Beli
31st August 2006, 11:06 PM
Warren Jeffs Captured
Jeffs Goes Down In Vegas
Police have caught up with polygamist extremist cult leader and FBI Top Ten fugitive Warren Jeffs in Las Vegas, Nev. after a long and difficult investigation.
Cops say they arrested Jeffs on August 29, 2006 after a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper pulled the fugitive's vehicle over just north of Las Vegas. Cops say the accused child rapist's wife, Naomi Jeffs, and brother, Isaac Steve Jeffs, were also in the car -- but they were not arrested.
Jeffs had been travelling in an SUV with temporary license tags. After Jeffs reportedly admitted his identity, authorities confirm to AMW that a search of the vehicle uncovered more than a dozen cell phones, wigs, and tens of thousands of dollars in cash- all the tools he would have needed to stay on the run for months to come.
Authorities in Las Vegas now have Jeffs in custody -- where he may face extradition to Arizona or Utah.
The Jeffs Story
In Colorado City, Ariz.the Arizona Attorney General's Office and the FBI have investigated reports of child abuse, domestic violence, incest and polygamy that stem from a powerful congregation called the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). The extremist cult is led by polygamist and self-proclaimed prophet, Warren Jeffs.
Documentary film-maker Laurie Allen was raised in a polygamous family and knows all too well, the dangers of a narcissistic ruler. Laurie's uncle was the so-called "Mormon Manson," Ervil Le Baron - another brutal self-prolaimed prophet who murdered 28 people, including members of his own family and rival Mormon leaders. Many fear Warren Jeffs is capable of an even greater blood-bath.
According to the FBI, Jeffs started similar communities in Utah, Texas, and Mexico. Mojave County Attorney General's Office investigators say that Jeffs' teachings and sermons were designed to keep his flock loyal, unquestioning, and living in fear of reprisals. For years, law enforcement officials were unable to move against Jeffs since his followers refused to testify against him.
Authorities say Jeffs' power stemmed from his implementation of the "one-man rule." This was a break from traditional Mormon doctrine where a committee of appointed priests and bishops call the shots; Jeffs' "one-man rule" made him the absolute authority in the community.
Investigators note that Warren Jeffs' single most powerful act was overseeing and performing the marriages of his followers, and thereby shaping the structure of each family in the community.
The Arizona Attorney General's Office found that many of these marriages are "plural marriages" often involving underage girls who become one of many wives to older male members of the FLDS community. Investigators say that Jeffs' followers consider him a prophet and are determined to do anything for him. Investigators even found that some children in Jeffs' congregation think he's the President of the United States.
The FBI adds that this devout allegiance raises possible comparisons to events like those in Jonestown or Waco, making Warren Jeffs a very dangerous man.
Arizona Attorney General Terry Godard's investigation initially discovered many instances of child abuse, polygamy, and corruption in the FLDS-controlled local government. In June 2005, a Mojave County grand jury indicted Jeffs on charges involving the marriage of a 16-year-old girl to a married man. Currently, there are 10 to 15 similar cases pending.
AMW=America's Most Wanted-Big thanks to John Walsh!!!
Jeffs Goes Down In Vegas
Police have caught up with polygamist extremist cult leader and FBI Top Ten fugitive Warren Jeffs in Las Vegas, Nev. after a long and difficult investigation.
Cops say they arrested Jeffs on August 29, 2006 after a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper pulled the fugitive's vehicle over just north of Las Vegas. Cops say the accused child rapist's wife, Naomi Jeffs, and brother, Isaac Steve Jeffs, were also in the car -- but they were not arrested.
Jeffs had been travelling in an SUV with temporary license tags. After Jeffs reportedly admitted his identity, authorities confirm to AMW that a search of the vehicle uncovered more than a dozen cell phones, wigs, and tens of thousands of dollars in cash- all the tools he would have needed to stay on the run for months to come.
Authorities in Las Vegas now have Jeffs in custody -- where he may face extradition to Arizona or Utah.
The Jeffs Story
In Colorado City, Ariz.the Arizona Attorney General's Office and the FBI have investigated reports of child abuse, domestic violence, incest and polygamy that stem from a powerful congregation called the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). The extremist cult is led by polygamist and self-proclaimed prophet, Warren Jeffs.
Documentary film-maker Laurie Allen was raised in a polygamous family and knows all too well, the dangers of a narcissistic ruler. Laurie's uncle was the so-called "Mormon Manson," Ervil Le Baron - another brutal self-prolaimed prophet who murdered 28 people, including members of his own family and rival Mormon leaders. Many fear Warren Jeffs is capable of an even greater blood-bath.
According to the FBI, Jeffs started similar communities in Utah, Texas, and Mexico. Mojave County Attorney General's Office investigators say that Jeffs' teachings and sermons were designed to keep his flock loyal, unquestioning, and living in fear of reprisals. For years, law enforcement officials were unable to move against Jeffs since his followers refused to testify against him.
Authorities say Jeffs' power stemmed from his implementation of the "one-man rule." This was a break from traditional Mormon doctrine where a committee of appointed priests and bishops call the shots; Jeffs' "one-man rule" made him the absolute authority in the community.
Investigators note that Warren Jeffs' single most powerful act was overseeing and performing the marriages of his followers, and thereby shaping the structure of each family in the community.
The Arizona Attorney General's Office found that many of these marriages are "plural marriages" often involving underage girls who become one of many wives to older male members of the FLDS community. Investigators say that Jeffs' followers consider him a prophet and are determined to do anything for him. Investigators even found that some children in Jeffs' congregation think he's the President of the United States.
The FBI adds that this devout allegiance raises possible comparisons to events like those in Jonestown or Waco, making Warren Jeffs a very dangerous man.
Arizona Attorney General Terry Godard's investigation initially discovered many instances of child abuse, polygamy, and corruption in the FLDS-controlled local government. In June 2005, a Mojave County grand jury indicted Jeffs on charges involving the marriage of a 16-year-old girl to a married man. Currently, there are 10 to 15 similar cases pending.
AMW=America's Most Wanted-Big thanks to John Walsh!!!