View source for Warren Jeffs

{{Short description|American sex offender and cult leader (born 1955)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox FBI Ten Most Wanted
| name = Warren Jeffs
| image =Warren Steed Jeffs (FBI).webp
| caption =
| birth_name = Warren Steed Jeffs
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1955|12|3}}
| birth_place = [[Sacramento, California]], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alias =
| conviction = '''Texas'''<br>[[Aggravated sexual assault|Aggravated]] [[Child sexual abuse laws in the United States|sexual assault of a child]]<br>Sexual assault of a child<ref name="Whitehurst"/>
'''Utah'''<br>Child rape as an [[accomplice]] (2 counts; overturned)<ref>{{cite news |title=US polygamy sect leader sentenced |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7104832.stm |access-date=May 7, 2019 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=November 20, 2007}}</ref><ref name="findlaw">{{cite news |title=Polygamist Charged With Felony Accomplice Rape of a Minor |url=http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/polygamy/utjeffs40506crinf.html |access-date=May 7, 2019 |work=[[FindLaw.com]] |date=April 5, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071122235015/http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/polygamy/utjeffs40506crinf.html |archive-date=November 22, 2007}}</ref>
| conviction_penalty = '''Texas'''<br>[[Life imprisonment in the United States|Life imprisonment]] with the possibility of [[parole]] after 27 years<br>'''Utah'''<br>Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 10 years (overturned)
| conviction_status = Incarcerated<ref name="convict">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Texas: Polygamist Leader Convicted |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/05/us/05brfs-Texas.html |access-date=May 7, 2019 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 4, 2011|author1-link=The Associated Press }}</ref>
| occupation = Leader of the [[Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]]
| spouse = 78<ref name="Egan"/> including Naomi Jeffs (née Jessop)
| parents = [[Rulon Jeffs]] and Merilyn Steed
| children = More than 60, including:<ref name="jeffson">{{cite news |first=Tricia| last=Escobedo |url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/30/us/warren-jeffs-son-speaks-out/index.html |title=Roy Jeffs: Why I left my father's church |work=[[CNN]]| date=March 8, 2016| access-date=Feb 6, 2023}}</ref><br>[[Helaman Jeffs]]<br>[[Rachel Jeffs]]<br>[[Roy Jeffs]]
| added_date = May 6, 2006<ref name="FBI-added-Jeffs"/>
| caught_date = August 29, 2006
| remove_date =
| number = 482
| status = captured
}}

''' Warren Steed Jeffs''' (born December 3, 1955) is an American [[cult]] leader and convicted [[Child sexual abuse|child sex offender]].  He is the president of the [[Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]], a [[polygamy|polygamous]] cult based in [[Arizona]]<ref name="retakeslegalcontrol">{{cite news |last=Wagner |first=Dennis |date=February 24, 2011 |title=Jailed sect leader retakes legal control of church |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-02-24-jeffs-church_N.htm |access-date=May 6, 2019 |work=[[USA Today]] |location=McLean, Virginia}}</ref> and is serving a [[life sentence]] in [[Texas]] for child sexual assault following two convictions in 2011. The FLDS Church was founded in the early-20th century when its founders deemed the renunciation of polygamy by the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) to be [[apostate]]. The LDS Church disavows any relation between it and the FLDS Church, although there are significant historical ties.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/topic/polygamy |title=Polygamy |work= Newsroom |publisher=[[LDS Church]] |access-date=May 6, 2019}}</ref>

In 2006, Jeffs was placed on the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]]'s [[FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives|Ten Most Wanted List]] for his flight from the charges that he had arranged illegal child marriages between his adult male followers and underage girls in Utah.<ref name="FBI-added-Jeffs"/> In 2007, Arizona charged him with eight additional counts in two separate cases, including incest and sexual conduct with minors.<ref name="indicted">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=July 12, 2007|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/12/polygamy.charges/index.html |title=Sect leader indicted on sexual conduct with minor, incest charges |work=CNN |access-date=May 6, 2019}}</ref>

In September 2007, Jeffs was convicted of two counts of rape as an accomplice,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hylton |first1=Hilary |title=Jeffs' Conviction: A Winning Ploy |url=http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1665547,00.html |access-date=May 6, 2019 |work=[[Time magazine|Time]] |date=September 25, 2007 |archive-date=May 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507064837/http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1665547,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Polygamist Warren Jeffs' Convictions Overturned |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/polygamist-warren-jeffs-convictions-overturned/ |access-date=April 9, 2019 |work=[[CBS News]] |date=July 27, 2010}}</ref>

Jeffs was extradited to Texas,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ward |first1=Mike |title=Polygamist sect leader Jeffs arrives in Texas |url=http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2010/12/01/polygamist_sect_leader_jeffs_a.html |access-date=May 7, 2019 |work=[[Statesman.com]] |date=December 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110104105347/http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2010/12/01/polygamist_sect_leader_jeffs_a.html |archive-date=January 4, 2011}}</ref> where he was found guilty of sexual assault of a minor, for raping a 15-year-old [[child bride]]; and aggravated sexual assault against a child, for raping a 12-year-old child bride; for which he was sentenced to life in prison, plus twenty years, and fined $10,000.<ref name="Whitehurst">{{cite news |last1=Whitehurst |first1=Lindsay |date=August 10, 2011 |title=Warren Jeffs gets life in prison for sex with underage girls |work=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=52354441&itype=CMSID |access-date=May 7, 2019}}</ref> Jeffs is incarcerated at the [[Louis C. Powledge Unit]] of the [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]] near [[Palestine, Texas]].<ref name="OffenderSearch" /><ref name=":3" />

==Family and early life==
Warren Steed Jeffs was born in [[Sacramento, California]] on December 3, 1955, to [[Rulon Jeffs]] and Merilyn Steed. Warren was [[Preterm birth|born more than two months prematurely]].<ref name="Biography">{{cite web |title=Warren Jeffs |url=https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/warren-jeffs |publisher=[[The Biography Channel]] |access-date=May 17, 2019 |language=en-us |date=April 2, 2014}}</ref> Warren grew up outside of [[Salt Lake City, Utah]]. In 1976, the year he turned 21, Warren Jeffs became principal of Alta Academy, an FLDS private school at the mouth of [[Little Cottonwood Canyon]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Carlisle |first1=Nate |date=September 4, 2014 |title=Demolition starts on old FLDS polygamous school |url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=58340109&itype=cmsid |access-date=May 17, 2019 |work=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]}}</ref> He served as school principal for twenty years and was known for being "a [[wikt:stickler|stickler]] for the rules and for discipline."<ref name="Biography" /> Warren's father Rulon Jeffs became the [[President of the Church|President]] of the [[Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]] (FLDS Church) in 1986 and had nineteen or twenty wives and approximately 60 children.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Janofsky |first1=Michael |date=September 15, 2002 |title=Mormon Leader Is Survived by 33 Sons and a Void |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/15/us/mormon-leader-is-survived-by-33-sons-and-a-void.html |access-date=May 7, 2019 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Warren went on to have, according to former church members, 78 wives.<ref name="Egan">{{cite news |author=Egan, Timothy |date=October 25, 2005 |title=Polygamous Community Defies State Crackdown |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/25/us/polygamous-community-defies-state-crackdown.html |access-date=August 30, 2020 |work=[[The New York Times]] |quote=Mr. Jeffs, age 45, has as many as 70 wives, people who have left the church say. He teaches that a man cannot get to heaven unless he has at least three wives. And because there are not enough women to meet the demands of men who want eternal life, brides are constantly being reassigned.}}</ref>

==Church leadership==
Prior to his father's death in 2002, Jeffs held the position of counselor to the church leader. Jeffs became Rulon's successor with his official title in the FLDS Church becoming "President and [[Prophet, Seer and Revelator]]" as well as "President of the Priesthood". The Revelator was the head of the organization of all adult male church members who were deemed worthy to hold the [[priesthood (Latter Day Saints)|priesthood]], a tradition carried on in the [[Latter Day Saint movement]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The FLDS Church |url=http://www.mormonfundamentalism.com/archive/ChartLinks/FLDSChurch.htm |website=MormonFundamentalism.com |publisher=[[Brian C. Hales]] |access-date=May 9, 2019 |archive-date=May 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531025412/http://www.mormonfundamentalism.com/archive/ChartLinks/FLDSChurch.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Timeline: History of polygamy |url=http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/bustupinbountiful/timeline.html |access-date=May 9, 2019 |work=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615042231/http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/bustupinbountiful/timeline.html |archive-date=June 15, 2013}}</ref>

The death of Rulon and Jeffs's ascension to the leadership position caused a split in the FLDS Church between Jeffs's followers and the followers of [[Winston Blackmore]], the long-time [[Bishop (Latter Day Saints)|bishop]] of the [[Bountiful, British Columbia]], group of the FLDS Church. More than half of the Canadian branch members left the FLDS Church to stay with Blackmore as their leader, and Jeffs [[Excommunication|excommunicated]] Blackmore in September 2002.<ref>{{cite news |title=Leaders of Canadian FLDS branch, offshoot convicted in polygamy case |url=https://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/2017/07/25/leaders-canadian-flds-branch-offshoot-convicted-polygamy-case/509064001/ |work=The Spectrum |date=July 25, 2017}}</ref><ref name = nationalpost>Canadian Press, [https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/court-rules-against-b-c-polygamous-leader-winston-blackmore-issues-150000-in-penalties "Court rules against B.C. polygamous leader Winston Blackmore, issues $150,000 in penalties"], ''[[National Post]]'', 28 August 2013.</ref><ref name = cbc>Canadian Press, [http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/polygamous-family-deemed-unworthy-of-special-tax-status-1.1144342 "Polygamous family deemed unworthy of special tax status"], [[CBC News]], 4 May 2012.</ref>

Following Rulon's death, Jeffs told the high-ranking FLDS officials, "I won't say much, but I will say this{{snd}}hands off my father's wives." When addressing his father's widows he said, "You women will live as if Father is still alive and in the next room." Within a week he had married all but two of his father's wives; one refused to marry Jeffs and was subsequently prohibited from ever marrying again, while the other, [[Rebecca Musser|Rebecca Wall]], fled the FLDS compound.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/stoleninnocencem00wall|title=Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs|first=Elissa|last=Wall|others=Pulitzer, Lisa|isbn=9780061628016|edition=First|location=New York|oclc=223505308|date=May 13, 2008}}</ref> Naomi Jessop, one of the first of Rulon's former wives to marry Jeffs, subsequently became his favorite wife and confidant. As the sole individual in the FLDS Church with the authority to perform marriages, Jeffs was responsible for assigning wives to husbands. He also had the authority to discipline male church members by "reassigning their wives, children and homes to another man."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Goodwyn |first1=Wade |last2=Berkes |first2=Howard |last3=Walters |first3=Amy |author-link1=Wade Goodwyn |author-link3=Amy Walters |title=Warren Jeffs and the FLDS |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4629320 |access-date=May 9, 2019 |work=[[NPR]]|date=May 3, 2005 |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Home of Warren Jeffs in Colorado City.jpg|thumb|alt=A picture of a compound of the former home of Jeffs in Colorado City, with a grass meadow and a road in the foreground|Former home of Jeffs in Colorado City]]
Until courts in Utah intervened, Jeffs controlled almost all of the land in [[Colorado City, Arizona]], and [[Hildale, Utah]], which was part of a church trust called the United Effort Plan (UEP). The land has been estimated to be worth over $100 million. All UEP assets were put in the custody of the Utah court system pending further litigation. As the result of a November 2012 court decision, much of the UEP land is to be sold to those who live on it.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Foy |first1=Paul |title=Court upholds sale of polygamous church assets |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/court-upholds-sale-of-polygamous-church-assets |access-date=May 9, 2019 |work=[[Washington Examiner]]  |date=November 5, 2012 |language=en}}</ref>

In January 2004, Jeffs expelled a group of twenty men from the [[Short Creek Community]], including the mayor, and reassigned their wives and children to other men in the community. Jeffs, like his predecessors, continued the standard FLDS and [[Mormon fundamentalism|Mormon fundamentalist]] tenet that faithful men must follow what is known as the doctrine of [[plural marriage]] in order to attain [[exaltation (Latter Day Saints)|exaltation]] in the afterlife. Jeffs specifically taught that a devoted church member is expected to have at least three wives in order to get into heaven, and the more wives a man has, the closer he is to heaven.<ref name="Cooper-2006"/>

===Changes in location and leadership===
Before his 2006 arrest, Jeffs had last been seen on January 1, 2005, near [[Eldorado, Texas]], at the dedication ceremony of the foundation of a large FLDS temple on the [[YFZ Ranch]]. The ranch came into the public eye on April 7, 2008, when Texas authorities conducted a raid and took legal custody of 416 children, in response to a March 31 phone call alleging physical and sexual abuse on the ranch. The caller claimed to be a 16-year-old girl married to a 50-year-old man, and stated that she had given birth to his child a year prior. Residents, however, told authorities that there was in fact no such girl, and the calls were ultimately traced to 33-year-old Rozita Swinton, totally unconnected to the FLDS Church, and known for repeated instances of filing false reports. Nevertheless, Texas authorities continued to investigate whether Swinton's claims were a hoax.<ref>{{cite news |date=April 7, 2008 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/07/texas.ranch/ |title=Texas takes legal custody of 401 sect children |work=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411050954/http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/07/texas.ranch/ |archive-date=April 11, 2008 |access-date=May 10, 2019}}</ref> The women, and children who were suspected of being minors, were returned after Texas courts established that the state had not presented sufficient evidence of abuse to have removed them.

On June 10, 2006, [[Attorney General of Arizona|Arizona Attorney General]] [[Terry Goddard]] told the ''[[Deseret News]]'' that he had heard from several sources that Jeffs had returned to Arizona, and had performed marriage ceremonies in a mobile home that was being used as a wedding chapel.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Winslow |first1=Ben |title=Jeffs seen in Arizona? |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/640185888/Jeffs-seen-in-Arizona.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731175649/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/640185888/Jeffs-seen-in-Arizona.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 31, 2010 |access-date=May 10, 2019 |work=[[Deseret News]] |date=June 10, 2006 |language=en}}</ref>

On March 27, 2007, the ''Deseret News'' reported that Jeffs had renounced his role as prophet of the FLDS Church in a conversation with his brother [[Nephi Jeffs|Nephi]]. Nephi quoted him as saying he was "the greatest of all sinners" and that God had never called him to be a prophet.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Winslow |first1=Ben |title=A prophet no more? Jeffs called himself a 'sinner' in jailhouse conversation |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/660206525/A-prophet-no-more-Jeffs-called-himself-a-sinner-in-jailhouse-conversation.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100831100303/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/660206525/A-prophet-no-more-Jeffs-called-himself-a-sinner-in-jailhouse-conversation.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 31, 2010 |access-date=May 10, 2019 |work=[[Deseret News]] |date=March 27, 2007 |language=en}}</ref> Jeffs presented a handwritten note to the judge at the end of trial on March 27, saying that he was not a prophet of the FLDS Church.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Brooke |title=Mystery note: Jeffs may have abdicated polygamist prophet role |url=http://www.sltrib.com/polygamy/ci_5598067 |access-date=May 10, 2019 |work=[[Salt Lake Tribune]] |date=April 5, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320122320/http://www.sltrib.com/polygamy/ci_5598067 |archive-date=March 20, 2012}}</ref> On November 7, the [[Washington County, Utah]], Attorney's Office released video of jailhouse conversations between Nephi and Jeffs, in which Jeffs renounces his prophethood, claiming that God had told him that if he revealed that he was not the rightful prophet, and was a "wicked man", he would still gain a place in the [[telestial kingdom]].<ref name="dnvideoshows">{{cite news |last1=Winslow |first1=Ben |last2=Perkins |first2=Nancy |title=Released video shows emotional Jeffs in jail |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/695225779/Released-video-shows-emotional-Jeffs-in-jail.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130121092536/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/695225779/Released-video-shows-emotional-Jeffs-in-jail.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 21, 2013 |access-date=May 10, 2019 |work=[[Deseret News]] |date=November 8, 2007 |language=en}}</ref> Jeffs also admits to what he calls "immoral actions with a sister and a daughter" when he was 20 years old.<ref>{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Kirk|author-link= Kirk W. Johnson |date=November 2, 2007 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/02/us/02jeffs.html |title=In Recordings From Jail, Polygamist Had Doubts |work=[[New York Times]] |access-date=November 11, 2007}}</ref> Other records show that while incarcerated, Jeffs tried to kill himself by banging his head against the walls and trying to hang himself.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tuchman |first1=Gary |author-link1=Gary Tuchman |title=Polygamist Jeffs tried to hang himself in jail, documents say |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/11/07/jeffs/ |access-date=May 10, 2019 |work=[[CNN]]}}</ref>

Jeffs formally resigned as President of the FLDS Church effective November 20, 2007.<ref name = "Perkins">{{cite news |last1=Perkins |first1=Nancy |title=Warren Jeffs resigns as leader of the FLDS Church |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/695233512/Warren-Jeffs-resigns-as-leader-of-the-FLDS-Church.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213221515/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/695233512/Warren-Jeffs-resigns-as-leader-of-the-FLDS-Church.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 13, 2009 |access-date=May 10, 2019 |work=[[Deseret News]] |date=December 5, 2007 |language=en}}</ref> In an email to the ''Deseret News'', Jeffs's attorneys made the following statements: "Mr. Jeffs has asked that the following statement be released to the media and to members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints:{{Nbsp}} Mr. Jeffs resigned as President of the Corporation of the President of The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Inc." The statement did not address his ecclesiastical position as prophet of the FLDS Church, and many in the FLDS communities still regard him as the prophet and their current leader.<ref name = "Perkins"/> There are also reports that Jeffs admitted his position of prophet in the FLDS Church was a <!--'a' is indeed correct, not 'an', as it's pronounced 'YOU-surpation'
Either way is correct; however 'an usurpation' is becoming obsolete.-->[[usurpation]] in a conversation to his brother, and declared that "Brother [[William E. Jessop]] has been the prophet since [my] Father's passing", though Jeffs's attorneys have claimed he misspoke.<ref name="Adams-2007"/> In early 2011, Jeffs retook legal control of the denomination.<ref name="retakeslegalcontrol"/><ref name="CNN">{{cite news |last1=Tuchman |first1=Gary |author-link1=Gary Tuchman |title=Sources: Jailed polygamist retakes control of church, ousts 45 members |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/02/24/texas.polygamist.jeffs/index.html |access-date=April 10, 2021 |work=[[CNN]] |date=February 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126140911/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-02-24/justice/texas.polygamist.jeffs_1_flds-sexual-abuse-marriages-with-older-men?_s=PM:CRIME |archive-date=January 26, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Convictions for sex crimes==
===Allegations and fugitive from justice===
In July 2004, Jeffs's nephew, Brent Jeffs, filed a lawsuit alleging that Jeffs had raped him in the FLDS Church's [[Salt Lake Valley]] compound in the late 1980s. Together with author [[Maia Szalavitz]], Brent wrote the memoir ''Lost Boy,'' which recounts alleged incidents of child sexual abuse inflicted upon him by Jeffs, his brothers, and other family members, committed when Brent was aged 5 or 6.<ref name="Jeffs 2009">{{cite book |last= Jeffs |first= Brent W. |title= Lost Boy |year= 2009 |location= New York |publisher= [[Broadway Books]] |isbn= 978-0767931779}}</ref><ref name=npr>{{citation |last= Gross |first= Terry |author-link= Terry Gross |title= From Polygamist Royalty To FLDS Lost Boy |url= https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=104359348 |work= [[Fresh Air]] |publisher= [[WHYY-FM]], [[NPR]] |access-date=June 3, 2019|date= May 21, 2009 }}</ref><ref name=Coliseum1>{{cite news|title=Lisa reads: Lost Boy by Brent W. Jeffs|url=http://whenfallsthecoliseum.com/2009/06/23/lisa-reads-lost-boy-by-brent-w-jeffs/|access-date=January 6, 2015|publisher=When Falls the Coliseum|date=June 23, 2009}}</ref><ref name="David Kelly">{{cite news |last1= Kelly |first1= David |first2= Gary |last2= Cohn |title= Insider accounts put sect leader on the run |url= http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2002996905_secttwo16.html |agency= [[Los Angeles Times]] |newspaper= [[The Seattle Times]] |date= May 16, 2006 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131021170131/http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2002996905_secttwo16.html |archive-date= October 21, 2013 }}</ref> Brent's brother Clayne committed suicide after accusing Jeffs of sexually assaulting him as a child.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=David |last2=Cohn |first2=Gary |author-link2=Gary Cohn (journalist) |title=Where Few Dare to Disobey |url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-polygamyenclave-13may1206-story.html |access-date=May 11, 2019 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=May 16, 2006}}</ref> Two of Jeffs's nephews and two of Jeffs's own children have also publicly claimed to have been sexually abused by him.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Escobedo |first1=Tricia |title=Warren Jeffs' son, daughter allege sexual abuse |url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/29/us/warren-jeffs-children-allegations/index.html |access-date=May 7, 2019 |work=[[CNN]] |date=October 1, 2015}}</ref>

In June 2005, Jeffs was charged in [[Mohave County, Arizona]], with sexual assault on a minor and with conspiracy to commit sexual misconduct with a minor for allegedly [[arranged marriage|arranging]], in April 2001, a marriage between a then-14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old first cousin, Allen. The young girl, [[Elissa Wall]] (then known as "Jane Doe IV," and the younger sister of Rebecca Wall), testified that she begged Rulon Jeffs to let her wait until she was older or choose another man for her. The elder Jeffs was apparently "sympathetic," but his son was not, and she was forced to go through with the marriage. Wall alleged that Allen often raped her and that she repeatedly [[miscarried]]. She eventually left Allen and the community.

In July 2005, the Arizona Attorney General's office distributed wanted posters offering $10,000 for information leading to Jeffs's arrest and conviction. On October 28, Jeffs's brother [[Seth Jeffs|Seth]] was arrested under suspicion of harboring a fugitive. During a routine traffic stop in [[Pueblo County, Colorado]], police found nearly $142,000 in cash, $7,000 worth of prepaid debit cards and personal records. During Seth's court case, FBI Agent Andrew Stearns testified that Seth had told him that he did not know where his older brother was and that he would not reveal his whereabouts if he did. Seth was convicted of harboring a fugitive on May 1, 2006.<ref>{{cite news |title=Polygamist's Brother Pleads Guilty to Harboring a Fugitive |url=https://www.ksl.com/article/240154 |access-date=May 13, 2019 |work=[[KSL (radio network)|KSL Broadcasting]] |agency=Associated Press |date=May 1, 2006 |language=en}}</ref> On July 14, he was sentenced to three years probation and a $2,500 fine.<ref>{{cite web |author1=[[United States Attorney]]'s Office [[United States District Court for the District of Colorado|District of Colorado]] |title=Seth Steed Jeffs Sentenced for Harboring Fugitive Brother |url=https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/co/news/2006/July06/7_14_06.html |website=www.justice.gov |access-date=May 13, 2019 |date=July 14, 2006}}</ref>

On April 5, 2006, Utah issued an arrest warrant for Jeffs on felony charges of accomplice rape of a teenage girl between 14 and 18 years old.<ref name="findlaw"/> Shortly after, on May 6, the FBI placed Jeffs on its Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, offering a $60,000 reward.<ref>{{cite web |title=FBI Announces New Top Tenner: Warren Jeffs |url=https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2006/may/jeffs050606 |website=[[FBI]] |access-date=May 13, 2019 |language=en-us |date=May 5, 2006}}</ref> He was the 482nd fugitive placed on the list. The reward was soon raised to $100,000, and the public was warned that "Jeffs may travel with a number of loyal and armed bodyguards."<ref>{{cite web |author=FBI |date=June 23, 2006 |url=http://www.njlawman.com/most%20wanted%202.htm <!-- contents may change, see archive --> |title=America's Most Wanted |work=njlawman.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060623065039/http://www.njlawman.com/Most%20Wanted%202.htm |archive-date=June 23, 2006 |url-status=live |access-date=May 11, 2011}}</ref>

On June 8, 2006, Jeffs returned to Colorado City to perform more "child-bride marriages."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Winslow |first1=Ben |title=Jeffs seen in Arizona? |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/640185888/Jeffs-seen-in-Arizona.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731175649/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/640185888/Jeffs-seen-in-Arizona.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 31, 2010 |access-date=May 13, 2019 |work=[[Deseret News]] |date=June 10, 2006 |language=en}}</ref> On May 27, 2008, ''[[The Smoking Gun]]'' website released images of Jeffs with two underage wives, one of whom was 12 years old, celebrating first wedding anniversaries in 2005 and 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Kiss Of Jeffs |url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/kiss-jeffs |website=[[The Smoking Gun]] |access-date=May 13, 2019 |language=en |date=July 20, 2011}}</ref>

===Arrest, trial and convictions===
On August 28, 2006, around 9&nbsp;p.m. PDT, Jeffs was pulled over on [[Interstate 15 in Nevada|Interstate 15]] in [[Clark County, Nevada]], by highway trooper Eddie Dutchover because the temporary license plates on his red 2007 [[Cadillac Escalade]] were not visible. One of Jeffs's wives, Naomi Jessop, and his brother Isaac were with him. Jeffs possessed four computers, sixteen cell phones, disguises (including three wigs and twelve pairs of sunglasses), and more than $55,000 in cash. Jeffs's wife and brother were questioned and released.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Kirk |last2=Dougherty |first2=John |last3=Scott |first3=Cathy |author-link1=Kirk W. Johnson |author-link2=John Dougherty (journalist) |author-link3=Cathy Scott |title=Leader of Polygamist Mormon Sect Is Arrested |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/30/us/30polygamy.html |access-date=May 13, 2019 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 30, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Fugitive Polygamist Sect Leader Arrested in Las Vegas |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/fugitive-polygamist-sect-leader-arrested-in-las-vegas |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[FOX News]] |date=March 25, 2015}}</ref><ref name="wrt1">{{cite web |date=August 31, 2006 |url=http://www.thespectrum.com/news/extras/jeffs/courtdocuments.pdf |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20060927093046/http://www.thespectrum.com/news/extras/jeffs/courtdocuments.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 27, 2006 |title=Arrest Warrants and Affidavits |publisher=Fifth District Court, Washington County, State of Utah |access-date=September 5, 2011}}</ref>

In a Nevada court hearing on August 31, Jeffs waived any challenge to extradition and agreed to be returned to Utah<ref>{{cite news |last1=McCabe |first1=Francis |last2=Haynes |first2=Brian |title=Polygamist leader: Jeffs bound for Utah |url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Sep-01-Fri-2006/news/9387587.html |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]] |date=August 31, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061002211330/http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2006/09_10/2006_09_01_McCabe_FLDSHead.htm |archive-date=October 2, 2006}}</ref> to face two first-degree felony charges of accomplice rape.<ref name="findlaw" /> Each charge carries an indeterminate penalty of five years to life in prison. Arizona prosecutors were next in line to try Jeffs. He was held in the [[Washington County, Utah|Washington County]] jail, pending an April 23, 2007 trial on two counts of rape, as an accomplice for his role in arranging the marriage between Elissa Wall and her first cousin.<ref>{{cite news |date=2007 |url=http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=6243736 |title=Police academies consider future of officers in polygamist towns |agency=Associated Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927221630/http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=6243736 |work=[[KVOA]] |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |access-date=May 14, 2019}}</ref>

Jeffs was believed to be leading his group from jail and a Utah state board has expressed dissatisfaction in dealing with Hildale police, believing that many members of the force had ties to Jeffs, and thus did not cooperate.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Authorities concerned about Jeffs' ties to border officers |url=https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/authorities-concerned-about-jeffs-ties-to-border-officers/article_d13e8f63-fbd8-514e-86bb-ce9b679d1a62.html |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[Casper Star-Tribune]] |date=December 7, 2006 |language=en}}</ref> In May and July 2007, Jeffs was indicted in Arizona on eight counts, including sexual misconduct with a minor and incest.<ref name="indicted" />

Jeffs's trial began on September 11, 2007, in [[St. George, Utah]], with Judge James L. Shumate presiding. Jeffs was housed in Utah's [[Purgatory Correctional Facility]] in [[solitary confinement]] for the duration. At the culmination of the trial, on September 25, Jeffs was found guilty of two counts of being an accomplice to rape.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dobner |first1=Jennifer |title=Polygamist Leader in Utah Convicted of Sex Charges in Arranged Marriage |url=https://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/wireStory?id=3645951 |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=September 25, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926005713/https://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/wireStory?id=3645951 |archive-date=September 26, 2007}}</ref> He was sentenced to prison for ten years to life and began serving his sentence at the [[Utah State Prison]].<ref name="Deseret112207">{{cite news |last1=Winslow |first1=Ben |title=Jeffs is now an inmate at Utah State Prison |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/695229917/Jeffs-is-now-an-inmate-at-Utah-State-Prison.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007024518/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/695229917/Jeffs-is-now-an-inmate-at-Utah-State-Prison.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 7, 2012 |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[Deseret News]] |date=November 22, 2007 |language=en}}</ref> On July 27, 2010, the [[Utah Supreme Court]], citing deficient jury instructions, reversed Jeffs's convictions and ordered a new trial. The court found that the trial judge should have told the jury that Jeffs could not be convicted unless it could be proved that he intended for Elissa's husband to engage in nonconsensual sex with her.<ref>{{cite web |last=Frosch |first=Dan |date=July 27, 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/us/28jeffs.html |title=Polygamist Convictions Overturned |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=September 6, 2011}}</ref> Elissa subsequently wrote an autobiography on her experiences in the FLDS Church and with Jeffs entitled ''Stolen Innocence.'' The book was co-authored with former ''[[New York Times]]'' journalist [[Lisa Pulitzer]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Leavitt |first1=Caroline |author-link1=Caroline Leavitt |title=Picks and Pans Review: A Brave Escape from Polygamy |url=https://people.com/archive/picks-and-pans-review-a-brave-escape-from-polygamy-vol-69-no-20/ |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[People (magazine)|People]] |date=May 26, 2008 |language=en}}</ref>

Jeffs was also scheduled to be tried in Arizona.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Townsend |first1=Amanda |last2=O'Neill |first2=Ann |title=Polygamist prophet is now a criminal defendant |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/09/12/jeffs.walkup/ |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[CNN]].com |date=September 12, 2007}}</ref> He had entered a not-guilty plea on February 27, 2008, to sex charges stemming from the arranged marriages of three teenaged girls to older men.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Polygamist 'Prophet' pleads not guilty in Arizona child bride case |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/02/27/jeffs.charges.ap/index.html |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[CNN]] |date=February 27, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080303023924/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/02/27/jeffs.charges.ap/index.html |archive-date=March 3, 2008}}</ref> He was transported to the Mohave County jail to await trial. On June 9, 2010, a state judge, at the request of Mohave County prosecutor Matt Smith, dismissed all charges with prejudice. Smith said that the Arizona victims no longer wanted to testify and that Jeffs had spent almost two years in jail awaiting trial, more than he would have received had he been convicted. Combined with the pending charges against Jeffs in Texas, Smith concluded that "it would be impractical and unnecessary" to try Jeffs in Arizona. Jeffs was then returned to Utah; at the time, his appeal of the 2007 conviction was still pending.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Judge dismisses Ariz. charges against Warren Jeffs |url=https://www.ksl.com/article/11108148 |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[KSL.com]] |date=June 9, 2010 |language=en}}</ref>

On August 9, 2011, Jeffs was convicted in Texas on two counts of sexual assault of a child<ref>{{cite news |last1=Weber |first1=Paul J. |title=Harsh rules, sex assault described inside Jeffs' sect |url=http://www.freep.com/article/20110807/NEWS07/108070604/Harsh-rules-sex-assault-described-inside-Jeffs-sect |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[Detroit Free Press]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=August 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807170305/http://www.freep.com/article/20110807/NEWS07/108070604/Harsh-rules-sex-assault-described-inside-Jeffs-sect |archive-date=August 7, 2011}}</ref> and sentenced to life in prison.<ref name="Whitehurst"/><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Nephew, niece allege polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs abused them |url=http://articles.cnn.com/2011-08-06/justice/texas.polygamist.jeffs_1_warren-jeffs-alta-academy-polygamist-sect-leader |access-date=May 14, 2019 |work=[[CNN]] |date=August 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121163446/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-08-06/justice/texas.polygamist.jeffs_1_warren-jeffs-alta-academy-polygamist-sect-leader?_s=PM:CRIME |archive-date=January 21, 2012}}</ref> He will be eligible for parole on July 22, 2038.<ref name="OffenderSearch">{{cite web |author1=Texas Department of Criminal Justice |title=Offender Information Search: Jeffs, Warren Steed |url=http://offender.tdcj.texas.gov/OffenderSearch/offenderDetail.action?sid=08888382 |website=offender.tdcj.texas.gov |access-date=May 15, 2019 |author1-link=Texas Department of Criminal Justice |archive-date=December 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151227185956/http://offender.tdcj.texas.gov/OffenderSearch/offenderDetail.action?sid=08888382 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Incarceration===
Jeffs tried to hang himself in jail in 2007 in Utah.<ref name=trust/> On July 9, 2008, he was taken from the Mohave County, Arizona jail in [[Kingman, Arizona]], to a [[Las Vegas|Las Vegas, Nevada]], hospital for what was described as a serious medical problem. Sheriff Tom Sheahan did not specify the problem, but said it was serious enough to move him about 100 miles from the Kingman Regional Medical Center to the Nevada hospital.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Brooke |title=Jailed polygamous leader Jeffs hospitalized in Las Vegas |url=http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_9823858 |access-date=May 15, 2019 |work=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |date=July 9, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022102012/http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=%2Fopinion%2Fci_9823858 |archive-date=October 22, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Jeffs has engaged in lengthy hunger strikes, which his doctors and attorneys have claimed were for spiritual reasons. In August 2009, Superior Court Judge Steve Conn ordered that Jeffs be [[Force-feeding|force-fed]] at the Arizona jail.<ref name=trust/>

On August 29, 2011, Jeffs was taken to East Texas Medical Center, [[Tyler, Texas]], and hospitalized in critical condition under a medically [[induced coma]] after excessive fasting. Officials were not sure how long he would remain hospitalized, but expected Jeffs to live.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Graczyk |first1=Michael |author-link1=Michael Graczyk |title=Convicted polygamist leader in medically induced coma |url=http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1688628722/Convicted-polygamist-leader-in-medically-induced-coma |access-date=May 15, 2019 |work=[[Peoria Journal Star]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=August 29, 2011 |archive-date=June 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616163346/http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1688628722/Convicted-polygamist-leader-in-medically-induced-coma |url-status=dead }}</ref> Jeffs is incarcerated at the [[Louis C. Powledge Unit]] of the TDCJ near [[Palestine, Texas]].<ref name="OffenderSearch"/><ref name=":3">{{cite news |last1=Parker |first1=Kolten |title=Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs hospitalized in Texas |url=http://www.chron.com/news/local/article/Polygamist-sect-leader-Warren-Jeffs-hospitalized-5324339.php |access-date=May 15, 2019 |work=[[Houston Chronicle]] |date=March 17, 2014}}</ref>

Jeffs predicted in December 2012 that the world would end before 2013 and called for his followers to prepare for the end.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rosenlof |first1=Celeste Tholen |title=Warren Jeffs tells FLDS faithful world will end before 2013 |url=http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=23541460 |access-date=May 15, 2019 |work=[[KSL News]] |date=December 28, 2012 |language=en}}</ref>

In 2012, while incarcerated at the Powledge Unit, Jeffs released a book titled ''Jesus Christ Message to All Nations'' compiling various revelations that he stated he had received. Among these were directives to set Jeffs free and warnings to specific countries around the world.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jeffs |first1=Warren |title=Jesus Christ Message to All Nations |date=2012 |publisher=[[Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] |location=[[Colorado City, Ariz.]] |isbn=9781937271169 |url=https://archive.org/details/jesuschristmessa00warr |url-access=registration |access-date=15 May 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Bramham|first=Daphne|date=February 12, 2013|title=Polygamous Prophet spreads the word|newspaper=[[Vancouver Sun]]|url=https://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/polygamous-prophet-spreads-the-word|accessdate=September 21, 2023}}</ref> Copies of the book were mailed to Utah state legislators by the FLDS Church.<ref>{{cite news|last=Winslow|first=Ben|date=February 16, 2015|title=Utah lawmaker's bill could trash Warren Jeffs' mail-in revelations|website=[[KSTU]]|url=https://www.fox13now.com/2015/02/16/utah-lawmakers-bill-could-trash-warren-jeffs-mail-in-revelations|accessdate=September 21, 2023}}</ref> Federal prosecutors stated in 2016 that the publication had been financed by $250,000 in money defrauded from federal welfare programs and laundered through FLDS shops.<ref>{{cite news|last=McKirdy|first=Euan|date=July 13, 2016|title=Polygamist leader flees after slipping out ankle bracelet using oil, FBI says|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/13/us/flds-lyle-jeffs-escape/index.html|website=[[CNN]]|accessdate=September 21, 2023}}</ref>

The United Effort Plan (UEP) trust that formerly belonged to the FLDS was taken over by Utah in 2005 and controlled by the court for over a decade, before a judge handed it over to a community board mostly composed of former sect members. In 2017, both the trust and Jeffs were sued by a woman alleging she was sexually abused by Jeffs when she was a child. Jeffs allegedly suffered a mental breakdown in the summer of 2019, leaving him unfit to give a deposition in the sex abuse case against him. Attorneys representing the UEP community trust contended that forcing him to testify would be "futile." The plaintiff's attorney said there is a lack of evidence to support a claim of Jeff's incompetency, accusing the trust of being "understandably very fearful" about Jeffs's testimony since it is liable for his actions as the past president of the FLDS.<ref name=trust>[https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2019/08/12/lawyer-polygamist-flds-leader-warren-jeffs-has-mental-breakdown/1990815001/ Lawyer: Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs has mental breakdown], AZCentral, Bracy McCombs (AP), August 13, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2021.</ref>

Current FLDS members continue to consider Jeffs to be their leader and prophet who speaks to God and who has been wrongly convicted.<ref name=trust />

==Views==
{{See also|Interracial marriage and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints}}

Jeffs condemned same-sex marriage as being as evil as murder.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Jeffs has also condemned interracial marriage and described Black people as being used by the devil for evil, as detailed in 2005 by the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]]'s ''[[Intelligence Report]]''.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |title=The Prophet Speaks |url=http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?sid=342 |work=[[Intelligence Report]] |issue=117 |publisher=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]] |date=Spring 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203152005/http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?sid=342|url-status=dead |archive-date=February 3, 2010}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints |url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/fundamentalist-church-jesus-christ-latter-day-saints |website=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]] |access-date=May 15, 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

While in prison, Jeffs has made several end times predictions.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Smith 0|first=Sonia|date=January 21, 2013|title=Warren Jeffs Gives the World Another Apocalypse to Worry About this Weekend|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/warren-jeffs-gives-the-world-another-apocalypse-to-worry-about-this-weekend/|access-date=December 27, 2021|website=Texas Monthly|language=en}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
{{Trivia|date=August 2023}}
===In print===
* {{cite book|ref=none |last1=Krakauer |first1=Jon |author-link1=Jon Krakauer |title=Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith |date=2004 |publisher=[[Anchor Books]] |isbn=1-4000-3280-6 |edition=1st|title-link=Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith }}
* {{cite book|ref=none |last1=Wall |first1=Elissa |last2=Pulitzer |first2=Lisa |author2-link=Lisa Pulitzer |year=2008 |title=Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs |location=New York |publisher=[[William Morrow (publisher)|William Morrow]] |isbn=978-0-06-162801-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/stoleninnocencem00wall }} An autobiography about a girl inside the FLDS Church and her experiences in the community and her escape as well as her accounts in the Jeffs trial.
* {{cite book|ref=none|last=Singular|first=Stephen|date=July 7, 2009|title=When Men Become Gods: Mormon Polygamist Warren Jeffs, His Cult of Fear, and the Women Who Fought Back|location=New York|publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]]|isbn=978-0-312-37248-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/whenmenbecomegod0000sing}} A book about Jeffs and the FLDS Church, which chronicles the details of Jeffs's rise to power, the activities of church members in Colorado City and Hildale and their trials.
* {{cite book|ref=none |last1=Jeffs |first1=Brent W. |last2=Szalavitz |first2=Maia |author1-link= Brent W. Jeffs |author2-link=Maia Szalavitz |year=2009 |title=Lost Boy: The True Story of One Man's Exile from a Polygamist Cult and His Brave Journey to Reclaim His Life |location=New York |publisher=Broadway Books |isbn=978-0-7679-3177-9}} An autobiography concerning his youth and interactions with his uncle Warren.
* {{cite book|ref=none|last=Brower|first=Sam|year=2011|title=Prophet's Prey: My Seven-Year Investigation into Warren Jeffs and the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints|location=New York|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]]|isbn=978-1-60819-275-5}} Private Investigator Brower's account of his research about Jeffs and the FLDS Church and pursuit of justice for them.
* {{cite book|ref=none |last=Weyermann |first=Debra |year=2011 |title=Answer Them Nothing: Bringing Down the Polygamous Empire of Warren Jeffs |location=Chicago |publisher=[[Chicago Review Press]] |isbn=978-1-56976-531-9}} Documents the history of the FLDS Church, including Jeffs's role.
* Musser, Rebecca, with M. Bridget Cook (2013). ''The Witness Wore Red: The 19th Wife Who Brought Polygamous Cult Leaders to Justice.'' NY: Grand Central Publishing.  ISBN 1455527858.
* [[Rachel Jeffs|Jeffs, Rachel]] (2017). ''Breaking Free: How I Escaped Polygamy, the FLDS Cult, and My Father, Warren Jeffs''.  Harper. {{ISBN|978-0062670526}}.  Memoir of the daughter of Warren Jeffs, who escaped from the secretive polygamist Mormon fundamentalist cult run by her family.

===In other media===
* The 2006 documentary film ''[[Banking on Heaven]]'' documents Jeffs and the FLDS Church in [[Colorado City, Arizona]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Tufts |first=John |title=Seven documentaries and movies that tackled life in the FLDS church under Warren Jeffs |url=https://www.gosanangelo.com/story/news/2018/03/30/seven-movies-watch-flds-church-warren-jeffs-yfz-ranch-eldorado/458634002/ |access-date=2022-09-10 |website=Standard-Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
* On July 19, 2006, Britain's [[Channel 4]] ran the documentary ''[[The Man with 80 Wives]]''. The program featured presenter [[Sanjiv Bhattacharya]]'s unsuccessful search for Jeffs in Colorado, Utah, and Texas.<ref name=":2" />
* The 2010 documentary ''[[Sons of Perdition (film)|Sons of Perdition]]'' describes life inside FLDS including Jeffs's control over the church's members. The film focuses on the experiences of children who have left the FLDS church.<ref name=":2" /> The movie was directed by Tyler Measom and Jennilyn Merten.
* On April 9, 2012, the [[National Geographic Channel]] aired a 45-minute documentary, ''I Escaped a Cult'', about three ex-members of religious cults. One story featured [[Brent W. Jeffs]], nephew of Jeffs, whose testimony was critical in getting Jeffs convicted.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kiger |first1=Patrick J. |title="I Escaped a Cult" – Inside the World of Militant Polygamists  |url=http://tvblogs.nationalgeographic.com/2012/04/10/i-escaped-a-cult-inside-the-world-of-militant-polygamists/ |website=[[National Geographic Society]] TV Blogs |access-date=May 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413222359/http://tvblogs.nationalgeographic.com/2012/04/10/i-escaped-a-cult-inside-the-world-of-militant-polygamists/ |archive-date=April 13, 2012 |date=April 13, 2012}}</ref>
* On June 28, 2014, [[Lifetime (TV network)|Lifetime]] aired a movie called ''Outlaw Prophet: Warren Jeffs'' starring [[Tony Goldwyn]]. It is an adaptation of the non-fiction book ''When Men Become Gods'' (2009) by Stephen Singular.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ostrow |first1=Joanne |title=''Outlaw Prophet: Warren Jeffs'' on Lifetime |url=http://blogs.denverpost.com/ostrow/2014/05/27/outlaw-prophet-warren-jeffs-lifetime-june/18826/ |access-date=May 16, 2019 |work=[[The Denver Post]] |date=May 27, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hawks |first1=Asa |title=First photos from Lifetime movie ''Outlaw Prophet: Warren Jeffs'' |url=https://starcasm.net/first-photos-from-lifetime-movie-outlaw-prophet-warren-jeffs/ |access-date=May 16, 2019 |work=[[starcasm]].net |date=June 2, 2014}}</ref>
* The 2015 documentary film ''[[Prophet's Prey]]'', directed by [[Amy J. Berg]], is an adaptation of Sam Brower's book of the same name.[[#In print|^]]
* The 2015 documentary ''[[Escaping Polygamy]]'' documents the organization Women For Dignity in the second, third, fourth, and fifth season as they help girls and later two of the Lost Boys escape from the FLDS.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cancel |first=Renew |date=2019-03-06 |title=Lifetime Releases Season 5 of 'Escaping Polygamy' Details |url=https://www.renewcanceltv.com/lifetime-releases-new-episodes-of-escaping-polygamy-by-premiere-date-trailer/ |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=RenewCancelTV |language=en-us}}</ref>    
* On January 22, 2017, [[Investigation Discovery]] aired Jeffs's story in season 2, episode 3 of the original series ''[[Evil Lives Here]]'' in an episode entitled "My Brother, The Devil." It was told from the point of view of Jeffs's brother Wallace and nephew Brent.<ref>{{cite web |title=My Brother, The Devil (''Evil Lives Here'') |url=https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/tv-shows/evil-lives-here/full-episodes/my-brother-the-devil |website=[[Investigation Discovery]] |access-date=May 16, 2019 |language=en-us}}</ref>
* On February 19, 2018, [[A&E (TV channel)|A&E]] aired a documentary called ''[[Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil'' |url=https://www.aetv.com/specials/warren-jeffs-prophet-of-evil |website=[[A&E (TV channel)|A&E]] |access-date=May 16, 2019 |language=en}}</ref>
* On April 26, 2022, [[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]] aired a documentary series called ''[[Preaching Evil: A Wife on the Run with Warren Jeffs|Preaching Evil: A Wife on the Run With Warren Jeffs]]'' which documented Jeffs rise to power, told from the perspective of Jeffs's favored wife and scribe, Naomie.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Priola |first1=Victoria|title=Ex-wife of cult leader Warren Jeffs speaks out in Peacock documentary 'Preaching Evil': How to watch |url=https://www.pennlive.com/life/2022/04/ex-wife-of-warren-jeffs-speaks-out-in-peacock-documentary-how-to-watch-preaching-evil.html |access-date=July 24, 2022|work= [[The Patriot-News]]|date=April 26, 2022}}</ref>
* On June 8, 2022, [[Netflix]] aired a documentary series called ''[[Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey]]'' documenting the story of Jeffs and the FLDS church.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=May 26, 2022 |title=New Netflix Docuseries Digs Into Warren Jeffs' Infamous Polygamist Cult |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/new-netflix-docuseries-warren-jeffs-polygamist-cult-keep-sweet-trailer-1358819/ |access-date=May 30, 2022 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>
* On January 30, 2023, [[discovery+]] streamed a three-episode documentary series called ''[[Prisoner of the Prophet]]''.
* On January 8, 2024, A&E began airing a series called ''[[Secrets of Polygamy]]'', with the first two episodes focusing on Jeffs and the FLDS.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Secrets of Polygamy |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/secrets-of-polygamy/1001195407/ |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=TVGuide.com |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal bar|Utah|Arizona|Texas|Biography}}
* [[List of polygamy court cases]]
* {{anl|Mormon abuse cases}}
* {{anl|Placement marriage}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name="FBI-added-Jeffs">{{cite web |title=Have You Seen This Man? FBI Announces New Top Tenner |date=May 6, 2006 |publisher=FBI |url=https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2006/may/jeffs050606 |access-date=December 13, 2015}}</ref>

<ref name="Cooper-2006">{{cite web |editor-last=Cooper |editor-first=Anderson|editor-link=Anderson Cooper |date=May 2006 |url=http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/archives/2006_05_07_ac360_archive.html |title=Anderson Cooper Blog 360° |publisher=[[CNN]] |access-date=May 9, 2019}}
<br />• Ibid., {{cite web |last=Tuchman |first=Gary |author-link= Gary Tuchman |date=May 10, 2006 |url=http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2006/05/polygamists-claim-its-all-about-love.html |title=Polygamists claim it's all about love|website=[[CNN]] }}
<br />• Ibid., {{cite web|last=Sanchez |first=Rick |author-link=Rick Sanchez (journalist)|date=May 10, 2006 |url=http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2006/05/fort-knox-has-nothing-on-polygamist.html |title=Fort Knox has nothing on polygamist compound|website=[[CNN]] }}
<br />• Ibid., {{cite web|last=Cooper |first=Anderson |date=May 10, 2006 |url=http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2006/05/polygamous-group-exists-in-different.html |title=Polygamous group exists in a different world|website=[[CNN]] }}
<br />• Ibid., {{cite web|last=Schuster |first=Henry |date=May 11, 2006 |url=http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2006/05/other-fundamentalist-polygamist.html |title=The other fundamentalist polygamist|website=[[CNN]] }}
<br />• Ibid., {{cite web|last=Kaye |first=Randi |author-link= Randi Kaye |date=May 11, 2006|url=http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2006/05/how-polygamy-affects-your-wallet.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060624050325/https://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2006/05/how-polygamy-affects-your-wallet.html|archive-date=2006-06-24|title=How polygamy affects your wallet|website=[[CNN]] }}
</ref>
<ref name="Adams-2007">{{cite web |last=Adams |first=Brooke |date=November 2007 |url=http://blogs.sltrib.com/plurallife/labels/William%20E.%20Jessop.htm |title=Polygamy Files: The Tribune's blog on the plural life |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |access-date=September 5, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001045309/http://blogs.sltrib.com/plurallife/labels/William%20E.%20Jessop.htm |archive-date=October 1, 2011 }}
<br />* Ibid., {{cite news|last=Adams |first=Brooke |date=November 28, 2007 |title=To be or not to be a prophet |newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune }}
<br />* Ibid., {{cite news|last=Adams |first=Brooke |date=November 30, 2007 |title=What Warren said to William |newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune }}
</ref>
}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite news |last =Stack |first= Peggy Fletcher |author-link= Peggy Fletcher Stack |date= August 23, 2011 |title=Comparing Mormon founder, FLDS leader on polygamy |newspaper= [[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |url= http://www.sltrib.com/52371806-78/smith-says-women-wives |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141126173027/http://www.sltrib.com/52371806-78/smith-says-women-wives |archive-date= November 26, 2014 |url-status= live }}
* Carolyn Jessop  with Laura Palmer (2007), ''Escape'', Penguin Books

{{s-start}}
{{s-rel|[[Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]] titles}}
{{succession box
 | title = Prophet
 | years = 2002–present
 | before =[[Rulon Jeffs|Rulon T. Jeffs]]
 | after = incumbent<br>
:{{nobold|With disputed interruptions by:}}
* [[Lyle Jeffs]] {{nobold|(designated acting president)}}
* {{nowrap|[[William E. Jessop]] {{nobold|(momentary successor)&nbsp;}}}}
* [[Merril Jessop]] {{nobold|(once de facto head)}}
* [[Wendell Loy Nielsen|Wendell L. Nielsen]] {{nobold|(one time President)}}
}}
{{s-rel|[[Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints|Corporation of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints]] titles}}
{{succession box
 | title = President
 | years = 2002&nbsp;– December 4, 2007
 | before = [[Rulon Jeffs|Rulon T. Jeffs]]
 | after = [[Wendell Loy Nielsen|Wendell L. Nielsen]]<!-- See<ref name ="CNN"/> -->
|}}
{{succession box
 | title = President
 | years = January 28, 2011&nbsp;– present
 | before = [[Wendell Loy Nielsen|Wendell L. Nielsen]]<!-- See<ref name ="CNN"/> -->
 | after = incumbent
|}}
{{s-end}}
{{MFleaders}}
{{FLDS Church}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffs, Warren}}
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century apocalypticists]]
[[Category:21st-century American criminals]]
[[Category:21st-century apocalypticists]]
[[Category:American Latter Day Saint leaders]]
[[Category:American members of the clergy convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:American people convicted of child sexual abuse]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment]]
[[Category:American people convicted of rape]]
[[Category:American white supremacists]]
[[Category:Criminals from California]]
[[Category:Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints members]]
[[Category:Mormon fundamentalist leaders]]
[[Category:Mormonism-related controversies]]
[[Category:People extradited within the United States]]
[[Category:Clergy from Sacramento, California]]
[[Category:People from Washington County, Utah]]
[[Category:People from Mohave County, Arizona]]
[[Category:Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Texas]]
[[Category:Prophets in Mormonism]]
[[Category:Religious figures convicted of child sexual abuse]]
[[Category:Rape of males]]
[[Category:Jeffs family|Warren]]