The noose tightens
 Lawsuits bring polygamist leader closer to justice
 
Opinions
The Arizona Republic
 
Incrementally - and without any great demonstration of courage on the part of law enforcement - the noose is closing around the neck of Arizona's most notorious polygamist.

Of course, Warren Jeffs is likely hidden away in his cult's new digs in Texas. And the slight tug on the rope came from a court motion that's part of a lawsuit against Jeffs, not from a bold law enforcement effort.

Nevertheless, it is progress against the cult that likes to go by the respectable sounding name of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is not associated with mainstream Mormons, who reject polygamy.

With colonies in Colorado City, Ariz., Hildale, Utah, Bountiful, British Columbia and a 1,691-acre compound in western Texas, Jeffs' cult is under investigation for welfare fraud, financial irregularities and child and sexual abuse.

Two lawsuits against Jeffs give an indication of what life is like under his rule. One was filed by his nephew, who accuses Jeffs of sexually abusing him as a child and dubbing it "God's work."

The other involves a group of young men who allege they were banished from the community because their youth gave them a competitive edge over the old men who claim young girls for their harems.

The girls, some as young as 13, are reportedly forced into plural marriages in a cult where women are viewed as property.

Warren Jeffs reassigned wives and children to new families as discipline. He also banished men and threw families out of their homes.

That's where the latest glimmer of good news about this cult can be found.

A motion on behalf of plaintiffs seeks to replace Jeffs as head of the United Effort Plan, a trust that gives him control of nearly all land, property and financial assets of the cult. It argues that something of value must be preserved as cases seeking monetary damages work through the Utah courts.

Arizona's Attorney General Terry Goddard and Utah's Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, who are conducting criminal investigations into Jeffs and the cult, support the effort.

They have been trying to win the cooperation of cult members to testify against the false prophet.

There is speculation that Jeffs is building a massive complex in Texas to house his favorite followers when he permanently abandons the rest to the welfare agencies of Arizona and Utah. That's one more reason the courts should get some control over the assets he ostensibly holds in trust for the cult members.

Meanwhile, newspapers in British Columbia lament the unwillingness of law enforcement to move against the cult's suspected trafficking in young girls and folks in Texas are wondering whether Jeffs' compound will become the next Branch Davidian disaster.

The whole nasty business makes it clear how vulnerable the indoctrinated members of this cult are and how important it is to crack the cult.

It's way past time to enforce laws that have been ignored for decades on the Arizona-Utah line.
 
azcentral.com
Originally published February 25, 2005
 
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