Polygamist prophet Warren Jeffs, the fugitive leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has attained the criminal equivalent of rock star status: On May 6, the FBI formally added Jeffs to its numero uno list of Top 10 Most Wanted criminals – that’s right, Jeffs’ oblong mug has made it to primetime, alongside the likes of terrorist Osama Bin Laden and Boston Mafioso murderer James “Whitey” Bulger. Last summer Jeffs was added to a lesser Top 10 list, but as the list of criminal charges against him grows – including the newest, charging the FLDS leader as an accomplice to rape – the FBI has turned the heat up a notch; the reward for Jeffs’ capture has also increased, up to $100,000 for information leading to his arrest and successful prosecution. Also Saturday, coinciding with the announcement of Jeffs’ Top 10 status, the polygamist prophet was featured on a segment of America’s Most Wanted; tips have started trickling in, reports the Salt Lake Tribune, including a handful of sources saying Jeffs may be hiding in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, on the Yucatán Peninsula. Experts say that is unlikely, however, because the handful of polygamist families living in the Yucatán town of Pedro Santos have no love for the prophet and would be more than happy to turn him in to authorities.
Meanwhile, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff confirmed that his office is conducting a broad racketeering investigation into the FLDS, reports the Deseret Morning News. “I believe Warren Jeffs ran the FLDS Church … as an organized crime-type setup,” Shurtleff told the daily. “We just have to get the evidence to prove it.”
This article appears in May 12 • 2006.