Investigators say they noticed something strange when they began tracking food stamp transactions coming out of two small convenience stores in a polygamous community on the Arizona-Utah border.
The volume of food stamp purchases was so large that it rivaled big-box stores like Wal-Mart and Costco.
They said they later learned that residents were scanning their food stamp debit cards at the stores but getting no items in return, letting leaders of the polygamous sect divert the money to front companies. The proceeds paid for a John Deere loader, a Ford truck and $17,000 in paper products, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
The alleged scheme is at the heart of what marked a major takedown of top leaders of the secretive sect in which followers adhere to the belief that having multiple wives brings exaltation in heaven.
Eleven people were charged with food stamp fraud and money laundering, including Lyle Jeffs and Seth Jeffs, top-ranking leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and brothers of imprisoned sect leader Warren Jeffs.
Lyle Jeffs runs the day-to-day operations in the polygamous community of Hildale, Utah, while Seth Jeffs leads a branch of the group in South Dakota. Their brother Warren Jeffs is serving a life sentence in Texas for sexually assaulting girls he considered brides at a secretive church compound in that state.
Prosecutors accuse church leaders of orchestrating a yearslong fraud scheme that included meetings where they told members how to use the use food-stamp benefits illegally for the benefit of the faith and avoid getting caught, charging documents show.
One common tactic was buying groceries with the food stamps and giving the supplies to the church’s communal storehouse for leaders to choose how to divvy up.
The practice has been called “bleeding the beast,” taking money from a government they disdain and using as they see fit, said Amos Guiora, a University of Utah law professor who has studied the church.
The arrests — which were made Tuesday in Salt Lake City; Custer County, South Dakota; and the sister cities of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona — are the government’s latest move targeting the sect based on the Utah-Arizona border, coinciding with legal battles in two states over child labor and discrimination against nonbelievers.
The arrests come amid a civil rights trial in Phoenix against the twin polygamous towns of Hildale and Colorado City, Arizona, in which prosecutors say the communities discriminated against people who were not members of the church by denying them housing, water services and police protection.
Federal labor lawyers also are going after the group on allegations that leaders ordered parents to put their kids to work for long hours for little pay on a southern Utah pecan farm.
The communities deny those allegations.
Prosecutors said the actions in this new case weren’t coordinated. But Sam Brower, a private investigator who has spent years investigating the group, said one common theme in all the cases is that authorities are finding more willing witnesses with inside knowledge because large numbers of people who have been kicked out or left.
Lyle Jeffs and Seth Jeffs and the others are expected to make their initial court appearances in Wednesday in three different federal states.
Federal prosecutors are asking the judge to keep them behind bars, arguing in court documents that they are flight risks. They contend if allowed out on bail, they polygamists are likely to flee and seek hiding in the group’s elaborate network of houses throughout North and South America, using aliases, disguises, false identification documents and pre-paid cellphones to help people avoid being caught.
The sect does not have a spokesman or a phone listing where leaders can be contacted. The Associated Press could not verify if the defendants had attorneys yet.
Blake Hamilton, an attorney representing Hildale, said none of those indicted was serving in a government position and that it had nothing to do with the city government.
U.S. Attorney John Huber said repeatedly Tuesday that the indictment was not about religion, but fraud.
Guiora said the bust goes well beyond fraud — putting in doubt who will lead the group and how members will respond to a decisive message from government officials they have historically despised.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
When I was a food stamp worker for them in the late 80’s I was told by numerous women that they literally went in their mail and removed 10% of their stamps as a “tithe”.
How is Mormon polygamy different than Muslim polygamy? Same religious belief in multiple wives and numerous children collecting government benefits. Oh, the Muslims are Obama’s “people”. I almost forgot (sarcasm).
Remember this is the “Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints” NOT THE “Mormon church – the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Silly you!
Holy cow that is just ridiculous. Personally, I hope they all get caught.
Sounds like these people have no conscience!!
You don’t need a conscience when your multiple wives brings exaltation in heaven ?
and then we had Romney who many wanted for president. scheesch I am sure glad we woke up to get him out of the running before it was too late.
Debi, In Romney you knew where he was born and schooled, and all of his history. Including his one wife! But you now have the illegal alien calling himself (this time) Obama! And he has made a laughing stock of America! And has almost finished destroying OUR country. And like Killery, he has NEVER told the truth about anything! Now he is bringing in millions of Young, male, militant trained muslim radicals! All have been put on the taxpayers back. Forever! And slowly are being exempted from our laws and given immunity for crimes against Americans. Their whole life is dedicated to murder, which they do in EVERY country they have INVADED. So to make it easier for them to commit genocide on US, The usurper wants us disarmed, so we can be defenceless like the innocents they are murdering in other countries. To be practical we need to consider everyone supporting obama and his murderers as our enemies!
Debi,do you actually think the POS we got instead of Romney was an improvement??!!
Remember this is the “Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints” NOT THE “Mormon church – the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
What kind of person is it that permits Muslim ideology yet rejects this way of thinking. Don’t misunderstand me. I think this as well the Muslims way of thinking about women and children is wrong. BUT, our govt. officials see this as wrong, but Muslims as right. Hmmmmmm.
Eleanor, how can you make such a blatant error(sarc)?
all of these people muslims the jeffs rapist and theives all need to be stopped we should upheave all of them and send them back to islam even thje poligamists they all should get along great they all rape women and take as they wish to the people they call family, sickening!!! i am just disgusted that we are allowing any of this to go along with any of this i cant quite put my mind around these things and nothing ever stops them i dont get it we are really needing to stop all this crap we need the trump he atleast tells it like it is even if we dont want to hear the truth atleast he says it like he sees it instead of obamination saying lies like the muslims are a religion of peace lol i think if he says it enough maybe we will believe him well sorry i cant stand a liar and nor a thief and that is what we get with obama and ms clinton lol i dont even think she is believing her own lies anymore if any of us would of done our email like she did we would be treated like edward snowden and be in prison serving 35 years atleast and she gets to run for the first female president not even mentioning her and obama saying that we were not hit again by terrorrist at the last disaster before the last election any hoot i am tired of the lies i would rather here the horrible truth better to face it all head on with someone who is will ing to do what it takes to make things great again here in america
First, i’m glad that these liars, cheats, and connivers got caught and will soon be punished for their frauds.
What they practice is “indeed a form of religion, but they deny the power thereof,” for otherwise, they would not apply to Caesar for his benefits in the first place, but would work in faith believing that they would receive according to their needs.
My guess is that the majority were never taught about that part of the Bible which teaches of the dangers of alliance with those “of the world,” specifically about Psalm 69:22 and Romans 11:9 (both of which concern “Let their table become a snare and a trap for them”) ; a Proverb can also be instructive alone this line. IIRC, it goes something like this: “When you sit down to eat with a ruler, put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite, for his dainties are deceptive food” and etc. – both of which together teach that reliance – or worse, dependence – on those “of the world” brings in corruption and all manner of evils(as they are now learning, first-hand, up-close and personal-like).
The whole teaching concerning “bleeding the Beast” is just abhorrent, a radical departure from the love and self-sacrifice those who claim Christ are to practice, not deliberately engaging in deceit, fraud and trickery, all attributes of he whom they profess to deny, reject, and abhor, the evil one “who was a liar and murderer from the Beginning.”
Or as a good friend once told me, “You cain’t do Right by doin’ Wrong.”