Polygamist with ties to Nevada on FBI's most wanted list

KVBC News 3 - Las Vegas

He's a self-proclaimed prophet with ties to Las Vegas and now he's considered as dangerous as terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. The FBI just added polygamist cult leader Warren Jeffs to its most wanted list. Jeffs is the leader of the Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints Church - a cult that has a compound just north of us in Lincoln County. Monday there was an internet rumor going around that Jeffs wasn't far from Las Vegas. It was rumored that authorities missed an opportunity to catch him in Mesquite. The FBI is denying those rumors, but is saying that Warren Jeffs is on the move and they need your help catching him. The FBI is hoping the $100,000 reward will have people on alert. Wanted on criminal charges of sexual conduct with a minor, Jeffs is also accused of arranging marriages between underage girls and older men. The FBI says he played criminal match-maker here in Nevada and also in the tiny town of Colorado City, Arizona where his devout followers consider him a prophet. "There will always be people like that in the world, so getting upset about it doesn't fix it," said LDS Church member Brandon Kephart. The Kephart family is hoping that with Warren Jeffs making headlines, people will take the time to seperate fact from fiction when it comes to their religion. "Hopefully learning the truth and hopefully learning that polygamy and things are not what we believe in," said Natalie Kephart. The truth is, the Mormon church discontinued polygamy in the 19th century. Warren Jeffs is not a member of the LDS church. He is considered a cult leader and a criminal. Jeffs is not considered armed himself, but is believed to be in the company of armed body guards. If you come into contact with him or know where he is, contact your local FBI office or call the police.

KVBC.com Originally broadcast May 9, 2006

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