Warren Jeffs: The Prophet Behind FLDS's Darkest Crimes
How a cult leader used absolute control to abuse thousands—and continues influencing followers from prison
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Quick Facts
Warren Steed Jeffs, born December 3, 1955, rose to become one of America's most notorious cult leaders after taking control of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 2002, following his father's death. What he built was an empire of absolute control over roughly 10,000 members spread across Utah, Arizona, and Texas—exercised through claims of direct access to God's will.
The FLDS itself emerged from a doctrinal split in the early 20th century when the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially renounced polygamy. The FLDS rejected that decision and continued the practice, but it was under Jeffs that the sect became a machinery of exploitation.
**Total Control, Absolute Power**
From his position as prophet, Jeffs commanded every aspect of members' lives. He assigned and reassigned wives to male followers—often taking women previously married to his father or other men for himself. He controlled the sect's substantial finances through the United Effort Plan trust and exercised his authority through extreme restrictions: no television, no internet, no birthday celebrations, and strict dress codes requiring women to wear prairie dresses with no exposed skin below the neck and uncut hair.
Those he deemed unworthy faced brutal consequences. Jeffs excommunicated or expelled hundreds of men and young boys, leaving many homeless. Former members describe systematic labor exploitation of youths within the organization.
**Fugitive and Arrest**
In 2006, the FBI placed Jeffs on its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for arranging marriages between underage girls and adult male followers. The legal machinery finally caught up with him following a 2008 raid on the Yearning for Zion (YFZ) Ranch near Eldorado, Texas—the sect's major compound. The raid, initially triggered by a report of sexual abuse of a 16-year-old (which turned out to be a false report by an unrelated woman), uncovered extensive evidence of crimes against children.
