Authorities now have a new photo to identify wanted fugitive and polygamist leader Warren Jeffs reports the Salt Lake City Tribune.
Jeffs is the supposed “prophet” and President of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS).
Once undisputed king of the largest following of polygamists in America and the final authority over about 10,000 followers situated in the states of Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Texas, South Dakota, and in Canadian British Columbia, Jeffs is now a man on the lam.
Federal authorities are ready to pay $60,000 reward to anyone with information leading to his arrest.
The FLDS leader is charged with setting up underage girls with middle-aged husbands, a common practice amongst polygamist groups.
But his fugitive status Jeffs hasn’t stopped the so-called “prophet” from making a profit and moving money, which has enabled him to build new compounds for his most loyal followers in Texas and it seems South Dakota.
Jeffs was seen last at the dedication of a massive estimated 60,000-square-foot concrete temple erected by his diehard loyalists in Eldorado, Texas.
However, despite having built the first temple in FLDS history and his frenzied real estate development, Warren Jeffs’ empire is crumbling under the withering weight of federal, state and local authorities, which are intent upon making polygamists, obey the same laws and courts as expected of everyone else.
Once seemingly above the law and virtually a law unto themselves, polygamist groups such as the FLDS and their leaders are now facing civil judgements, fines, loss of property, government funds and even imprisonment.
Lucky Americans, your law enforcement authorities are at last going after this cult’s elders and laying charges. We in Bountiful, Canada, are not so lucky. For the last 4 years we have been begging and praying our own enforcement authorities to charge Winston Blackmore, aged 49, with the sexual exploitation of underage girls. According to his ex-wife, the midwife Jane Blackmore, Winston has impregnated several 15-year-old girls. But do our authorities go after this pedophile? No! For reasons known only to themselves, they seem afraid to make polygamists obey laws that mainstream Canadians have to obey. Anyone wold think that the FLDS is its own sovereign country, where the medieval King (the prophet) can do whatever he likes, including raping young girls. It’s a scandal of major proportions, and we don’t understand the cowardly negligence of our own provincial government.
Actually our FBI looks pretty silly on this now. For a year and a half they cannot find a well over 6 foot tall man traveling with a gaggle of girls in 19th century dress and a host of well armed bodyguards back and forth through the states and Canada to compounds he owns. The reason is because many of these backwater counties are rogue areas operating outisde of legitimate law enforcement. How safe are we with the largely Mormon FBI on the job? Could they actually find other terrorists? I have a total no confidence vote in them, having reported to them regarding this cult for years.
They are not really interested in finding him and if he is found it probably won’t be by the FBI or Texas authorities like Sheriff Doran who acts like a spokesperson for them with the press.
Linda Walker
http://www.childpro.org