Another Waco?

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Warren Jeffs' sister, Elaine Jeffs, speaks out about the FLDS in the documentary "Banking On Heaven."

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.

After escaping and surviving the brutalities of her childhood, Laurie was able to use what she knew of the cult lifestyle to infiltrate Colorado City, to make a documentary called "Banking On Heaven" which exposes Warren Jeffs and includes the heroic stories of women brave enough to escape the FLDS lifestyle. And in a rare exclusive, Laurie also scored an interview with Warren Jeffs' sister, Elaine Jeffs.

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. 

Abuse, Polygamy And Corruption

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Police say Warren Jeffs' father Rulon Jeffs (pictured on the right) groomed his son to take over the FLDS.

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. 

Lots Of Money And Hiding Places

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Authorities say Warren Jeffs brainwashed his followers into believing that he's a prophet.

Jeffs has been formally charged with Sexual Conduct with a Minor and Conspiracy to Conduct Sexual Conduct with a Minor. The FBI maintains that Jeffs has not been back to Colorado City in almost two years and may be hiding out at other polygamist communities in British Columbia, Texas, or Mexico.  

According to the FBI, Warren Jeffs is a difficult man to catch because not only will his loyal followers keep him protected and his location a secret, but Jeffs also had control of a $200 million dollar trust, built from profits and tithes from the communities he controls. One of his accusers even says Jeffs required families to give as much as $1,000 a month to FLDS. 

Jeffs' management of the trust, known as the United Effort Plan trust, or the U.E.P., is now under investigation. Although a fiduciary currently oversees the trust, cops in Utah say the trust was previously used to punish or reward his loyal followers. Police are reportedly looking into the church fund for offshore accounts, and fraud.

Police say Jeffs initially hid out with his brother Seth Steed Jeffs. The younger Jeffs brother was indicted in November 2005 for concealing a fugitive. He faces no more than six months in prison and will be sentenced later this summer.

While the state of Utah has frozen Jeffs' assets, the FBI believes that Jeffs had been funneling money out of the trust and using that money to keep one step ahead of the law. 

Jeffs Declared Guilty, More Legal Battles Ahead

Authorities say that the legal road ahead for polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs is going to be a long one.  The leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) was found guilty on September 25, 2007 on charges of rape as an accomplice for his role in the ceremonial marriage of a teenage girl to an older cousin.  The jury found Jeffs guilty on both counts and sentencing is expected to happen in the next 45 days.  There is a possible sentence of five years to life in prison for each count of rape as an accomplice.

Furthermore, Jeffs faces charges in Mohave County, Arizona for his alleged role in arranging additional underage marriages for some of his followers.  Jeffs is expected to be extradited there following the Utah case.  The federal charge carries a maximum punishment of five years in federal prison.

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.