Church reinstated pastor expelled over child abuse. He abused a child again
A former Mormon church leader, Wade S. Christofferson, has pleaded guilty to child sex crimes after being reinstated by the church following a previous excommunication for similar abuse. The case has drawn scrutiny regarding the church's internal handling of abuse allegations and the involvement of high-ranking officials.
Why it matters
It highlights systemic failures in institutional child protection policies and the legal consequences of repeat offenses in religious organizations.
A former Mormon church leader from the Chicago area has pleaded guilty in a US federal court to a child sex crime involving two young girls, years after he was removed from the church over earlier allegations of child sexual abuse and later reinstated.Wade S Christofferson, 73, admitted to coercion and enticement of a minor in the US District Court in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday. The offence carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life.He will be sentenced at a later date by US District Judge Edmund A Sargus Jr.
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