Description
Warren Steed Jeffs (born December 3, 1955) is an American religious leader who has been convicted of several sex crimes and two assisted sex crimes involving children. He is the prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church), a polygamous movement which has no affiliation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 2011, he was convicted of two felony counts of child sexual assault, for which he is serving a life sentence.
In 2006, Jeffs was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List for his flight from the charges that he had arranged illegal 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 he had "married;" and aggravated sexual assault against a child, for raping a 12-year-old he had "married;" 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.
