| I-Team: Warren Jeffs' Las Vegas Ties | |||||||
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George Knapp, I-Team Reporter KLAS TV Channel 8 - Las Vegas | |||||||
What might have brought Warren Jeffs to Southern Nevada? Authorities are still trying to answer that question, but the polygamous sect he heads has established several beachheads here. It seems like every major story has a Las Vegas angle and this one is no exception. But there are solid reasons why the capture of Warren Jeffs here in Southern Nevada should come as no surprise. Our backyard has become a lucrative safety valve for Jeffs and his polygamist faithful. Las Vegas resident Jason Randall said, "There are approximately fourteen children, one head of the household, and three to four wives." Jason Randall and his northwest Las Vegas neighbors knew something was odd this past spring when a new family moved into a million dollar compound on Gilbert Lane. Not only because the passel of kids wore what he describes as "Little House on The Prairie" outfits, but also because the new owner installed three new housing structures in the backyard, almost overnight. Complaints were filed with the county, which issued a cease and desist order to the owner, a man whose name certainly rang a bell. The name Jessop is almost synonymous with polygamy. Patriarch Joseph Smith Jessop led the split with the Mormon Church decades ago. In the polygamist strongholds of Colorado City and Hilldale, nearly everyone is related to the Jessops, who are considered among the most devout followers of their now incarcerated leader Warren Jeffs. The I-Team found property records showing the owner of the Gilbert Lane home is one Jacob Jessop, who politely declined to answer many questions. Jacob Jessop said, "Is this a polygamist family? I'm not going to answer that." But according to Flora Jessop, a former polygamist wife who escaped what she described as a life of captivity, Jacob Jessop -- her cousin -- is a diehard polygamist. "Jacob Jessop is one of Warren Jeffs loyalists, and one of his money men, if you will," Flora Jessop said. Law enforcement authorities believe that funds from polygamist business enterprises have been used to support Warren Jeffs and to help him remain a fugitive. In recent years, several polygamist outposts have popped up in Southern Nevada, drawn by explosive growth. Records show Jacob Jessop's construction firm, JNJ, is licensed in Nevada but based in Colorado City. Since 2004, it has earned more than $7 million on nine projects commissioned by the Las Vegas Valley Water District, including ongoing work at the massive Springs Preserve operation. JNJ has also won contracts with the city of Las Vegas and Clark County. Jacob Jessop commented, "We have a lot of work to do here." Flora Jessop alleges that one reason polygamist companies win competitive bids is the use of unpaid child labor. Residents of booming Mesquite say they often see boys as young as ten working on housing projects. "These children are not children. They are currency. One hundred percent of their pay is turned over to Warren Jeffs to continue his rampage," Flora Jessop continued. Polygamist families have also put down roots in two communities in Lincoln County. Lawmen believe Warren Jeffs would have had to personally approve these expansions into Nevada by his followers. In the past year, there have been unconfirmed reports that Jeffs presided over polygamist weddings in Southern Nevada. True or not, it is no surprise that he would be nabbed here. The statement by Flora Jessop that her cousin Jacob is a "money man" for Warren Jeffs is based on her belief that profits from polygamist businesses go directly to the church. There is no proof or indication that Jacob Jessop has personally given support or shelter to Jeffs during the time he was a fugitive. It still has to be determined where Jeff's will be prosecuted first. The charges in Utah are more severe than the ones in Arizona. Send feedback to I-Team reporter George Knapp at gknapp@klastv.com | |||||||
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KLASTV.com Originally broadcast August 29, 2006 | |||||||
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