You should also know, all teenage twittering aside, that the "wives" frequently referenced, can be young as 13 years old, I've even read of cases of 10 years old. In some cases the girl maybe even be one of his "wives'" daughters. The FLDS has also been getting away with tax fraud, welfare fraud, domestic violence, child molestation and rape, and incest frequently under the "watchful" eye and with, at the very least a conspiracy of silence while these men place "pass the child". This is not one community, it is several, it is not about one man getting his "rocks" off with children, it's perhaps over a 1000. The FLDS has approximately 10,000 members in the U.S. and Canada. Women are beaten and raped, children are beaten and raped and teenage boys are abandoned as they might be "competition" for the sick old "priests".
And regardless of what you think of other Christian religions, most don't hold up in compounds forcing their people into hard labor, cutting them off from the outside world and raping their own children. That is what qualifies this group as a cult at the least, slavery at the worst.
It is not limited to a "small" community that is on the
AZ/UT border.
Jeffs is the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, headquartered in the twin communities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz.
There are also compounds in
southwest Texas,
The church members began arriving at a former exotic game ranch just northeast of Eldorado and about 40 miles south of San Angelo about 2 1/2 years ago and starting building their fortress-like YFZ Ranch, short for Yearning For Zion. An 80-foot tall gleaming white temple dominates the property where Doran said about 70 people live
South Dakota People linked to Jeffs have living quarters in a secretive compound near Pringle (South Dakota).
CanadaThe sect, a group of self-described "fundamentalist Mormons," includes the 1,000-member community of Bountiful near Creston, B.C. That community was headed by its former bishop, Winston Blackmore, who has more than 20 wives and at least 103 children.
He was excommunicated by Jeffs several years ago, leaving the community split.
And perhaps even a "safe house" in
NevadaMost of the church's members live in Hildale, Utah, and adjoining Colorado City, Ariz., but authorities have said they believe Jeffs had "safe houses" in four other states _ including Nevada _ and Canada.
Where he also has
businesses which may fund his "church."
"Jacob Jessop is one of Warren Jeffs loyalists, and one of his money men, if you will," Flora Jessop said.
Law enforcement authorities believe that funds from polygamist business enterprises have been used to support Warren Jeffs and to help him remain a fugitive.
In recent years, several polygamist outposts have popped up in Southern Nevada, drawn by explosive growth. Records show Jacob Jessop's construction firm, JNJ, is licensed in Nevada but based in Colorado City.
Since 2004, it has earned more than $7 million on nine projects commissioned by the Las Vegas Valley Water District, including ongoing work at the massive Springs Preserve operation. JNJ has also won contracts with the city of Las Vegas and Clark County.
A Utah machine shop that authorities say has ties to one of the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted fugitives is changing its name and moving to Las Vegas.
Western Precision Inc. is among the biggest employers of the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) in Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz. The border towns are home to 5,000-8,000 followers of fugitive church prophet Warren Jeffs, who was placed on the FBI's Top Ten list in May on charges of sexual misconduct with a minor and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Attorneys for Western Precision filed court documents in early June stating that the company would move to Las Vegas by August. Days after the filing, Western Precision changed its name to Newera Manufacturing Inc., according to the Utah Division of Corporations. On July 3, Newera Manufacturing was registered in Nevada as a foreign corporation, according to the secretary of state's office.
linkIn addition to polygyny, Jeffs has also been responsible for "arranging marriages" for 13 year old girls, and "casting out" those men who would "compete" for brides or who were "disobedient".
During his four-year rule, the number of underage marriages — some involving girls as young as 13 — escalated into the hundreds, church dissidents said. They said that although the sect has long practiced the custom of arranged marriages, young girls were rarely married off until Warren Jeffs came to power.
People expelled from the community said young men were sent away to avoid competition for brides. Older men were cast out for alleged disobedience, and their wives and children were reassigned by Jeffs to new husbands and fathers, the former members said.
linkIt is also alleged that Jeffs' "communities" and businesses are engaging in
welfare fraud, tax dodging, domestic violence and child abuse.
The activities in the community have often appeared out of reach of law enforcement. Members of plural families have in the past come to the attention of state and local officials through occasional allegations of welfare fraud, tax dodging, domestic violence and child abuse.
But officials have said that cases were difficult to build, with trouble finding witnesses to testify.
In Hildale earlier this year, thousands of polygamists were engaged in a standoff over overdue property taxes of about $1.3 million for hundreds of houses.
And just in case that isn't enough to make this more than a "local" issue, perhaps you'd like to hear that the local and, in some cases, state "authorities" in the areas in which some of these compounds are located may perhaps be
aiding and abetting Jeffs and his followers.
The state of Arizona is contributing to the secrecy. The state Department of Health Services and the Department of Economic Security have been quietly providing services to assist the children and families of fumarase victims for more than 15 years.
And may be hiding an the occurrence of a genetic disease known as
fumarase deficiency.
Tarby and a team of doctors from Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix and the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson began researching the disease and soon discovered that fumarase deficiency was occurring in at least two other families living in the same isolated community that practiced an unusual custom.
Hmm, looks a bit more involved than "local" news to me.
P.S.
po·lyg·a·my n.
1. The condition or practice of having more than one spouse at one time. Also called plural marriage.
polygyny –noun
1. the practice or condition of having more than one wife at one time.
These people are practicing polygyny not as the media keeps saying, polygamy. The women are NOT allowed multiple husbands.
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