Brother Of Jeffs To Change Plea
 He's accused of helping FLDS leader evade authorities
 
By Ben Winslow
Deseret Morning News
Seth Jeffs

Seth Jeffs

At the time of his arrest last year, Seth Jeffs refused to give up the whereabouts of his fugitive brother, Warren Jeffs, telling police "the prophets are often persecuted."

Jeffs may have changed his tune by cutting a deal with federal prosecutors.

"The government and the defendant have reached a disposition which is intended to resolve all charges in this case," Seth Jeffs' lawyer Daniel Smith wrote in a notice filed Friday in federal court in Denver.

A change of plea hearing has been set for May 1.

Jeffs, 32, of Hildale, was indicted by a federal grand jury in November, accused of helping keep his brother — Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs — on the run from authorities.

Terms of the plea agreement have not been released. Telephone calls to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Denver were not returned Saturday.

In October 2005, Jeffs was stopped by police in Pueblo, Colo., and arrested on suspicion of prostitution and solicitation. A man traveling with Jeffs claimed he had been paid $5,000 for sex.

Inside Jeffs' car, authorities said they found $142,000 in cash, documents and hundreds of envelopes addressed to "The Prophet" or "Warren Jeffs," pre-paid credit cards, phone cards and even a glass jar filled with coins with a label reading "Pennies for the Prophet."

Seth Jeffs said he was a "messenger" for the FLDS Church, delivering the items to the polygamous group's compound in Eldorado, Texas.

Warren Jeffs has been charged in Washington County with rape as an accomplice, a first-degree felony. He is accused of forcing a teenage girl into a "spiritual marriage" with an older man and threatening her with damnation if she left. In Mohave County, Ariz., Jeffs is accused of sexual misconduct for allegedly arranging child bride marriages. He is on the FBI's Most Wanted List.

E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com
 
deseretnews.com
Originally published Sunday, April 16, 2006
 
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