Posted: Jan 20, 2012 6:07 PM MST
Updated: Jan 20, 2012 6:10 PM MST
By Nathan Baca, Investigative Reporter
By Alex Brauer, Photojournalist
LAS VEGAS -- Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs is making what former members of his church call a "last ditch" effort to raise money as he serves time in prison.
An advertisement appeared in Friday's Review-Journal which gives southern Nevadans the opportunity to buy church proclamations ranging in price from $3 to $10.
Leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, known as FLDS, did not return 8 News NOW calls.
Church membership is estimated to be between 10,000 and 15,000 members. The I-Team talked to a member of the Child Protection Project who was a child bride in the FLDS church before leaving.
"I believe he's gearing his people up. Several of the revelations where he does a call to his people that God will soon call his army forth to avenge him and things like that. I think this is his last ditch effort before he does that final call asking for God's army to stand up and go after everybody he feels persecuted him," Flora Jessop said.
The FLDS church states they are sending the writings, purchased through the ads, to leaders all around the world.
Jessop says there is fear among those who still have family within FLDS that the church may resort to violence against themselves or others as a last stand.
Jeffs was convicted of sexually assaulting two underage girls in Texas and is serving time in prison there.
The ad has also appeared in the New York Times and the Salt Lake Tribune.
Source: http://www.8newsnow.com/story/16568173/i-team-flds-raising-money-for-jeffs?
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Why are Fundamentalist Mormons so fascinated with Southern Nevada, in particular, Las Vegas? Warren Jeffs was arrested outside of Las Vegas. And Kody Brown calls Las Vegas his 'Plymouth Rock'. Is there a secret polygamy cell working out of Las Vegas? What is the allure?
Cynical Jinx
This is my first time posting, but i've been reading this blog for awhile now and have wanted to comment for some time. Just wanted to say i love this site and have learned so much from it. I found it while searching for more information on the Sister Wives tv show and boy am i glad i stumbled upon you! This site has really helped open my eyes to the BS that the Sister Wives show tries to get you to believe about their happy little polygamous family. Keep up the good work, and thanks for having such a great site to educate others on the true realities of polygamy!
ReplyDelete"Is there a secret polygamy cell working out of Las Vegas? What is the allure?"
ReplyDeleteCJ, It would seem so, doesn't it??
Perhaps the bustle and glitz of Vegas is a good distraction/backdrop in which to set up shop.
To then be able to just blend into and be camouflaged by an even bigger, more colorful circus.
Nothing would surprise me about the network these groups may have established.
And it would make sense that Kody didn't think up going to Vegas without having some knowledge of the viability of the place for *his purposes.*
I wouldn't put it past them...smh :/ It just seems like everything they do has an agenda...even before they scored TLC they were laying the groundwork to get their hidden agendas going...& when U have TLC bankrolling U, the possibilities are apparently endless,... all inclusive circus pass!!
DeleteThanks Squeeky!
ReplyDeleteThis elevates the Brown Experience from sad and lonely to downright scary. Do you see a resemblance to Branch Davidian or similiar cult activity. Do you think Kody et al. would endorse such lunacy? As creepy as he is, he does not seem to be the violent type. Surely the membership of the church are not so delusional that they would launch attacks on regular citizens such as Jeffs proposes.
ReplyDeleteHere is an AP story on FLDS immigrants in Las Vegas from all the way back in 2007. Very interesting
ReplyDeletehttp://www.religionnewsblog.com/19430/polygamy-31
The polygamist family talked about in that article are gone.
Deletehttp://www.lvrj.com/news/las-vegas-neighbors-glad-strange-bunch-is-gone-127440953.html
@ Cynical. I don't think there's a large FLDS community in Las Vegas, but from what I can tell (brief web search), there may be a community in Preston, Nevada, which is around 3hrs from Las Vegas.
ReplyDeleteThere's a ton of mormons in Vegas, I have only known of a couple suspected fundy mormons living here and I've been here all my life. That said, there's a great chance that former members and members families may reside here in sin city because its so close to their Colorado City community. Also, it a place that people feel comfortable trying to blend into the background because its so transient. I'm wondering tho, how exactly does one purchase a church proclamation? What exactly does that mean?
ReplyDeleteNot to sound cliche..but Las Vegas is truly a new city. The minute something is outdated, no longer profitable, or someone just doesnt like it anymore, they implode it. (Stardust was still very popular and profitable in 2004, yet casino building tycoons felt they could do better and imploded it. of note of course, a half built casino stands in its place that hasnt been touched in years...ran out of finanaces...true addition to our skyline. *sarcasm*) But i digress. Vegas is a city of new. Virtually no historical buildings exist because people are tearing buildings down that are in their prime just to erect the next great thing. Here, very little suprises me. I do not personally know anyone involved in the flds church, but Vegas seems like a perfect place for an organizatoin of such to set up shop. People here are either numb to outrages, or passively accepting to that which is new. There is really no other choice. I think that Kody, his organizational involvements, and flds in general feel like they could easily swoop in, set up shop, and develop signifigant ties/involvement in the city before anyone lifted a head to notice. And im sure the ultimate goal is to be to far rooted in the city before anyone noted to care.
ReplyDeleteI really think old Kodster like LV for the money they fleece off others and the variety of restaurants he can go to all the time for dates, birthdays, whatever. I don't see him hurting himself physically or allowing himself to even get a scratch on his ugly skin. They keep saying they are ULB not FLDS. As far as what the kooky adults in FLDS do to themselves, I don't care. They choose to live it and own it. I would hope we the government does not do a preemptive strike to save them from themselves. It always results in govt bloodshed and hearings and retaliatory actions, blah blah. If they are adults and choose to live this way, so be it. They can walk out of town. Don't bring up Jonesville. They were more than a couple of blocks from help. Ryan couldn't bring even himself out of a jungle in Guyana. FLDS could listen to a radio, read papers, talk on the phone, IF they chose.
ReplyDelete