Wendell Loy Nielsen

Nielsen served as first counselor to Warren Jeff; as well as Warren's father, Rulon Jeffs.{{Cite news |last=Adams |first=Brooke |date=February 2, 2010 |title=Polygamous sect has new president, but is Jeffs still FLDS prophet? |newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune |url=http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14348960 |url-status=dead |access-date=February 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210210845/http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14348960 |archive-date=February 10, 2010}}

In September 2007, Warren Jeff, the president of the FLDS Church was convicted on two first-degree felony charges of accomplice rape and received two five-to-life prison sentences. Shortly after, Jeff resigned as church's president. Later the church filed the paperwork with the Utah Department of Commerce to certify that Nielsen (following the resignation of Jeffs) was named the President of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.{{Cite web |last=Hamer |first=John |date=2010-02-09 |title=New FLDS President Called |url=https://bycommonconsent.com/2010/02/08/new-flds-president-called/ |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog |language=en}}

While both Rulon and Warren Jeffs were FLDS presidents and regarded as prophets, Nielsen's role as the president was reportedly limited to managing church's corporate entity. "The state paperwork is a legal formality that clarifies that Nielsen has the authority to make decisions related to church business and legal dealings", church attorney Rodney Parker said."

In July 2010, Warren Jeffs' rape as an accomplice conviction was overturned due to a flaw in jury instructions, and a new trial was ordered.{{cite web |last=Frosch |first=Dan |date=July 27, 2010 |title=Polygamist Convictions Overturned |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/us/28jeffs.html |access-date=September 6, 2011 |work=The New York Times}} In August 2011, Warren Jeffs was found guilty of another charge: sexual assault of a minor, for raping a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old; for which he was sentenced to life in prison, plus twenty years.{{cite news |last1=Whitehurst |first1=Lindsay |date=August 10, 2011 |title=Warren Jeffs gets life in prison for sex with underage girls |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=52354441&itype=CMSID |access-date=2023-02-26}} Form the prison, Jeffs reportedly removed Nielsen as the church president and retook the control of the FLDS Church in January 2011.{{cite news |author=Tuchman |first=Gary |date=February 24, 2011 |title=Jailed polygamist retakes control of church |work=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/02/24/texas.polygamist.jeffs/index.html |access-date=February 26, 2023}}

Nielsen was convicted and imprisoned in 2012; and his status in the FLDS Church since is unclear.

During the April 2008 raid on the YFZ ranch, Texas law enforcement seized FLDS Church records, including church's marriage registry.{{Cite news |title=Records offer glimpse into polygamist families |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna24530190 |access-date=2023-02-27 |website=NBC News |language=en |agency=Associated Press}}{{cite news |last1=Waller |first1=Matthew |date=26 March 2012 |title=Celestial marriages detailed in Wendell Loy Nielsen's trial |publisher=San Angelo Standard-Times |url=https://archive.gosanangelo.com/news/celestial-marriages-detailed-in-wendell-loy-nielsens-trial-ep-439344470-356342121.html |accessdate=2023-02-26}}

Based on this records, in November 2008, Texas authorities indicted Nielson with three counts of bigamy for purporting to marry persons other than his spouse while being legally married.{{cite news |date=26 March 2012 |title=Jury chosen in trial of former Mormon sect leader Wendell Loy Nielsen |work=GlobalPost |url=https://theworld.org/stories/2012-03-22/jury-chosen-trial-former-mormon-sect-leader-wendell-loy-nielsen |accessdate=2023-02-26}} According to the documents, Nielsen allegedly married 34 women in addition to his legal wife, and performed the ceremonies in which Warren Jeffs married girls as young as 12 year old.

In March 2012, Nielsen was convicted on three counts of bigamy and sentenced to 10 years in prison, as well as ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for each count.{{Cite news |title=Former FLDS Leader Sentenced To 10 Years Jail |language=en-US |website=CBS News |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/former-polygamist-leader-sentenced-to-10-years-jail/ |access-date=2023-02-26}}

• List of Mormon fundamentalist leaders
• Mormon fundamentalism

{{reflist}}

• John Hamer, [http://bycommonconsent.com/2010/02/08/new-flds-president-called/ New FLDS President Called], February 8, 2010
• [http://www.fldstruth.org/index.php Official FLDS website]
• [http://flds101.blogspot.com/ "FLDS 101"]
• [http://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/protecting-utah/from_crime/polygamy/ Polygamy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116081944/http://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/protecting-utah/from_crime/polygamy/ |date=January 16, 2014 }} from AttorneyGeneral.Utah.gov - includes information on Utah Attorney General's interaction with the United Effort Plan Trust

{{Clear}}

{{s-start}}

{{s-rel|Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints titles}}

{{succession box |

title= Prophet
Warren Jeffs|

years= 2002 – present|

|with = Disputed interruptions by:

|with2 = Lyle Jeffs {{nobold|(designated acting president)}}

|with3 = William E. Jessop {{nobold|(once momentarily successor)}}

|with4 = Merril Jessop {{nobold|(once de facto head)}}

|with5 = Wendell L. Nielsen {{nobold|(one time head of temporal affairs)}} |

before=Rulon T. Jeffs |

after= incumbent
Warren Jeffs

}}{{s-rel|Corporation of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints titles}}

{{succession box |

title= President |

years= 2002 – December 4, 2007|

before=Rulon T. Jeffs |

after= Wendell L. Nielsen|

}}

{{succession box |

title= President |

years= January 28, 2011 – present |

before=Wendell L. Nielsen|

after= incumbent|

}}

{{s-end}}

{{MFleaders}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nielsen, Wendell Loy}}

Category:1941 births

Category:Living people

Category:American Latter Day Saint leaders

Category:Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints members

Category:Mormon fundamentalist leaders

Category:Religious scandals

Category:Date of birth missing (living people)

Category:Place of birth missing (living people)

Category:Religious leaders from Utah