James Oler
{{Short description|Canadian religious leader and criminal (born 1964)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox person
|birth_name = James Marion Oler
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1964|6|4}}
|birth_place = British Columbia, Canada
|occupation = Bishop
|children = 13
|known = Practicing polygamy
}}
James Marion Oler (born 1964) is the bishop of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) in Canada and has been convicted of being a practicing polygamist.{{cite news|title=More FLDS underage marriages alleged in Canada |url=http://www.sltrib.com/csp/cms/sites/sltrib/pages/printerfriendly.csp?id=51315639|accessdate=26 February 2012|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|date=25 February 2011}}{{cite news|title=Religious schism tore Bountiful apart, wife tells Blackmore tax trial|url=https://vancouversun.com/life/Religious+schism+tore+Bountiful+apart+wife+tells+Blackmore+trial/6087247/story.html|accessdate=26 February 2012|newspaper=The Vancouver Sun|date=1 February 2012}}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The polygamy case brought against Oler in 2009 was considered "the first major test of Canada's polygamy law."{{cite news|title=Canadian polygamy charges dismissed |url=http://ca.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idCATRE58M5XX20090923|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021172430/http://ca.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idCATRE58M5XX20090923|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 October 2013|accessdate=26 February 2012|newspaper=Reuters|date=23 September 2009|quote=The case against the two members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), was seen as the first major test of Canada's polygamy law, but Wednesday's ruling did not deal with the constitutionality of the law itself nor the merits of the allegations against the men.}} As of 2014, he is reported to have 13 children.{{cite web|url=https://vancouversun.com/touch/opinion/columnists/bountiful+four+they/10274972/story.html|title=The Bountiful Four: Who are they?|publisher=The Vancouver Sun|date=9 October 2014|access-date=4 October 2018|archive-date=20 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720022527/http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/opinion/columnists/bountiful+four+they/10274972/story.html|url-status=dead}}
FLDS schism in Canada
{{expand section|date=February 2012}}
James Oler is the current bishop of the Canadian FLDS, who are centered in Bountiful, British Columbia, Canada.{{cite news|title=FLDS bishops take appeal to Utah Supreme Court |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700086863/FLDS-bishops-take-appeal-to-Utah-Supreme-Court.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202040915/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700086863/FLDS-bishops-take-appeal-to-Utah-Supreme-Court.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 December 2010|accessdate=26 February 2012|newspaper=The Deseret News|date=30 November 2010}} In 2002, Winston Blackmore was excommunicated from the FLDS, and the community of Bountiful, where most members live, divided between Blackmore and Warren Jeffs. Following this schism, Jeffs appointed Oler as the new bishop.{{cite news|title=B.C. Supreme Court rules polygamy ban is constitutional, but flawed|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/11/23/b-c-supreme-court-rules-polygamy-law-is-constitutional/|accessdate=26 February 2012|newspaper=The National Post|date=11 November 2011}}
Polygamy trial in Canada
Oler and Blackmore were arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in January 2009 and charged with polygamy.{{Cite news |url= https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-polygamy-evidence-helps-warren-jeffs-conviction-1.1083446 |title= B.C. polygamy evidence helps Warren Jeffs conviction |author= The Canadian Press |publisher= CBC.ca |date= 11 August 2011 |access-date= 2012-02-25}} The charges were later thrown out owing to questions about how the Crown selected its prosecutors. On 23 September 2009, criminal polygamy charges against Winston Blackmore and Oler are thrown out by B.C. Supreme Court Judge Sunni Stromberg-Stein.[http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/11/23/b-c-supreme-court-rules-polygamy-law-is-constitutional/ B.C. Supreme Court rules polygamy ban is constitutional, but flawed]. 23 November 2011. National Post.
Polygamy charges were brought against Blackmore and Oler again in August 2014 without the procedural errors that caused the previous charges to have been thrown out of court.{{cite web | url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bountiful-sect-members-face-polygamy-child-related-charges-1.2735785 | title = Bountiful sect members face polygamy, child-related charges | date = 2014-08-13 | website = CBC News | access-date = 2018-07-19}}
On 24 July 2017, James Oler was found guilty of polygamy in the B.C. Supreme Court.{{cite web | url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-polygamy-trial-1.4218735 | title = Winston Blackmore and James Oler found guilty of polygamy by B.C. judge | date = 2017-07-24 | website = CBC News | access-date = 2018-07-19 | quote = Two former religious leaders in B.C. have been found guilty of polygamy after marrying more than two dozen women over the course of 25 years.}} He, along with Winston Blackmore, face up to five years in prison for violation of Section 293 of the Criminal Code of Canada.{{Cite web|url=http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/page-71.html#docCont|title = Consolidated federal laws of canada, Criminal Code|date = 27 August 2021}}
On 15 May 2018, in Cranbrook, British Columbia, special prosecutor Peter Wilson recommended a jail sentence of one month to 90 days for Oler and a term between 90 days and six months for Blackmore.{{Cite news |url= https://vancouversun.com/news/special-prosecutor-asks-jail-time-up-to-six-months-b-c-polygamists/wcm/209ae043-33e5-459f-aa27-1d5f0de8ee17 |title= Prosecutor recommends jail time for Winston Blackmore and James Oler |author= The Vancouver Sun |publisher= vancouversun.com |date= 16 May 2018 |accessdate= 2018-05-06}} On 27 June 2018, Justice Sheri Ann Donegan sentenced Blackmore to six months' house arrest. Oler was sentenced to three months' house arrest.{{Cite news |url= https://www.foxnews.com/world/2-men-with-29-wives-and-160-children-between-them-sentenced-to-house-arrest-following-polygamy-conviction |title= 2 men with 29 wives and 160 children between them sentenced to house arrest following polygamy conviction |author= Kathleen Joyce |publisher= Fox News |date= 28 June 2018 |access-date= 2018-06-28}}
In May 2019, Oler was found guilty of taking a 15-year-old girl to the USA in 2004 to be married to an older man (a member of the FLDS Church), with Justice Martha Devlin saying there was "no room for doubt" that Oler knew the underage girl would be subject to sexual contact.{{cite news |last1= Smart |first1=Amy |orig-year=17 May 2019 |date=18 May 2019 |title=Former polygamous leader found guilty in child-bride case |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/james-oler-decision-1.5140018 |department=News |work=CBC.ca |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=8 April 2020 }} In August 2019, Oler was sentenced to 12 months in jail and 18 months probation.{{cite news |author=CBC News |date=29 August 2019 |title=Former B.C. polygamous leader sentenced to 12 months jail for taking girl to U.S. to be married |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/james-oler-sentencing-bc-1.5264098 |department=News |work=CBC.ca |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=8 April 2020 }}
See also
References
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{{MFleaders}}
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Category:Canadian Latter Day Saints
Category:Canadian Christian religious leaders
Category:Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints members
Category:Mormon fundamentalist leaders
Category:American emigrants to Canada
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