Richard Orr Column: An offer Samuel Fischer can, & likely will, refuse
 
Plainview Daily Herald - Plainview, Texas
 
Here's an offer Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints businessman Samuel Fischer can refuse — and probably will.

Fischer is the 52-year-old suspected bigamist from Hildale, Utah, with two "ladies" and 23 children who is paying $750,000 for the old Tye farm-implement company in Lockney he wants to convert into a modular and custom-built cabinet shop.

During a question-and-answer session at a town hall meeting in Lockney on May 11, Fischer — who has reportedly purchased three homes in the Plainview area for his family and for colleagues apparently moving here from Utah — said he was "giving up a million-dollar home" in Hildale, leaving the impression he was departing out of the goodness of his heart and at God's direction to make a better life for himself and for Lockney in general.

But like some other things he said that night, it's not the whole story.

Under pressure from the audience, he acknowledged that the real reason he's leaving Hildale stems from the fact the State of Utah has taken over and currently controls about 80 percent of FLDS property and assets in response to a number of complaints and lawsuits from former FLDS members and others over the secretive, heavy-handed way FLDS finances and transactions were handled by 48-year-old self-styled "prophet" Warren Jeffs and his father before him.

The elder Jeffs is gone now, and Warren the Younger may be wishing he were, too. That's because he remains under federal care, custody and control awaiting trial on a number of charges — including statutory rape.

Last Monday, I received an e-mail from Bruce Wisan — the special court-appointed fiduciary who is administering the FLDS United Effort Plan Trust on behalf of Utah.

Wisan said Fischer can have his million-dollar home back anytime if he wants it . . . sorta.

All he has to do is designate family members as beneficiaries and co-trustees and transfer title to them. About all else he’d have to do is pay some $6,000 in fees.

"It's there if he wants it," said Wisan, expressing doubt Fisher will take advantage of the offer because of the group's reclusive ways. "I'd like to see all the (FLDS) property returned to private hands. But they've been unwilling to cooperate."

The trust doesn’t want to turn the property over to the individual owners for fear they'll give it to the church.

Just in case Mr. Fischer is interested, he can contact Mr. Wisan at bwisan@wsrp.com

Meanwhile, according to Hale County Appraisal District records, he's purchased at least one home on West U.S. 70 near Halfway from Curtis Ross. The deed was filed May 11 on a house and 1.6 acres of land with an appraised valuation of $115,935.

A day earlier, a deed was recorded by "a single woman" named Glenda Barlow at 1365 W. Texas 194 (Dimmitt Road). She's Fischer's "adopted" wife. The property is located near Edmonson, has an appraised valuation of $228,090 and was owned by Judy Evans.

Another home sale on U.S. 70 west of Plainview is pending. No names or other details were immediately available.

(Richard Orr is a Herald correspondent. Contact him at royko@sptc.net)
 
MyPlainview.com
Originally published May 27, 2007
 
Back