FLDS Leaders indicted

[Howl]

Just found a little treasure trove of information from an article from Hawaii News Now.  I know, I know.

Anyway, Lyle apparently is now on the outs with Warren Jeffs and this led to his lack of support.  Not sure when this happened, but the tip that led to his capture came from a pawnshop.  Yeah, Lyle was down to pawning stuff, so he was REALLY cut off.

Pawn shop workers help nab polygamous sect leader Lyle Jeffs

The events leading to Jeffs' capture Wednesday in a lakeside area near the South Dakota-Nebraska state line where he was living out of his truck started a day earlier when a pawn shop owner called police about a man who had come to his shop twice acting nervous and fidgety.

After Jeffs sold two pairs of Leatherman pliers for $37 and provided his ID on Tuesday, a suspicious employee at River City Treasures and Pawn in Yankton looked up online the name he had been given and realized the man was wanted by the FBI, owner Kevin Haug said in an interview Thursday.

Haug said Jeffs re-arranged his name during the transaction, going by Jeffs Lyle Steed. "That was his shot at fooling everybody," Haug said. Haug alerted police and his employee called the FBI - providing authorities with store video of Jeffs, pawn paperwork bearing his information and the vehicle Jeffs was driving: A silver Ford-F-150 pickup truck.

"Every once in a while, when someone's weird, we look into them for no apparent reason other than we're just bored sometimes," Haug said.

Thanks for Christmas in June! 

 

[DaisyD]

I wonder what happened between Warren and Lyle. Warren is as nuts as a bag of squirrels, but what did Lyle do to get disowned like that?

[quiversR4hunting]

@Howl thank you for that article! Way to go pawn shop owner. And I love the honest quote at the end: "Every once in a while, when someone's weird, we look into them for no apparent reason other than we're just bored sometimes," Haug said."   

@DaisyD my complete and utter guess- trying to oust Warren as leader since he is in prison. Seems like all of these things lead back to power with these cults.

[Howl]

Lyle was at the marina/recreation area for two weeks, so this could have been very recent and yes, Lyle must have made one misstep, or something as simple as a Warren Jeffs hallucination/fever dream. To have been a fly on the wall when Lyle got the news and had to head out the door with (probably) the clothes on his back and his truck.  He was pawning things and living out of his truck,  so he didn't even have a functioning credit card.

When the people who would have given their lives for you turn their backs and shun you...payback is a bitch, Lyle.  I can't even imagine how many people Lyle has told to leave the FLDS, destroying families and reassigning wives. 

Also, the pawn shop guys might get the $50,000 reward for leading to Lyle's capture.  

 

I wonder what happened between Warren and Lyle. Warren is as nuts as a bag of squirrels, but what did Lyle do to get disowned like that?

No idea, because Warren seems to act on irrational impulse, but it would have to be recent, right? 

[OyToTheVey]

That pawn shop guy is probably going to claim the reward. It was his tip that caught Lyle. Nice chunk of change for a phone call. Crazy how that even happens. 

 

But I really do wonder: WTF happened between Lyle and Warren? Lyle definitely didn't live in his truck for a year and pawning things on the way. That would have been obvious to authorities right away that someone lives in a truck. Aren't Warrens calls recorded? We might actually find out eventually.

[Howl]

10 hours ago, OyToTheVey said:

But I really do wonder: WTF happened between Lyle and Warren?

Me too. Most articles simply reference that Lyle and Warren had a falling out.  I found one article that had quotes from Lyle Jeffs' adult son. 

From FOX 13 in Salt Lake City: 

Quote

In an interview with FOX 13, Thomas Jeffs -- one of Lyle Jeffs' sons -- said he believed his father was basically homeless after being cast out by imprisoned polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.

"I think he was just going across the country trying to survive after Warren sent him out," Thomas Jeffs said...

 

[DaisyD]

On 6/16/2017 at 9:13 AM, OyToTheVey said:

Aren't Warrens calls recorded? We might actually find out eventually.

As I understand it, Warren does most of his leadership communication through his lawyer. That makes it privileged so it's not going to be recorded by authorities. That may have changed since I read it though. 

[quiversR4hunting]

Latest article about Lyle:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article157426459.html

The article starts off:
 

Quote

Captured polygamous sect leader Lyle Jeffs could face up to another 10 years in prison after prosecutors filed a new felony charge Wednesday connected to his nearly yearlong time on the run.

If I were the feds I would offer him a deal to be state's informant and tell the FBI everything they need to know to take down the cult. However, I bet Lyle is still loyal to the cult.

[Howl]

40 minutes ago, quiversR4hunting said:

I bet Lyle is still loyal to the cult.

Wonder how he feels now that he's been kicked out and shunned, with no support? He just went from Warren's right hand man to nobody* and he won't have access to FLDS deep pockets for a good lawyer or any lawyer.  That said, I'm curious about where his trial will take place, since it is a Federal case.   

This CNN article on "Thug Willie" is a good refresher on Willie Jessop's 180 degree turn from Warren Jeff's enforcer to star witness for the Feds.  The article was written  February 27, 2016:  The turncoat: 'Thug Willie' spills secrets of FLDS and its 'prophet'  The title is a bit misleading.  The interesting part addresses Willie's feelings of betrayal by Warren Jeffs over Jeff's "marriage" to his 12-year-old niece and other very young girls.  For other context, this article was written just as the indictments were coming down for food-stamp fraud. It's also a good look into what was happening in Short Creek just 16 months ago.  

*I hope at some point Lyle will spill the beans on Warren and what led to Lyle's ouster.  

 

[DaisyD]

From Howl's second article : "We've got to get some adult supervision up here," Jessop says.

[quiversR4hunting]

42 minutes ago, DaisyD said:

From Howl's second article : "We've got to get some adult supervision up here," Jessop says.

That is funny!

It sounds like Jessop is really trying. I just wish more and more would openly join him in fighting the FLDS. The following quote illustrates how deep the brainwashing is and how hard it will to extract members from the Warren thinking.

Quote

"The son, who's about 17, is begging his dad, 'Don't take me. Don't take me back. I have to stay in because they're going to make me a priesthood holder,'" Brower says. "'And if I'm a priesthood holder, I'll be lifted up.'"

Now that Lyle is on the outs, I wonder who is running things?

[closetcagebaby]

Willie Jessop really creeps me out if I'm being honest. He strikes me as being extremely opportunist and he did some horrible things while he was in the flds. I'm glad he turned over, though. 

[Howl]

10 hours ago, quiversR4hunting said:

That is funny!

It sounds like Jessop is really trying. I just wish more and more would openly join him in fighting the FLDS. The following quote illustrates how deep the brainwashing is and how hard it will to extract members from the Warren thinking.

Now that Lyle is on the outs, I wonder who is running things?

Rumor is it's Nephi Jeffs,  (full brother to Warren and Lyle) who has been Warren's long-time assistant.  Idle speculation on my part:  FLDS palace intrigue.  Maybe Nephi convinced Warren that Lyle was bad juju, clearing the way for Nephi to take control.  Nephi had 14 wives in 2008, with the youngest being 16 when Nephi was 38.  

[closetcagebaby]

The Year of Polygamy podcast has a really good episode this week about the current situation with the FLDS in case anyone's interested!

[Howl]

11 hours ago, closetcagebaby said:

The Year of Polygamy podcast has a really good episode this week about the current situation with the FLDS in case anyone's interested!

This is amazing!  Terrill Musser is a wonderfully compassionate and insightful man. His idyllic childhood memories and teen-aged years growing up FLDS speak to a very different experience from what I would have imagined.  

This High Country News article from April 2016 is a good background for this podcast: 

How the FLDS church consolidated power on the Utah-Arizona border  A recent lawsuit sheds new light on how the polygamist church and municipal leadership are deeply intertwined.

Now I want to listen to the Mother Irene podcast and looking forward to hearing about the upcoming Fourth of July picnic and celebration. 

[closetcagebaby]

@HowlI highly recommend listening to the two parter she did with Mother Irene...but be warned, it's probably going to make you angry. Honestly it made me a little frustrated with the podcast host, Lindsey, because it did seem like she was being very lenient and letting these cult apologetics slide by. But on further reflection, I guess it's good to have such an honest look into their mindset. Either way, it's a really great interview. Sometimes the podcast can almost romanticize the FLDS which is unnecessary and harmful, but she does a beautiful job on the whole. 

[Howl]

Quote

@closetcagebaby said:  I guess it's good to have such an honest look into their mindset.

Lindsay talks about this a bit during the Terrill Musser interview -- both the negative feedback about her Mother Irene interview and Lindsay being within traditional LDS, while some (many?) of her listeners have been badly burned and left the faith.  I don't consider Year of Polygamy to be a rabbithole, but I'm going to take the white pill and start listening to the podcasts in order. 

[OyToTheVey]

Lazy person question: Is there a tumblr or something where the podcasts are transcribed? I'm not good at listening haha 

[closetcagebaby]

1 hour ago, OyToTheVey said:

Lazy person question: Is there a tumblr or something where the podcasts are transcribed? I'm not good at listening haha 

I don't think so - the podcast has website with descriptions and comments, but no transcriptions. They're pretty long, so it would be a chore for someone to transcribe just for fun! 

[seattlechic]

On 11/3/2016 at 7:04 PM, Howl said:

This just in:   Loss of salvation doesn’t burden religion, government says in polygamous sect food stamp case

http://www.sltrib.com/blogs/polygamy/4541202-155/loss-of-salvation-doesnt-burden-religion

If this "substantial burden" argument wins out and the judge rules in favor of the FLDS, we're all screwed.  

OMF I just read your post... "Concerns that Defendants or Their Family Members May Lose their Eternal Salvation Does Not Amount to a Substantial Burden," HA HA HA HAH AH AH HA HA SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT

 

[OyToTheVey]

I'm not sure where to put this but I figured it was a leader and he's in jail. Anyway, Warren Jeffs was ordered to pay $16M to Ellissa Wall and another victim.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2017/09/06/Judge-orders-Warren-Jeffs-to-pay-16-million-to-sex-abuse-victim/9141504669897/

[quiversR4hunting]

On 9/6/2017 at 9:01 AM, OyToTheVey said:

I'm not sure where to put this but I figured it was a leader and he's in jail. Anyway, Warren Jeffs was ordered to pay $16M to Ellissa Wall and another victim.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2017/09/06/Judge-orders-Warren-Jeffs-to-pay-16-million-to-sex-abuse-victim/9141504669897/

Wow. That's Great! I hope they get the church assests. Maybe the lack of money will open the eyes of some of the blind followers. 

[Howl]

Whoo hoo!  Hopefully this will be the tip of the iceberg for large settlements in civil suits against FLDS. 

[mirele]

Lyle Jeffs decided to plead guilty, according to the @Benwinslow account on Twitter (he's a reporter for channel 13 in SLC). He's looking at 2 to 4 years for conspiracy to commit SNAP fraud and one year for absconding, sentences to be served consecutively. The actual sentence will be decided at a later date. There was nobody from the FLDS in the courtroom, underlining how Lyle has basically been kicked out of the fold.

[quiversR4hunting]

Thank you for the update @mirele

And your avatar is something else.

it would be nice if he reached out to his wives and tell them what happened so maybe they can decide to leave but unfortunately I am sure their mail is read before delivery and they are too brainwashed to think.