| Brother pleads guilty to harboring polygamist leader | |||
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By Howard Pankratz Denver Post Staff Writer | |||
The brother of fugitive Mormon polygamist Warren Jeffs pleaded guilty today in Denver to hiding the rebel religious leader. Seth Steed Jeffs, 33, who was arrested in Pueblo last October, will be sentenced on July 14 for harboring a fugitive. Although he could face up to five years in prison, federal advisory sentencing guidelines suggest a sentence from no time to seven months. According to the plea agreement filed in federal court, Seth Jeffs admitted to FBI agents that he was delivering more than $142,000 to the Eldorado, Texas, facility of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS) so his brother could "do what he wants to do." Jeffs, the younger brother of Warren, was stopped by the Pueblo County deputies following reports of a car being driven erratically on Interstate 25. Inside Seth Jeffs' car, investigators found the $142,000, and numerous documents addressed to "The Prophet," or "Warren Jeffs." Also found was a donation jar and a label which read: "Pennies for the prophet." In the jar was money and several envelopes containing pre-paid credit cards and pre-paid cellular phone cards. Seven cellular phones were also found. During a second search of the vehicle, authorities recovered several hundred letters addressed to Warren Jeffs. Warren Jeffs is the leader and "prophet" of the polygamous FLDS. The group separated from mainstream Mormonism in 1890 when Utah denounced polygamy. FLDS is estimated to have approximately 10,000 followers and has communities in Hilldale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz. Last June, an Arizona grand jury returned an indictment against Warren Jeffs charging him with two counts of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of conspiracy. Since the indictment, Warren Jeffs has eluded capture. During the FBI interview, Seth Jeffs said he was delivering the material in the car from church headquarters in Hilldale to the Texas facility. Seth Jeffs said he had no idea where his brother was and that neither he nor any members of the church would help officers finds his brother. "It would be stupid to tell anyone where he is because he would get caught," Seth Jeffs told the FBI, according to court documents. FBI agent Andrew Stearns said in an affidavit that fugitives often use disposable or pre-paid cellular phones to avoid capture and use pre-paid credit cards and non-traceable money to avoid being traced. Staff writer Howard Pankratz can be reached at 303-820-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com. | |||
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DenverPost.com Originally published May 1, 2006 | |||
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