Warren Jeffs
Warren Steed Jeffs (born December 3, 1955) is an American religious-cult leader and felon, convicted of several sex crimes and two assisted sex crimes involving children. He is the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (not to be confused with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), a polygamous cult. In 2011, he was convicted of two felony counts of child sexual assault, for which he is serving a life sentence.
| Warren Jeffs | |
|---|---|
| FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive | |
| Description | |
| Born | Warren Steed Jeffs December 3, 1955 Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints |
| Parents | Rulon Jeffs and Merilyn Steed |
| Spouse | 78 including Naomi Jeffs (née Jessop) |
| Children | More than 60, precise number unknown |
| Status | |
| Convictions | Texas:
Child rape as an accomplice (2 counts; overturned) |
| Penalty | Texas: Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 27 years Utah: Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 10 years (overturned) |
| Status | Incarcerated |
| Added | May 6, 2006 |
| Number | 482 |
| Captured | |
In 2006, Jeffs was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List for his flight from the charges that he had arranged illegal child marriages between his adult male followers and underage girls in Utah. In 2007, Arizona charged him with eight additional counts in two separate cases, including incest and sexual conduct with minors.
In September 2007, Jeffs was convicted of two counts of rape as an accomplice, for which he was sentenced to imprisonment for ten years to life in Utah State Prison. This conviction was overturned by the Utah Supreme Court in 2010 due to flawed jury instructions.
Jeffs was extradited to Texas, where he was found guilty of sexual assault of a minor, for raping a 15-year-old child bride; and aggravated sexual assault against a child, for raping a 12-year-old child bride; for which he was sentenced to life in prison, plus twenty years, and fined $10,000. Jeffs is incarcerated at the Louis C. Powledge Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice near Palestine, Texas.