Lyle Jeffs is the brother of Warren Jeffs and a bishop in the

Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) is a religious sect of the fundamentalist Mormon denominations whose members practice polygamy. The fundamentalist Mormon movement emerged in the early 20th century, ...

, commonly referred to as the FLDS Church. He has been referred to as his brother's "special counselor" in some church documents. Jeffs was the FLDS bishop for both

Hildale, Utah Hildale is a city in Washington County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,127 at the 2020 census. Hildale is located on the border of Utah and Arizona. History Hildale, formerly known as Short Creek Community, was founded in 1913 by ...

, and

Colorado City, Arizona Colorado City is a town in Mohave County, Arizona, United States, and is located in a region known as the Arizona Strip. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 2,478, down from 4,821 in 2010. At least three Mormon fundamentalis ...

. According to ''

The Salt Lake Tribune ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History ...

'', he was removed from office in 2012. He was convicted and sentenced in 2017 to five years in prison for orchestrating a welfare fraud scheme. Lyle is the son of

Rulon Jeffs Rulon may refer to: Persons with the surname Rulon: *Kelly Rulon (born 1984), 2004 Olympian in water polo Persons with the given name Rulon: *Rulon C. Allred (1906-1977), leader of the Apostolic United Brethren *Rulon Davis (born 1982), defensive ...

, who was president of the FLDS Church from 1986 until his death in 2002. Lyle is also the uncle of author and ex-FLDS member

Brent W. Jeffs Brent W. Jeffs is an American author, advocate, and former member of the influential Jeffs family in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church). Brent wrote the memoir ''Lost Boy'' with author Maia Szalavitz, whi ...

Legal issues

On April 9, 2015, U.S. District Judge

David Sam David Sam (born August 12, 1933) is a Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Utah. Education and career Born on August 12, 1933, in Hobart, Indiana, Sam received a Bachelor of Science degree ...

held Lyle Jeffs in

contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the cour ...

. In 2012 the

United States Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemploym ...

began an investigation into the role of the FLDS Church and Jeffs in suspected child labor violations. A CNN report claimed that children were used to harvest nuts at the Southern Utah Pecan Ranch in 2012. Judge Sam ruled that Lyle Jeffs and his brother Nephi disobeyed subpoenas requiring them to answer questions from Labor Department investigators. On April 20, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor assessed fines totaling $1.96 million against a group of FLDS church members, including Lyle Jeffs, for alleged labor violations during the church's 2012 pecan harvest at an orchard near Hurricane, Utah. Jeffs allegedly escaped house arrest in June 2016 by slipping out of an FBI ankle bracelet. On June 14, 2017, Jeffs was arrested by the FBI in

Yankton, South Dakota Yankton is a city in and the county seat of Yankton County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,411 at the 2020 census, and it is the principal city of the Yankton Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the entirety of Y ...

. On September 20, 2017, Jeffs pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal to one count of defrauding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) one count of failure to appear in court, while a money laundering charge was dismissed. Jeffs was sentenced on December 13, 2017, to nearly 5 years of prison, 3 years of probation, and $1 million in restitution. He was monitored by the Phoenix Residential Reentry Management field office, and was released on March 15, 2021.Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator 24426-081
Retrieved April 5, 2021.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffs, Lyle American Latter Day Saint leaders Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints members Mormon fundamentalist leaders Mormon fundamentalists Place of birth missing (living people) Religious leaders from Utah Religious leaders from Arizona 1960 births Living people People from Short Creek Community