado City.   The reports that the polygamist leader performed marriages involving underage girls came on Friday.  Investigators say it now appears that those reports came from one or two people.  They say they will continue to pursue any leads until Jeffs is found.   Ken Wallentine, Utah Attorney General's Office: "Warren Jeffs is a man much like Osama bin laden, he is surrounded by people who believe in his cause."   The Attorney's General Office could not confirm or deny the validity of the sightings.

Jeffs hasn't been here, or has he?

By Karen Brooks The Dallas Morning News Originally published Thursday, June 15 2006

ELDORADO, Texas – It's unknown if fugitive polygamist Warren Jeffs has been around to see any or all of the progress made at the Yearning for Zion ranch outside this town – or the fascination with polygamy that has spread far beyond it.   After being accused of raping his young nephew years ago and of covering up other systematic rapes, as well as ordering the marriages of underage girls to church elders, Mr. Jeffs appeared on the FBI's Most Wanted list last year.   The sect leader joined Osama bin Laden and murderous drug kingpins and mobsters in the Top 10 list last month.   FBI agents believe the 50-year-old Mr. Jeffs poses a danger to followers in at least five states, Mexico and Canada.   He has been known to travel with armed guards, but neither he nor his followers are considered violent, said FBI Special Agent Deborah McCarley.     Read more

Standoff ends in Cedar City

By Ryan Dionne The Spectrum Originally published June 30, 2006 - 4:38 PM

CEDAR CITY -- A police standoff ended at about 5:10 p.m. today at a home in the Black Rock subdivision of Cedar City.   No further details will be provided to the media until the FBI arrives on the scene later tonight, local law enforcement officials told The Spectrum & Daily News.   The standoff began at about 2 p.m. at a house on the corner of Pachea Trail and Beacon Drive.  The Cedar City and Enoch police departments, the Iron County Sheriff's Office and the Utah Highway Patrol responded to the scene.   Law enforcement authorities closed down several blocks of the neighorhood and evacuated some residents from their homes. For more on this story, see Saturday's print editions of The Spectrum & Daily News.

Iron County SWAT surrounds Blackrock home

The Spectrum Originally published June 30, 2006 - 5:53 PM

CEDAR CITY — Police are being tight-lipped about a standoff that found officers surrounding a residence in the Blackrock subdivision this afternoon.   The Iron County SWAT team was called to the scene and, reportedly, a man and woman were removed from the house for questioning.   Roads into the subdivision were closed off for most of the afternoon while SWAT members surrounded the home. For more, please see tomorrow's edition of The Spectrum & Daily News.

SWAT chasing Jeffs lead

Truck in Cedar City has 'significant connection' to FLDS church

The Spectrum Originally published June 30, 2006 - 6:12 PM

CEDAR CITY — The FBI is searching a truck agents say has a "significant connection" to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, whose leader, Warren Jeffs, has been on the run for more than a year.   The Iron County SWAT team surrounded a house at 2444 W. Pachea Trail for several hours earlier today after a tip that Jeffs, a fugitive on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List, might be hiding there.   FBI agents at the scene would not reveal, however, if anybody was arrested.   Jeffs faces a number of charges in Utah and Arizona related to arranging or participating in "spiritual marriages" between underage girls and men.  He is also wanted on federal charges of unlawful flight.   The FBI is currently searching a late-model Ford F-350 truck left at the residence, which they believe is owned by somebody connected to the leadership ranks of the FLDS church. For more, please see tomorrow's edition of The Spectrum and Daily News.     See photo

FBI investigating report of Jeffs sighting

The Associated Press KTVK Channel 3 - Phoenix Originally broadcast June 30, 2006

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- FBI agents were in a Cedar City (Utah) subdivision today investigating a report that fugitive polygamist church leader Warren Jeffs had entered a residence there.   The 50-year-old Jeffs is on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list.  The leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, he's wanted on felony charges in both Arizona and Utah, accused of arranging marriages between underage girls and older men.   FBI spokesman Patrick Kiernan says the bureau investigates all tips related to the whereabouts of Jeffs.   Cedar City police got a call this afternoon from a resident in the Black Rock subdivision who claimed to have Jeffs get out a car and enter a house there.   Local police searched the home, but didn't find Jeffs.   One man and one woman were taken into custody and were being questioned by federal agents.   A police dispatcher says it's the second time in several weeks that a Jeffs sighting has been reported at the same home.   Cedar City is about 220 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.

Search produces no Jeffs

FBI and Cedar City police check home after getting a tip

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Saturday, July 1, 2006

Police descended on a home in Cedar City on Friday, acting on a tip that fugitive Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs may have been there.   They didn't find him.   "He's not here," Cedar City Police Lt. Dave Holm said.   "As far as I know he was not here."   Officers clad in SWAT gear descended upon a tan home on the corner of Pachea Trail and Beacon Drive, in the newly developed Black Rock subdivision.  Holm said they brought the SWAT gear because Jeffs is listed on his FBI wanted poster as armed and dangerous.   After knocking on the door, officers obtained permission to search the home and a truck parked at the residence.  Photographs taken by neighbors show a couple being escorted from the home in handcuffs.  The couple is wearing pioneer-style clothing that is common in the polygamous border towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., where the FLDS Church is based.   "I've seen a polygamist family living in this house for several years," said Randy Weekes, who lives nearby.  "I don't know their names."     Read more

Police act on Jeffs tip

Cedar residence surrounded after 'credible' sighting

By Patrice St. Germain The Spectrum Originally published July 1, 2006

CEDAR CITY - Acting on a tip, an Iron County SWAT team surrounded a home in Cedar City on Friday afternoon where someone claimed they saw Warren Jeffs, the self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who recently made the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List.   Cedar City Police Lt. David Holm said police got the tip and used the SWAT team because of information on the FBI bulletin that states Jeffs travels with loyal and armed bodyguards.   Holm said the Cedar City police took the tip as "credible."  Private investigator Sam Brower, who has worked with police in the past on the Jeffs case, said the home, located at 2444 W. Pachea Trail in the Blackrock subdivision, is owned by Willy Jessop, a bodyguard of Jeffs.   Although police were at the home for more than four hours, no arrests were made.  However, a man and a woman were taken in for questioning, Salt Lake City FBI media coordinator Patrick Kiernan said.   "Apparently when they were questioned, they gave conflicting stories - enough so that it raised concerns of law enforcement even more," Kiernan said.     Read more

Search for Jeffs at home fruitless

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Sunday, July 2, 2006

A Cedar City home searched by police for any sign of fugitive Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs belongs to one of his most loyal followers.   The home belongs to Jeffs' bodyguard Willie Jessop, said Sam Brower, a private investigator who has been looking into Jeffs on behalf of lawyers suing the FLDS Church and its $110 million financial arm, the United Effort Plan Trust.   "He's church security," Brower said Saturday.  He assisted police in searching the home on Friday for any sign of Jeffs.   The home in a newly developed subdivision was surrounded by SWAT teams on Friday as police and FBI agents investigated a neighbor's tip that Jeffs was seen going inside.  Jeffs was not found and police officers involved in the search told the Deseret Morning News they did not believe Jeffs was ever there.   A man and a woman inside were handcuffed and questioned but later released by FBI agents.  "They were FLDS but weren't hiding anyone," Brower said.  "There's no evidence he (Jeffs) was ever there, other than there were pictures of him in the house."     Read more

Jeffs likely still active with polygamist sect

By Mark Shaffer The Arizona Republic - Flagstaff Bureau Originally published July 3, 2006

About the only thing investigators in the search for fugitive polygamist prophet Warren Jeffs agree on is that he probably hasn't been sunbathing in Cancun.  But dozens of other promising leads have been pouring into state and federal agencies since he was listed on the FBI's 10 most-wanted list in May.   "He's still performing weddings and hasn't delegated that to anyone else in the organization," Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said.  "To maintain a dictatorial hold over your followers, that's something that can't be done from a spider hole."   He said Jeffs likely had performed marital ceremonies at trailers outside Colorado City within the past three months.     Read more

Public notice key to Most Wanted list

By Lee Benson Deseret Morning News Originally published Friday, July 7, 2006

Former FBI Director Louis Freeh liked to tell the story about talking to a class of grade-schoolers, including his own son, when the question came up about catching the people on the Bureau's Ten Most Wanted list.   Freeh explained the various techniques used to go after America's toughest criminals, including the publicity generated from having their pictures in post offices and other public buildings throughout the country, when one of the kids raised his hand with a question.   Why don't you just grab them when you take their picture, the kid wanted to know.   Grabbing bad guys is never quite that easy, of course, but the fact is, having your face on the Ten Most Wanted list seriously reduces your chances of a prolonged care-free life on the lam.     Read more

Seth Jeffs gets probation

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Friday, July 14, 2006

The brother of fugitive Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs has been sentenced for helping to keep him on the run.   Seth Jeffs, 33, was sentenced in a Denver federal courtroom today to three years probation.  Speaking briefly in court, Jeffs said he wanted to "just get on with my life."   "I knew what I did was wrong as I was doing it, but I didn't realize the severity of what I was doing," he said.  "I did all I can to remove myself from this situation . . . I never want to find myself in that situation again."   Jeffs was convicted of a single federal charge of harboring or concealing a person from arrest.  He admitted to helping keep his brother on the run from the FBI and local police.   In October 2005, Jeffs and Nathaniel Allred were stopped in Pueblo, Colo., by police for driving erratically.  Inside their Ford Excursion, police seized $142,000 in cash, pre-paid phone cards, credit cards, seven cell phones and even a donation jar with a label that read "Pennies for the Prophet."   Police said letters seized asked Warren Jeffs for advice on a number of issues and discussed an on-going project Jeffs was involved in — editing a compendium of his father's sermons.     Read more

Bold Wives Tales

By Russell Myrie The Voice - London, England Originally published July 17, 2006

Cult fiction (and fact) hits our screens this week, with the quest to find the man with 80 wives, and turmoil in the big love house   Remember David Koresh and his Branch Davidians?  Well, Warren Jeffs, leader of a polygamous cult, may just be the new millennium version.  In The Man With 80 Wives (Wednesday, Channel Four, 10.50pm) journalist Sanjiv Bhattacharya attempts to find the man who’s rumoured to have at least 80 wives, over 200 children and some 10,000 followers.   The fact that he’s also on the FBI’s most wanted list ($100,000 bounty on his head and everything) and is wanted for charges of arranging marriages between underage girls and older, married men must have also sparked interest.  Worst of all, ‘the man’ is scared that Jeffs might even be prepared to sacrifice his followers in a Waco style suicide pact.  It’s no wonder he hasn’t been seen in over a year.   But Bhattacharya hopes to change all that.     Read more

Polygamist Monument Remembers Past

e-Press Tri-State News Network Originally published Saturday, July 29, 2006

COLORADO CITY, AZ - Canadian Winston Blackmore presented a new polygamy family monument at Cottonwood Park in Colorado City. Warren Jeffs, who is currently on the FBI Most Wanted List, had the prior one destroyed.   The monument, which Blackmore stated is intended to be both a symbol of the past and the future.   It commemorates the 1953 Short Creek Raid in which police jailed men and scattered families in an attempt to dissolve the community, which is now the twin cities of Colorado City and Hildale, Utah.   Since taking over the sect in 2002, the church has been under legal pressures; thus far, eight men have been accused of having sexual relations with young girls and five men are serving sentences in an Arizona prison for refusing to testify before a grand jury.   Meanwhile, Jeffs is a self-proclaimed "Prophet" who is also wanted on various charges relating to sexual misconduct in Utah and Arizona.  Those close to the case say he could be holed-up with friends in Salt Lake City or Las Vegas, where Jeffs may be illegally spending a portion of $100-million in church trust funds police say he took from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

The Hunt for Warren Jeffs

By Sanjiv Bhattacharya San Antonia Current Originally published August 9, 2006

It's astonishing how much a cult leader can get done while he's on the run from the FBI.  Witness the case of Warren Jeffs, leader of the largest fundamentalist Mormon cult in America, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or FLDS) whose members number in the region of 10,000.  In the two years since Jeffs has been a fugitive from justice, he has built three compounds from scratch in Colorado, South Dakota and Texas, the latter including a huge white temple.  He has rigorously controlled his followers, draining them of $5 million per month by some estimates, and performed scores of marriages in his capacity as 'Prophet', no doubt adding to his own tally of 80 or so wives along the way (no one knows the exact figure).  It's also possible that he has raped dozens of children.  Jeffs is wanted for sex with a minor, conspiracy to have sex with a minor and rape as an accomplice (of a minor).  Were he caught and convicted he could face a lifetime in prison.  That he has been able to do all of this while eluding capture - by not only the FBI but the local police and sheriffs in over six states - might suggest that he's a highly sophisticated fugitive.  And perhaps he is.  But he can't take all the credit - for most of his two years in hiding, the law enforcement agencies have been as inactive as he has been busy.     Read more

Is Jeffs hiding in Texas?

Shurtleff, others discuss ways to track down fugitive FLDS leader

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, August 24, 2006

Utah and Texas authorities are exploring new ways of finding proof that fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs has been hiding out at the Fundamentalist LDS Church's massive temple site in Eldorado, Texas.  "He's got how many thousand acres down there and a sheriff that says he's not going to go in?" Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff told the Deseret Morning News.  "I think he travels around absolutely.  It's a place he goes for refuge.  My question is, what are you doing to get probable cause?"  But the sheriff of the tiny Texas town said he doesn't have any proof the FLDS leader has been there lately — and that's why he can't go in and search the sprawling ranch.  "No doubt at some point he's been out there," said Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran.  "But no evidence that he has been out there recently."  Shurtleff met briefly with his counterparts in Texas and Canada earlier this month while at a conference in Alaska.  He said they discussed new ways to track down the fugitive FLDS leader.     Read more

FBI: Fugitive polygamist arrested near Las Vegas

The Associated Press CNN Originally published August 29, 2006

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- The leader of a polygamist sect who was on the FBI's Most Wanted List was found with cell phones, laptop computers, wigs and more than $50,000 in cash when he was arrested, authorities said Tuesday.  Warren Steed Jeffs, 50, was arrested without incident, and no weapons were found when he and two others were pulled for a traffic stop late Monday and taken into custody, said FBI special agent in charge Steven Martinez.  Jeffs was wanted in Utah and Arizona and faces sexual misconduct charges for allegedly arranging marriages between underage girls and older men.  He was stopped in a 2007 red Cadillac Escalade by a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper on Interstate 15 just north of Las Vegas and was being held Tuesday in Clark County jail.     Read more

Fugitive polygamist leader thought he could outlast authorities

The Associated Press KVOA News 4 - Tucson Originally published August 29, 2006

SALT LAKE CITY -- He had at least 40 wives, scores of children, thousands of followers and control over millions of dollars from a church trust.  He was invincible, protected by God from capture, fugitive polygamous leader Warren Steed Jeffs told his most loyal lieutenants, according to investigators.  Yet Jeffs, who was on the FBI's Most Wanted List for charges of arranging marriages between underage girls and older men, was arrested during a traffic stop just outside Las Vegas late Monday without incident.  His bodyguards had promised a gun fight and said they would die for him, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said Tuesday.  But Jeffs, 50, wasn't with any bodyguards and had no weapons.  He was a passenger with one of his wives, Naomi Jeffs, in a 2007 red Cadillac Escalade driven by his most loyal brother, Isaac Steed Jeffs, both 32.  Both were released after Jeffs' arrest.  They were stopped by a Nevada Highway patrol trooper who couldn't make out the vehicle's temporary Colorado paper license tag on Interstate 15.  That trooper thought he recognized Jeffs inside the vehicle.  While Jeffs initially offered an alias, he revealed his actual name to an FBI agent who was called to the scene, said John E. Lewis, special agent in charge of the FBI Phoenix division.  Jeffs complained he was being prosecuted for his religious beliefs, but didn't respond to questions about how he spent his year on the run, Lewis said.     Read more

Sheriff tells followers of polygamist leader's arrest

The Associated Press KLTV Channel 7 - Tyler, Texas Originally broadcast August 29, 2006

ELDORADO, Texas A southwest Texas sheriff delivered the news today to members of a reclusive polygamist sect: Their fugitive leader had been arrested.  Warren Jeffs was captured late yesterday in Nevada during a traffic stop. He was on the FBI's Most Wanted List and faces charges of arranging marriages between underage girls and older men.  Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran called members of Jeff's group at their compound near Eldorado.  Doran says he wanted them hear from an official source.  They said they appreciated the information.  As part of their religious rules, followers of Jeffs' Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are not supposed to have access to television, radio or newspapers.  They also do not speak with reporters.  The church members began arriving at a former exotic game ranch about 2 and a half years ago.

News Release

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff For Immediate Release August 29, 2006 Contact Paul Murphy:   (801) 538-1892

WARREN JEFFS ARRESTED MARK SHURTLEFF & FBI AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS

What:   Attorney General Mark Shurtleff will join members of the FBI and other law enforcement officials to answer questions about the arrest of Warren Jeffs. When:   Noon, Today, Tuesday, August 29, 2006 Where:   257 East 200 South, 10th floor, Salt Lake City, Utah

Ex-Polygamist Wives Relieved at Jeffs' Capture

By Julie Rose KCPW News - Public Radio - Salt Lake City, Utah Originally broadcast August 29, 2006

(KCPW News) As word spreads that fugitive polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs is now in federal custody, former polygamist wives are relieved.  Vicky Prunty of Tapestry Against Polygamy feared capturing Jeffs would end in violence.  Instead Nevada police caught the polygamist at a routine traffic stop yesterday.  Prunty says the ripple in the fundamentalist mormon community will be significant:  "I think this is a really wonderful wakeup call for them," says Prunty.  "God wasn't there to intervene.  His bodyguards weren't there to intervene.  And this will send a message that man is not above the law and (Jeffs') followers are going to have to start thinking on their own."     Read more

Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs held in Nevada

By Cathy Scott Reuters Originally published August 29, 2006

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Fugitive polygamist sect leader Warren Steed Jeffs, one of the FBI's 10 most wanted men, was arrested after a routine traffic stop near Las Vegas, traveling with $50,000 in cash, 15 cell phones and three wigs, authorities said on Tuesday.  Jeffs, 50, considered a prophet by his estimated 10,000 followers, was jailed on warrants accusing him of sexual assault and other misconduct on minors in Arizona, and as an accomplice to rape in Utah, the FBI and state law enforcement officials said.   "Now he's going to be held accountable," Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said of Jeffs' arrest.  "Nobody is above the law."  Jeffs, feared as a tyrant by many former members of his sect, is accused of arranging marriages between older men and underage girls in a community that is closed to outsiders.  Young men and boys are often forced out to ensure a supply of young brides for male elders.     Read more

LARRY KING LIVE

Warren Jeffs Nabbed Near Las Vegas

CNN Originally broadcast August 29, 2006

KING: Welcome back. Warren Steed Jeffs, the fugitive leader of a polygamist religious leader is cooling his heels in a Nevada jail tonight. The woman responsible for the federal charges against Jeffs is standing by in St. George, Utah. She'll talk about Warren Jeffs and the marriage he tried to force her into when she was just 16. But first we go to CNN correspondent Ted Rowlands, just outside the Las Vegas jail where Jeffs is currently cooling his heels tonight. Ted will tell us about the routine traffic stop that turned into the arrest of one of the FBI's ten most wanted. What happened? TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, a trooper by the name of Eddie Dutchover made a routine traffic stop just north of Las Vegas. He pulled over a Cadillac Escalade. In the back seat was Warren Jeffs. In the front was his brother. And in the way back, in the third row, was one of his wives, Naomi Jeffs. And the trooper says he pulled the car over because it didn't have any plates on it. But right away he claims that he noticed that both brothers were extremely nervous. He ended up separating the two brothers. One said they were headed to Utah. Warren Jeffs said they were going to Denver, Colorado. At that point he called in reinforcements. They started to search the car. He said at one point Warren Jeffs was in the back seat refusing to talk, eating a salad. But he looked at him and the vein in his neck was pulsating so quickly that he knew the guy was very, very nervous. He asked him if he needed any help. He wouldn't respond to him. When they started to search the car, they found three wigs, they found cell phones, about $60,000 in cash in the lining of a suitcase. And then they called the FBI, they started to figure out this could be Jeffs when they saw some letters addressed to the prophet Warren Jeffs. They got an initial I.D. When the FBI came, Jeffs stopped lying.     Read more

JEFFS CAPTURED

Manhunt ends on the side of Interstate 15 north of Las Vegas

By Patrice St. Germain The Spectrum Originally published August 30, 2006

HURRICANE - The manhunt for Warren Steed Jeffs, 50, the self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, did not end as some had speculated - in a hail of gunfire, leaving the polygamist sect with a martyr.  Instead, it happened quietly on the side of Interstate 15 just north of Las Vegas as the sun was setting behind the sharp hills off to the west at 9:04 p.m. Monday.  Jeffs was traveling with one of his wives, Naomi, and his brother, Isaac, both 32, in a 2007 Cadillac Escalade filled with cellular telephones, laptop computers, women's wigs and cash in excess of $50,000.  The SUV had temporary license plates from Colorado and a license plate frame indicating it was purchased from or associated in some way with a dealership in Lone Tree, Colo.  Nevada State Trooper Eddie Dutchover, who instigated the arrest in the northbound lane of Interstate 15 at mile marker 60, said he did so because he could not read the vehicle's temporary license plate.  Jeffs was wanted in Arizona for allegedly arranging a marriage between a 16-year-old girl and a married man.  He faces charges in Utah of rape as an accomplice for allegedly arranging the marriage of a teenage girl to a Nevada man.  Jeffs also faces federal charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.  Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said he felt great after hearing about Jeffs' arrest.  "I am delighted, first of all, that he (Jeffs) was caught without violence and now he can answer on the charges (against him)," Shurtleff said.     Read more

Hildale shows little reaction

By Patrice St. Germain The Spectrum Originally published August 30, 2006

HILDALE - It was business as usual late Tuesday morning in the twin cities of Hildale and Colorado City, Ariz. - the base of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - after the prophet of the church, Warren Steed Jeffs, was arrested following a traffic stop on Interstate 15 just north of Las Vegas.  People were out shopping, working in their yards, and school-age children roamed the streets, seemingly oblivious to the fact that their church leader - on the FBI's Top 10 Most Wanted list since May - was no longer free.  Ex-FLDS member Lori Chatwin heard the news about Jeffs' arrest but was not surprised that some in the community had not.  "Most don't have cable," Chatwin said.  "I imagine people will hear about it by word-of-mouth by the end of the day."  Hildale City Council member Harold Peine said he hadn't been around town to talk to anyone and had not heard that Jeffs was apprehended.  But Peine said the arrest also did not mean much to him.  "For me, it will not change anything," Peine said.  Helamon Barlow, an officer with the Colorado City Marshal's Office, said he heard of Jeffs' arrest but declined to comment, stating that all comments from the police department needed to come from Chief Fred Barlow.  Barlow did not return telephone calls to The Spectrum.     Read more

Fugitive polygamist held

Warren Jeffs, one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted, arrested near Las Vegas

By Deborah Frazier Rocky Mountain News Originally published August 30, 2006

Warren Jeffs, the polygamist leader on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for child sexual abuse charges in two states, was arrested near Las Vegas in a vehicle with Colorado license plates.  Jeffs, 50, was taken into custody late Monday after a Nevada state patrolman stopped the red 2007 Cadillac SUV with temporary Colorado registration for a routine traffic stop on Interstate 15.  Jeffs, who fled charges that he arranged marriages between young girls and older married men in Arizona and Utah, is being held in Las Vegas without bond.  The patrolman pulled the vehicle over because he was unable to clearly see the car's temporary tags. He called the FBI after finding items in the SUV related to Jeffs, said Dave Nanz, a FBI spokesman in Las Vegas.  "Jeffs didn't identify himself, but the officer found $50,000 in cash, numerous cell phones, wigs in various hairstyles and $10,000 in (pre-paid) credit cards," said Nanz.  Isaac S. Jeffs, 32, Warren Jeffs' brother, was driving the vehicle, and Naomi Jeffs, 32, one of Warren Jeffs' wives, was a passenger, said Nanz.  Nanz declined to disclose the car's owner.  The luxury SUV's license plate frame indicates it came from Don Massey, a Cadillac dealership in Lone Tree, south of Denver, but no one at the dealership was available Tuesday to verify that.     Read more

Jeffs in Nevada jail

FLDS leader arrested after routine traffic stop near Las Vegas

By Ben Winslow and Nancy Perkins Deseret Morning News Originally published Wednesday, August 30, 2006

LAS VEGAS — Fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs had proclaimed that God was protecting him.  In secretly recorded sermons obtained by the Deseret Morning News, he made reference to a looming showdown with law enforcement.  "In the last moments ... the final preparation ... the storm clouds are gathering against us," Jeffs said in an August 2003 priesthood sermon.  "Only the Lord can protect us from the trials ahead."  The Fundamentalist LDS Church leader will face those trials, beginning with a court appearance here on Thursday, where he will face extradition after being arrested Monday night in a simple traffic stop.  Jeffs' capture ends a nationwide manhunt for a man considered a prophet by his faithful followers, a man who was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list on May 6, grouping him with the likes of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden.  Just after 9 p.m. Monday, a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper stopped a red 2007 Cadillac Escalade on I-15 about five miles north of Las Vegas.  The temporary tag out of Colorado was partially obscured, and the trooper couldn't read it, said George Togliatti, the director of the Nevada Department of Public Safety.  At the wheel was Jeffs' brother.     Read more

Arrest could lead to turmoil

Jailing of Jeffs could enhance feelings of persecution of FLDS

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Wednesday, August 30, 2006

While authorities predict a change in the structure of the Fundamentalist LDS Church now that Warren Jeffs is in custody, his arrest could actually fuel the feeling of persecution among the faithful in the polygamous border towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz.  "The people are still going to follow him, even when he's in prison," ex-FLDS member Andrew Chatwin said.  "It will either help the people get a stronger testimony of their prophet or people will realize they've been duped to follow an evil man."  When Jeffs was on the run, charges were pending, civil lawsuits were being filed, criminal investigations were mounting and the polygamist church's financial arm is now under the control of a judge in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court.  Jeffs' arrest could plunge the border towns into further turmoil.  "I think there's going to be a lot of fear," said ex-FLDS Church member Carolyn Jessop.  "The people are pretty desperate.  They've been pushed way too far."     Read more

Captured polygamist leader will go to Utah for prosecution

The Associated Press KRISTV Channel 6 - Corpus Christi, Texas Originally published August 30, 2006

SALT LAKE CITY -- Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs will be prosecuted first in Utah, then in Arizona, on charges that he arranged marriages of underage girls to older men, authorities said Wednesday.  Arizona officials filed charges first, but Utah prosecutors agreed to try Jeffs first because they believe they have a stronger case and more serious charges, including two counts of rape by accomplice, which accuse Jeffs of forcing a girl to marry an older man and submit to him sexually.  Prosecutor Brook Belnap said the decision came after state and federal prosecutors in both states discussed the case in a conference call.  "We have the gravity of the charges here," said Belnap, the prosecuting attorney in Washington County, in southwestern Utah, where many of Jeffs' congregants live.  Jeffs, 50, is the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a group that broke away from the Mormon church a century ago when the Mormons disavowed polygamy.  Jeffs' sect has built a large retreat development in Eldorado, Texas, about 40 miles south of San Angelo.     Read more

Judge Shumate: No bail for Jeffs

By Patrice St. Germain The Spectrum Originally published August 30, 2006

ST. GEORGE — When Warren Jeffs is extradited to Southern Utah, he will be held without bail.  Jeffs, the self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was captured in Las Vegas late Monday night after fleeing police for more than a year.  He is wanted in Utah on two counts of rape as an accomplice, a first-degree felony.  Washington County Attorney Brock Belnap sought a court order temporarily ordering Jeffs to be held without bail.  Judge James Shumate granted the order, assuring that Jeffs will be returned to Utah.  Jeffs is charged in Arizona with two charges of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor, all of which are felony charges.  He also faces federal charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.  For more, please see tomorrow's edition of The Spectrum & Daily News.

Religious leader's capture a relief to alleged victims

Daphne Bramham Vancouver Sun Originally published Wednesday, August 30, 2006

VANCOUVER - The arrest of fundamentalist Mormon leader Warren Jeffs Monday night near Las Vegas was a fluke.  Nevada Highway Patrol officers couldn't read the temporary licence on the maroon Cadillac Escalade so they pulled it over.  Inside was the prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), chowing down on a salad.  Jeffs is on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list along with Osama bin Laden.  In the SUV with Jeffs were his brother, Isaac Steve Jeffs, and one of Warren's wives, 33-year-old Naomi Jeffs, who at 17 became a plural wife to Warren's father, Rulon, the previous prophet who died in September 2002.  Warren Jeffs, 50, had been on the run for nearly two years.  He's wanted for fleeing prosecution on sex charges in both Arizona and Utah related to his arranging and performing marriages between under-age girls and older men.  As serious as the charges are against Jeffs, they wouldn't normally have landed him on the most-wanted list.  He's there because the attorneys-general of Utah, Arizona and British Columbia believe Jeffs has done many worse things while exercising complete control over more than 12,000 or so followers in Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Texas, Mexico and Bountiful, B.C.  "The arrest is a major step toward ending Jeffs's tyrannical rule," Arizona Attorney-General Terry Goddard said Tuesday.  "He showed flagrant disregard for subpoenas and arrest warrants and told his followers that the law didn't apply to him."     Read more

Notable quotes on Jeffs' day of arrest

Deseret Morning News Originally published Wednesday, August 30, 2006

"You know who I am." — Warren Jeffs, to law enforcement after being captured north of Las Vegas Monday night "Warren Jeffs is accused of serious crimes, and now is the time for him to be held accountable. This arrest will crack his mystique and provide the opportunity for the entire story to be told in a court of law before a judge and jury. These charges are not about the FLDS Church or polygamy. No one is above the law — Mr. Jeffs will be treated like any other defendant. " — Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff "The arrest is a major step toward ending Jeffs' tyrannical rule in Colorado City and the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints." — Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard     Read more

PAULA ZAHN NOW

CNN Originally broadcast August 30, 2006

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening. And thanks, everyone, for joining us. Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs is in custody tonight. Next, in our "Top Story" coverage: the state trooper who pulled him over on what it's like coming face to face with one of the FBI's most wanted. Plus: a rare glimpse of the mood inside one of Jeffs' polygamist compounds. Stay with us. ROBERTS: Tonight, polygamist leader Warren Jeffs is just hours away from his first court appearance. Our "Top Story" coverage now turns to the fugitive who has been on the FBI's most wanted list for nearly four months, and who is a self-proclaimed prophet to a community of some 10,000 followers.  We get the very latest from Ted Rowlands in Las Vegas. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Warren Jeffs' brother had nothing to say to reporters after leaving the Las Vegas main jail, where Jeffs, the polygamist prophet, is now an inmate. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No comment.     Read more

ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES

Interview With Sister of Polygamist Leader Warren Jeffs; Polygamists Share Inside View of Warren Jeffs; Lost Boys Exiled from Polygamy Community

CNN Originally broadcast August 30, 2006

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone. New details tonight about the hunt for Warren Jeffs and his capture. ANNOUNCER: Polygamist prisoner -- with sect leader Warren Jeffs behind bars, his sister speaks out on the horrors of a secret world. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The baby was deformed, and he drowned it. ANNOUNCER: We will have the exclusive interview.  And outcasts -- the children of polygamy who fled the only life they knew. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were taught since when we little kids, if we disobey him, we're going to go to hell. ANNOUNCER: Tonight, a profile of the lost boys. ANNOUNCER: Across the country and around the world, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.  Reporting live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York City, here is Anderson Cooper. COOPER: And thanks for joining us.  Well, now to the other major story that we have been following, the arrest of fugitive polygamist Warren Jeffs.  Tonight, Jeffs is awaiting extradition hearing in Las Vegas. His luck ran out two days ago, when he was driving this car -- or SUV, I should say. He was captured during a routine traffic stop. The question tonight, not only what will happen to Warren Jeffs, but, also, what will happen to his thousands of followers -- can his sect survive with their prophet behind bars? We learned today Jeffs will be taken to Purgatory -- no kidding -- the Purgatory correctional facility in Utah. We can only guess what he thinks about that coincidence.     Read more

Jeffs to appear in court this morning

The Spectrum Originally published August 31, 2006

Warren Jeffs, the self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is scheduled to appear in a Clark County, Nev., courtroom this morning for an extradition hearing.  Jeffs, 50, faces charges in Utah and Arizona for reportedly arranging marriages between young girls and older men who are members of the polygamist communities in Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., where the FLDS church is based.  He also faces federal charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.  Wednesday, authorities from Arizona and Utah decided that Utah would be the first to put Jeffs on trial.  If Jeffs waives extradition this morning, he could appear in a Washington County courtroom as early next week.  The Spectrum has a reporter at the courthouse.  Check back at www.thespectrum.com throughout the morning for updates as they happen.

Jeffs facing extradition hearing today

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, August 31, 2006

Captured polygamist leader Warren Jeffs will appear before a judge in Las Vegas today to face extradition back to Utah on charges of arranging a child-bride marriage.  Jeffs will go before a judge in the Las Vegas Justice Court at 9:30 a.m. He has been held in the Clark County Jail in isolation, officials said. He has refused all jailhouse interview requests.  The Washington County Attorney's Office said Wednesday it would proceed first with its rape-as-an-accomplice case against Jeffs.  "We need to make arrangements to have him transported here safely," Washington County Deputy Attorney Jerry Jaeger told the Deseret Morning News.  "Once we get him here we'll have our initial appearance, probably the next day."  Prosecutors filed a motion in St. George's 5th District Court asking a judge to deny bail to Jeffs pending his return to Utah.  Currently, the bail set on the arrest warrant for Jeffs is $500,000.  The judge signed the temporary order, but a bail hearing will need to be held before any denial of bail becomes permanent.     Read more

ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES

Warren Jeffs in Court; 'Prophet' Turned Prisoner; Lost Boys & Lawsuits; FLDS: Cult or Calling?; Facing the Followers

CNN Originally broadcast August 31, 2006

Today, in the courtroom, with guards on each side and his hands in chains, Jeffs looks more like, well, like any other mortal facing serious criminal charges and possible life in prison. CNN Ted Rowlands reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Under heavy security, polygamist leader Warren Jeffs was brought into a Las Vegas courtroom. He was shackled and wore blue jail issued clothing. Appearing meek and at times confused, Jeffs politely answered questions from the judge. JUDGE: Are you Warren Jeffs? WARREN JEFFS, LEADER FLDS: Yes. JUDGE: All right. ROWLANDS: Jeffs, who didn't have an attorney for the short hearing, stood and listened as the judge explained that he was wanted in both Utah and Arizona. JUDGE: Do you understand everything I just explained? JEFFS: Yes. JUDGE: OK, what would you like to do? JEFFS: Go ahead and be extradited is fine. JUDGE: You want to waive your rights in regards to extradition and go back as quickly as they can have the -- come pick you up? JEFFS: Yes. JUDGE: All right.     Read more

Jeffs' Followers React Angrily to Reporter

ABC News' John Quinones Revisits Utah Polygamist Community

By John Quinones ABC News Originally published September 1, 2006

Sept. 1, 2006 — Warren Jeffs looked like anything but the purportedly ruthless leader of a breakaway polygamist sect on Thursday when he appeared in court in Las Vegas.  Jeffs, 50, had evaded law enforcement officials for more than a year and was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List when a Nevada state trooper recognized him durig a routine traffic stop on Monday night and arrested him.  The polygamist is wanted in Utah and Arizona on charges of arranging two marriages between underage girls and men.  Jeffs appeared thin, frail and timid as he made his first court appearance Thursday and agreed to be extradited to Utah, where he faces multiple rape charges for allegedly arranging several marriages between men and underage girls.  Now that he is behind bars, the question is what will happen to his 10,000 fiercely loyal followers.  ABC News' John Quinones found out how loyal members of Jeffs' Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints were.  The streets of Colorado City, Ariz., where the extremist polygamist sect is based, were quiet Thursday.  Jeffs' followers had little to say when asked about their leader.  Quinones received the same reactions around town as people walked away, saying nothing.  Things suddenly turned ugly when a store manager angrily ordered the ABC News' crew out of the parking lot, even though it was public property.  "You are trespassing.  Off this property now!" the man shouted, attempting to attack the camera.  Then the police were called, and they told ABC News to leave.     Read more

Jeffs will be returned to Utah

Seized documents reveal details of a life on the run

By Ben Winslow and Nancy Perkins Deseret Morning News Originally published Friday, September 1, 2006

ST. GEORGE — Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, on the run from the law, had a list of safe houses and the names of people who facilitated his eluding capture.  In documents seized by police when Jeffs was arrested late Monday night, details about his intricate network support were revealed, including maps, lists of individuals contributing money and a list of people providing safe houses.  Also included in the seizure was a directive from the man once on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List; "So, I have to be hiding in my travels, not let anyone know. And when I come to a land of refuge, you must not reveal where I am in your phone calls and your letters."  That evidence, revealed in court papers filed in St. George's Fifth District Court, is what prompted Washington County prosecutors on Wednesday to seek a no-bail order on Jeffs.  Jeffs waived extradition on criminal charges of rape as an accomplice for arranging child bride marriages Thursday after a brief court appearance in a Las Vegas.  Dressed in a blue jail jumpsuit with his hands cuffed to his waist, Jeffs spoke softly as he answered questions from a Las Vegas Township Justice Court judge.  "Are you Warren Jeffs?" Judge James Bixler asked.  "Yes," Jeffs said, nodding his head.  Bixler explained the extradition process as Jeffs stood in a jury box, surrounded by SWAT team members and facing several news cameras.     Read more

Documents may be secret cache

By Ed Kociela The Spectrum Originally published September 1, 2006

ST. GEORGE - Documents stashed in the red 2007 Cadillac Escalade that polygamist leader Warren Jeffs was riding in when he was arrested Monday night could lead investigators to the people who provided money and shelter while he was on the run.  According to an affidavit filed in a Washington County court, an FBI inventory of the contents of the vehicle included not only $53,000 in cash, 16 cell phones, two GPS units, a police scanner, four laptop computers, six computer memory storage devices and bedding items, but also the names of individuals who contributed money and "hiding houses" for Jeffs since he went underground.  There was also a document allegedly written by Jeffs, the self-proclaimed leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, instructing his accomplices not to reveal his location.  "So I have to be hiding in my travels, not let anyone know.  And when I come to a land of refuge, you must not reveal where I am in your phone calls and letters," he says in the document.     Read more

NHP Trooper Talks About Fugitive's Arrest

Adrian Arambulo, Reporter KLAS TV Channel 8 - Las Vegas Originally published September 1, 2006

The Nevada Highway Patrol trooper who initially stopped Warren Jeffs says he knew almost from the start that something was wrong.  He says the man, who later turned out to be Jeffs, was very nervous.  "I can't explain it.  It's overwhelming," said NHP Trooper Eddie Dutchover.  It's been a whirlwind 24 hours for Dutchover.  It started with what seemed to be an ordinary traffic stop on Monday night. Dutchover pulled over the driver because the red Escalade had no license plates.  At first, Dutchover spoke with the driver -- Warren Jeffs' brother -- and something didn't seem right.  "I noticed some signs of behavior, nervous behavior, that was suspicious to me."  Dutchover then made his way to a man who was sitting in the second row of the SUV.  That man turned out to be on Warren Jeffs, who is on the list of America's most wanted top ten fugitives.   "I noticed Warren was extremely nervous.  He was eating a salad, looking straight ahead, wouldn't make eye contact with me."  Dutchover said Jeffs was dressed in a T-shirt and shorts.  Dutchover said he also noticed that Jeffs artery was pulsating in his neck indicating that he was nervous.  Jeffs would not tell Dutchover his name.  "I had even said to him, 'Is everything ok?  You are making me nervous.'"     Read more

Life goes on in FLDS enclaves

Jeffs' mounting legal troubles may yet spread to others

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Saturday, September 2, 2006

HILDALE, Washington County — In the polygamous border towns along the Utah-Arizona border, residents appear to be carrying on with their lives even as the man some consider to be a prophet sits in a Nevada jail cell, facing charges in two states.  And Jeffs' mounting legal troubles may yet spread to others.  The FBI has begun poring over ledgers seized from the car in which polygamist leader Warren Jeffs was a passenger when it was stopped outside of Las Vegas this week.  Investigators want to know where the Fundamentalist LDS Church leader has been for the past several years — and who has been hiding him as he evaded lawmen.  Here in Hildale and across the border in Colorado City, Ariz., men were seen Friday out in their yards working on vehicles.  Women were tending to gardens.  Children were seen playing.  The local mercantile was busy again, as women and children scurried in empty-handed and out with groceries.  FLDS people continue to maintain silence with the outside world — especially about Warren Jeffs.  "I just want to be left alone," said one Colorado City man, politely declining to speak to a Deseret Morning News reporter.  Whether that is possible for the man and for his community at large remains to be seen.     Read more

Milestones

By HARRIET BAROVICK, CLAYTON NEUMAN, ELISABETH SALEMME, CAROLYN SAYRE TIME Magazine Originally published Sunday, September 3, 2006

ARRESTED. Warren Jeffs, 50, fugitive leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a polygamist Mormon sect, who had been on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list since May; for allegedly arranging marriages between underage girls and older men; near Las Vegas.  Jeffs, who is believed to have at least 40 wives and 60 children, is officially the church's "President and Prophet, Seer and Revelator."  He was traveling in a car with a wife, a brother, several disguises and cell phones and more than $50,000 in cash.  Jeffs, who vanished after being indicted in Mohave County, Ariz., last year, was extradited to Utah, where he was also wanted on a charge of acting as an accomplice to rape.

After Polygamist Leader’s Arrest, Community Carries On

By John Dougherty New York Times Originally published September 4, 2006

COLORADO CITY, Ariz., Sept. 1 — Last week’s arrest of Warren Jeffs, the fundamentalist Mormon polygamist leader, is welcome news to a former sect member, DeLoy Bateman, who blames Mr. Jeffs for ripping his family apart.  Mr. Bateman, 52, was a faithful member of Mr. Jeffs’s Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and raised his children to obey without question the commands of church leaders.  But when the church tried to remove four of his children borne by his second of two wives from his home six years ago, he rebelled.  Mr. Bateman said he had refused to turn over the children to the church for reassignment to another family, a common practice under Mr. Jeffs’s authoritarian leadership that dictates that women and children are the property of the church.  Mr. Bateman’s defiance created a schism in his large family.  The three oldest of his 17 children sided with Mr. Jeffs, whom church members consider to be God’s only living prophet, and severed all communication with their father.  "They can never see me again," Mr. Bateman said Friday outside the sprawling two-story home he built to house his large family.  "What’s the difference between that and death?"     Read more

Arrest of polygamist not soon enough

Warren Jeffs finally off the streets and in jail where he belongs

By Tecla Markosky - Third-year public relations student The Daily Gamecock - University of South Carolina Originally published September 5, 2006

There have been more freaks on the news than usual lately, and I'm not talking about Ann Coulter.  Warren Jeffs, the charismatic leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints, accused rapist, polygamist and all-star sexual offender was apprehended by the authorities earlier this week.  Jeffs is a very powerful and creepy man.  His church, a sect of Mormonism that broke away from the main church years ago, has grown by leaps and bounds.  Now, forming several communities in Arizona and Utah, Jeffs has essentially gained control over hundreds.  Jeffs' charges include arranging marriages between girls as young as 13 and much older men and sexual assault of minors.  Equally scary as any of these accused crimes is the fact that he's successfully brainwashed hundreds of people in the age of information.  Polygamists have long been Utah's state joke.  And the flagship jester, Jeffs, is finally where he belongs ... in jail.  Although the proverbial horse is long out of the barn, we have to cut our losses and wipe him out of the gene pool permanently before any more damage is done.  The idea of Jeffs in prison is comforting but also comical.  What's visitation going to look like for this guy?     Read more

Warren Jeffs is booked into Purgatory

Bookings Washington County Sheriff's Office washeriff.state.ut.us Originally published September 5, 2006

JEFFS, WARREN STEED Birth Date: 12/03/55 Address : Hildale, UT   Arrest Time/Date     Arrested By     Agency    13:34:58 09/05/06   Larson, Leisha   WCJL  Statute   Offense   Class   Court   Required Bond   Amt.Paid    FEDERAL    FEDERAL HOLD/WARRANT/    FO    USDC    0.00   [No Payments Made]   Arrest Time/Date   Arrested By   Agency  13:30:04 09/05/06   Keil, Fred     WCJL    Statute   Offense   Class   Court   Required Bond   Amt.Paid   WARRANT-NO BAIL    WARRANT-NO BAIL ACCEP     1F    5DIS     0.00   [No Payments Made]

Searches for polygamist sect leader crisscrossed U.S.

By Jennifer Dobner The Associated Press KUTV Channel 2 Originally published September 7, 2006

HURRICANE, Utah For nearly two years now, one question has nagged at Utah private investigator Sam Brower: Where’s Warren?  Brower, 53, has crisscrossed the country looking for Warren Jeffs, the 50-year-old leader of the polygamy-practicing Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Brower works for attorneys who represent a group of disenfranchised young men, known as the "Lost Boys," who claim they were tossed out of the sect or abused by Jeffs.   "I’ve been all over the country – Canada, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, Florida," Brower said.  "I’ve been everywhere."  Jeffs was arrested last week during a traffic stop by the Nevada Highway Patrol on federal warrants for evading prosecution.  Jeffs had been on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list since May and was sought by Utah and Arizona on felony charges related to arranging marriages between teenage girls and much older men.  He’s now being held without bail in the Purgatory Correctional Facility here, pending a Utah trial on two felony counts of rape as an accomplice filed by Washington County prosecutors.  A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 19.  If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.  "We don’t really have any idea right now where’s he’s been," Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith said.  What is known is that Jeffs had the resources – in money, equipment and loyalty – to stay hidden for a long time.     Read more

Jeffs indicted on count of unlawful flight

U.S. says he fled Utah in 2006 to avoid prosecution

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, March 8, 2007

On the day he was charged in St. George with rape as an accomplice, federal prosecutors believe that Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs was a fugitive on the run.  "He's an individual with influence and the ability to be on the run — as he proved," said U.S. Attorney for Utah Brett Tolman.  "If he were not prosecuted federally, then his acts in fleeing from the state to avoid prosecution would go unpunished."  A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City handed down an indictment Wednesday, charging the polygamist leader with a single count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.  It carries with it a punishment of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  Federal prosecutors would not rule out other charges against Jeffs.  "We're looking at a full investigation of Mr. Jeffs," Tolman said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.  The indictment alleges the FLDS leader was on the run from April 5 to August 28, 2006.  He is believed to have been in hiding for a much longer period of time.  Jeffs, 51, was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list until he was captured during a traffic stop outside Las Vegas on Aug. 28.  A Nevada Highway Patrol trooper stopped a Cadillac Escalade because the temporary tag wasn't visible.  Inside the SUV was Jeffs, one of his wives and one of his brothers.  Tolman wouldn't rule out seeking criminal charges against them.     Read more

New lawsuit filed against Jeffs

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Wendell Musser loyally served Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs — and paid for it with his family.  He has filed a lawsuit against Jeffs in St. George's 5th District Court, accusing the polygamous sect leader of alienation of affection, interference with parental obligations, emotional distress and invasion of privacy.  Musser was a faithful follower of Jeffs.  At age 19, he was given a bride — 17-year-old Vivian Barlow.  "On April 1, 2004, Warren performed Wendell and Vivian's 'spiritual marriage,' without a marriage license, in a room at the Holiday Inn Express in Kanab, Utah," Musser's lawyer, Roger Hoole, wrote in the lawsuit filed last week.  "Warren also commanded Wendell and Vivian to multiply and replenish the earth and to raise up good priesthood children."  Although it was an arranged marriage, Musser claims in the lawsuit that he and Vivian fell in love.  In July 2005, the couple had a child — a bright eyed, smiling boy named Levi.  In December 2005, Wendell Musser was called on a "mission."  He was to be a courier for Warren Jeffs and a caretaker for several of the FLDS leader's wives.  "Over the next seven months, Wendell and his family lived in secret homes located in Williamsburg, Florence and West Cliff, Colorado assisting those of Warren's wives who resided at those locations," Hoole wrote.     Read more

Staff receives first place award

The Spectrum Originally published June 12, 2007

SNOWBIRD - The Spectrum & Daily News won the general excellence award for online news coverage during last weekend's Utah-Idaho-Spokane Area Associated Press Association awards banquet.  The award is given to the newspaper in each circulation category that provides the most comprehensive coverage of local news.  The newspaper's Web site - www.thespectrum.com - features breaking news, supplemental materials to provide additional context to stories, photo galleries and video stories, as well as information about individual communities.  The information is gathered by staff members in the online department and the local information center, the department formerly known as the newsroom, which has been reorganized to provide more timely and comprehensive news coverage.  The newspaper also won first place in the online breaking news category for its multimedia coverage of the capture of polygamist church leader Warren Jeffs in August 2006.  "It's always nice to be recognized by peers, but it's especially nice to be rewarded for providing solid local news coverage that we know is important to readers throughout Southern Utah," said Editor Todd Seifert.  "Our staff members do their best each day to provide the most comprehensive local coverage both online and in our print newspaper.  This is a testament to their good efforts."     Read more

News wins 44 journalism awards

Paper is recognized as best in the state at annual banquet

By Deborah Ramsay Deseret Morning News Originally published Saturday, June 16, 2007

The Utah Headliners Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists awarded the Deseret Morning News 44 awards during the chapter's banquet Friday night, including Best Newspaper, Best News-Oriented Web Site and 10 other first-place awards.  The awards, including the prestigious Clifford P. Cheney Service to Journalism recognition, went to a former editor, reporters, photographers and artists — including sweeps in the categories of feature photography and art and illustration of a Web site.  The Deseret Morning News was recognized as the top newspaper in Utah with a good mix of local and national news coverage of socially relevant topics as well as its use of design and graphics.  Former Deseret Morning News Editor John Hughes was this year's recipient of the Clifford P. Cheney Service to Journalism Award.  Hughes, who is now teaching journalism at BYU, stepped down from the Deseret Morning News in 2006.  During his journalism career, he also has worked as a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, editor and publisher of the Christian Science Monitor and served in various federal government positions.  He was recognized for his example of excellence and his commitment to First Amendment rights for journalists.  Joe Bauman won a second-place award as best newspaper reporter for his "fascinating" human-interest stories.  Dennis Romboy received an honorable mention in that category.  The Deseret Morning News crime team, made up of reporters Nancy Perkins, Pat Reavy and Ben Winslow, was recognized for its coverage of polygamist Warren Jeffs' arrest.  The article "Jeffs in Nevada jail" won first place for spot news.  Ben Winslow and Wendy Leonard won third place in the category for "Destiny's body found in S.L.," and honorable mention went to Doug Smeath, Jennifer Nii and Nicole Warburton for "Downtown rebound."     Read more

FLDS leader's life on the run is detailed in his dictations

By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009

As a fugitive sought by the FBI, Warren Jeffs traveled the country delivering the judgment of God.  In notes, dictations, revelations and lessons to followers, the Fundamentalist LDS Church leader meticulously details his life as a fugitive, as an inmate in jail awaiting trial and as a leader still trying to minister to his faithful flock.  The information comes from among 600 pages of exhibits attached to a Texas child custody case that were made public on Monday.  In the documents, the polygamous sect leader pronounces God's judgment on cities across the nation, believes Hurricane Katrina is the Almighty's wrath on a wicked city, visits a tanning salon and watches action movies with his wives.  Among the places Jeffs visited while on the run was New Orleans shortly before the hurricane hit.  He later recalled watching the destruction on TV.  "I asked the Lord to particularly destroy the French Quarter of New Orleans, a center of wickedness that is glorified by this generation all over the nation," he wrote in an Aug. 30, 2005, dictation.  "His will be done in His time and way."  Jeffs goes into detail about his trip to New Orleans.  "We left our motel room around 2 p.m. in the afternoon, from 2:30 p.m. til 3:30 p.m. on Monday we did as the Lord commanded in going into disguise by going into the suntanning salon," he said on Aug. 12, 2005.  "The Lord has directed that I watch certain movies to see how this generation and nation delight in warfare, immorality, about the Crusades, a very bloody, violent show, and how the people of this nation are indoctrinated in fighting against religion."     Read more

Fuhrman says goodbye to FBI's Salt Lake region

By John Daley KSL-TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast September 28, 2009

SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah's top FBI agent, Tim Fuhrman, credited cooperation from the public and fellow law enforcement agencies Monday with helping to solve a long list of high-profile cases during his tenure in Salt Lake City.  Fuhrman will leave to take a similar post for the FBI region based in Mobile, Ala.  In a news conference, he reflected on a nearly five-year stint that included some of the biggest stories in the Western region.  The FBI investigates a mind-boggling array of cases -- from the disappearance and murder of Destiny Norton in Salt Lake City, to the multi-million dollar alleged Ponzi scheme of a Utah County businessman, to the capture and prosecution of fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.  As special agent in charge of the Utah, Montana and Idaho offices for four and a half years, Fuhrman saw a lot.  "I've had a very, very good run here," he said.  Fuhrman will now return to a similar job in Alabama, where he worked before.  The decision comes, in part, to be closer to family who live back East.  He oversaw 135 investigators in Salt Lake, often working in dangerous and high pressure situations.  Some cases were controversial--like the indictment of two dozen people in a sweeping undercover investigation into ancient artifacts stolen from public and tribal lands.  He was criticized by some for heavy-handed tactics.     Read more

Pictures Of Warren Jeffs Revealed

Reported by: Chris Jones KUTV Originally broadcast August 11, 2011

(KUTV) SAN ANGELO, Texas - Warren Jeffs - President of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church - is known as a painfully meticulous chronicler of almost every detail of his life.  So it is no surprise that even though he was a fugitive on the FBI's most wanted list in 2006, his followers took pictures archiving - and that includes the clothes he wore as a disguise while on the run from the feds.  Some pictures show him in a casual t-shirt embroidered with the phrase "One Size Fits all", wearing shorts, sandals with black socks, sun glasses and a baseball cap with the insignia of the famous beer brand Guinness.  There's also pictures of one of his favorite wives Naomie Jessop wearing a tank top, white pants and sandals - instead of the traditional long gingham dress.

Read about the legal outcomes of the charges against Warren Jeffs here - Trials and Tribulations

During the January 23, 2009 deposition of Merril Jessop, court exhibits were included in his deposition. One collection was Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record from January 16, 2007 - June 6, 2007.  Excerpts of this included the "History of events of Warren Steed Jeffs while in prison (Purgatory Jail) in Washington County, Utah."  Below are some of these Personal Priesthood Records

Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 1 court exhibit released February 9, 2009

Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 2 court exhibit released February 9, 2009

Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 3 court exhibit released February 9, 2009

Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 4 court exhibit released February 9, 2009

Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 5 court exhibit released February 9, 2009

Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 6 court exhibit released February 9, 2009

During the January 23, 2009 deposition of Merril Jessop, court exhibits were included in his deposition. One collection was Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations  Below are some of these Personal Dictations fom 2005

Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations PART 1 court exhibit released February 9, 2009

Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations PART 2 court exhibit released February 9, 2009

Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations PART 3 court exhibit released February 9, 2009

Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations PART 4 court exhibit released February 9, 2009

Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations PART 5 court exhibit released February 9, 2009

Read the FBI's inventory of the loot found in the red Caddy transcribed on June 26, 2007.

Read the FBI's Search Warrant for the Cadillac Escalade filed on September 14, 2006

Read Warren Jeffs' Arrest Summary Report filed on September 6, 2006

See photos of the loot they found in the Red Caddy when the Nevada Highway Patrol captured Warren.

Read the September 5, 2006 press release made by Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith on booking Warren Jeffs into Purgatory

Read the August 30, 2006 Washington County, Utah MOTION TO MODIFY BAIL for Warren Steed Jeffs

Read the August 30, 2006 Washington County, Utah MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF MOTION TO MODIFY BAIL for Warren Steed Jeffs

Read the FBI's Press Release on the capture of Warren Steed Jeffs made on August 29, 2006

Read the Las Vegas Division of the FBI's Press Release on the capture of Warren Steed Jeffs made on August 29, 2006

Read the FBI agent's affidavit for the seizure and impound of property for the Cadillac Escalade on August 28, 2006

Read the Press Release from the Denver Office of the FBI regarding SETH STEED JEFFS SENTENCED FOR HARBORING FUGITIVE BROTHER made on July 14, 2006

Read the "America's Most Wanted" data sheet on Warren Steed Jeffs from June 1, 2006

See the FBI's "Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitive" poster for Warren Steed Jeffs from May 2006

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN? FBI Announces New Top Tenner

Read the Press Release from the Phoenix Office of the FBI regarding placing Warren Steed Jeffs on its "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" list on May 6, 2006

Read the April 6, 2006 Washington County, Utah press release on the charges against Warren Steed Jeffs

Read the April 5, 2006 Washington County, Utah WARRANT OF ARREST for Warren Steed Jeffs

Read the April 5, 2006 Washington County, Utah AFFIDAVIT OF PROBABLE CAUSE IN SUPPORT OF MOTION FOR WARRANT against Warren Steed Jeffs

Read the April 5, 2006 Washington County, Utah MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF MOTION FOR ARREST WARRANT of Warren Steed Jeffs

Read the Press Release by the Phoenix Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about the REWARD OFFERED FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO THE ARREST AND CONVICTION OF WARREN STEED JEFFS made on January 17, 2006

Read the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Wanted Poster and $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Warren Steed Jeffs made on January 17, 2006

Read the October 28, 2005 Pueblo, Colorado POLICE REPORT for Seth Steed Jeffs and Nathaniel Steed Allred

Read the Press Release regarding the FBI Seeking Warren Steed Jeffs made on July 8, 2005

See the Mohave County WANTED POSTER for Warren Jeffs

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