Wendell Loy Nielsen (born c. 1941) was the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the FLDS Church),[1][2] replacing Warren Jeffs, at that time imprisoned on charges related to sexual assaults against minors.[3]

Church leadership

Nielsen served as first counselor to Warren Jeff; as well as Warren's father, Rulon Jeffs.[4]

In September 2007, Warren Jeff, the president of the FLDS Church was convicted on two first-degree felony charges of accomplice rape and received two five-to-life prison sentences. Shortly after, Jeff resigned as church's president.[4] Later the church filed the paperwork with the Utah Department of Commerce to certify that Nielsen following the resignation of Jeffs, was named the President of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.[1][2][4][5]

While both Rulon and Warren Jeffs were FLDS presidents and regarded as prophets, Nielsen's role as the president was reportedly limited to managing church's corporate entity.[2][4] "The state paperwork is a legal formality that clarifies that Nielsen has the authority to make decisions related to church business and legal dealings, church attorney Rodney Parker said."[2]

In July 2010, Warren Jeffs' rape as an accomplice conviction was overturned due to a flaw in jury instructions, and a new trial was ordered,[6] but in August 2011, Warren Jeff's was found guilty of another charge: sexual assault of a minor, for raping a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old; for which he was sentenced to life in prison, plus twenty years.[7]

Form the prison, Jeffs reportedly removed Nielsen as the church president and retook the control of the FLDS Church in January 2011.[8]

Nielsen was convicted and imprisoned in 2012; and his status in the FLDS Church since is unclear.[9]

Arrest, trial and conviction

During the April 2008 raid on the YFZ ranch, Texas law enforcement seized FLDS Church records, including church's marriage registry.[10][11]

Based on this records, in November 2008, Texas authorities indicted Nielson with three counts of bigamy for purporting to marry persons other than his spouse while being legally married.[11][12] According to the documents, Nielsen allegedly married 34 women in addition to his legal wife, and performed the ceremonies in which Warren Jeffs married girls as young as 12 year old[11]

In March 2012, Nielsen was convicted on three counts of bigamy and sentenced to 10 years in prison, as well as ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for each count.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Utah polygamous church names new president". NBC News. Associated Press. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "FLDS church names new president". KSL-TV. Associated Press. February 15, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  3. ↑ "US polygamy sect leader sentenced". BBC News. November 20, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Adams, Brooke (February 2, 2010). "Polygamous sect has new president, but is Jeffs still FLDS prophet?". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on February 10, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
  5. ↑ Hamer, John (February 9, 2010). "New FLDS President Called". By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  6. ↑ Frosch, Dan (July 27, 2010). "Polygamist Convictions Overturned". The New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
  7. ↑ Whitehurst, Lindsay (August 10, 2011). "Warren Jeffs gets life in prison for sex with underage girls". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  8. ↑ Tuchman, Gary (February 24, 2011). "Jailed polygamist retakes control of church". CNN. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Former FLDS Leader Sentenced To 10 Years Jail". CBS News. Associated Press. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Records offer glimpse into polygamist families". NBC News. Associated Press. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 Waller, Matthew (March 26, 2012). "Celestial marriages detailed in Wendell Loy Nielsen's trial". San Angelo Standard-Times. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Jury chosen in trial of former Mormon sect leader Wendell Loy Nielsen". GlobalPost. March 26, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2023.


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