FLDS trust in judge's hands
 
By Ben Winslow
Deseret Morning News
 
The future of the homes and businesses belonging to the people in the polygamous border towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., are now in a judge's hands.

Judge Denise Lindberg has scheduled an Aug. 15 hearing in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court to announce her decision on how best to reform the Fundamentalist LDS Church's United Effort Plan (UEP) Trust.

"I think it's an important part of the history of the UEP for sure," said Bruce Wisan, the court-appointed special fiduciary of the UEP Trust.

In 2005, a judge took control of the UEP Trust amid allegations that fugitive FLDS Church leader Warren Jeffs and others were siphoning from the FLDS members. The UEP has an estimated $110 million in assets and controls homes, businesses and land in the Utah-Arizona border towns. The judge booted out Jeffs and the other UEP trustees and placed Wisan in charge with an advisory board.

Since then, Wisan has been pushing people in the polygamous border towns to pay their property taxes. Despite an edict from Jeffs telling his followers to "answer them nothing," the taxes are slowly being paid.

Now, Wisan is suggesting a radical departure from the FLDS Church's utopian ideal of a "united order." Joseph Smith, the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, first received revelation of a united order in 1831. Under the plan, all property and works are deeded to the church. Members, in turn, received a "stewardship." Brigham Young created cooperatives of goods and services in early Mormon communities.

The FLDS Church is a breakaway religion. Its leader, Warren Jeffs, is on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list with a $100,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

"What I'm suggesting to the court is that we lean towards privatization of the property down there," Wisan told the Deseret Morning News on Thursday. "Frankly, for the people that runs contrary to their history and their belief system."

In court last month, Wisan suggested the judge create a "spend thrift trust." It would place the UEP's assets in control of a trustee until the recipients are judged able to control the money themselves.

It would also keep money from going back to Jeffs.

"It's broken, and I don't think it'll ever be the same," Wisan said of the UEP.

E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com
 
deseretnews.com
Originally published Friday, July 14, 2006
 
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