.
John Llewellyn Utah Polygamy Expert
John R. Llewellyn has appeared on ABC Primetime, The Today Show
with Matt Lauer
& Katie Couric; NBC Nightly News with Tom
Brokaw; Fox News Channel's "The Edge" with Paula Zahn; MSNBC; Inside Edition; Good Morning America,
& is contacted frequently by local and foreign press.
See his books:
Polygamy's Rape of Rachael Strong:
Protected Environment for Predators
Polygamy Under Attack: From Tom Green to
Brian David Mitchell
A Teenager's Tears: When Parents Convert to Polygamy
Murder
of a Prophet: Dark Side of Utah Polygamy
About John Llewellyn
Salt Lake
Tribune Review What John Learned About Polygamists
State Is Afraid to Go After Polygamy's Kingpins Read
his article on Elizabeth Smart
About John Llewellyn
John R. Llewellyn, retired Salt Lake
County Sheriff's Lieutenant has been asked to be an advisor to Tapestry Against
Polygamy. He was a deputy sheriff for
twenty-three years in the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office. Considered an
expert, he spent a number of years in prolonged investigation of polygamy cults.
He was often placed on loan to do special investigations for the
County Attorney, District Attorney, and Attorney General.
Conducting the preliminary investigation of mass
murderer Ervil LeBaron, who was convicted of ordering the murder of Dr. Rulon C.
Allred in 1977, Deputy Llewellyn complied an extensive intelligence profile of
the infamous polygamist. He also assisted French, British, and local television
companies—all wanting to film documentaries—make contact with appropriate
members of polygamist groups. Mr. Llewellyn writes feature articles on the
subject for newspapers and magazines.
The author pioneered the Morals Squad of the Sheriff
Department, which handled the investigation of polygamous complaints. He also
wrote a sex crimes manual for the Utah State Police Academy, where he taught Sex
Crime Investigation, Interview, and Interrogation.
Mr. Llewellyn was so impressed with Mormon
Fundamentalism that he became a polygamist for a time, then discovered
widespread abuse of power among the leadership.
He is currently the lead investigator in two
highly publicized lawsuits against Utah polygamist groups.
John Llewellyn is uniquely qualified as
a polygamy expert and can speak to the issues in a way no one else can. He is
highly articulate and thoroughly knowledgeable about law enforcement polygamy
strategies, government attitudes, and the vast issues inside and outside of
polygamy. He knows all the leaders of polygamy groups, many of their members,
and a multitude of polygamists who live outside a Group, including Tom Green and
his wives and former wives. He is available for interview by TV and the Press, and he has polygamist contacts who are willing
to talk about their lifestyle. He also knows all the key law enforcement and
government figures involved. He can be contacted via email: jrllewellyn@apcomp.com
Call him 1 801 446-1247. His cell phone: 1 801 259-5415. Or call publisher: 1 800 360-5284
Salt Lake Tribune
by Greg Burton—Mar. 23 2000
"John R Llewellen looks every bit the
part he plays in real life: father, retired cop and storyteller, a tweed-coated
66-year-old brimming with the miscellany of crime and impropriety in Utah. He is
a character in many of the tales he tells—stories
drawn from his days as a sheriff's detective. So it is a bit surprising that his
first book is not "real," but a fictionalized drama of doomsday
polygamists and that Llewellyn is nowhere to be found on the 180 or so
pages.
Or is he?
Murder of a Prophet: The Dark Side of Utah Polygamy—published
last month by Agreka Books of Sandy—has angered some of the region's
polygamists. Leaders in Colorado City, Ariz., and Hilldale, Utah—where the
old-time Mormon tenent of "celestial" or plural marriage
prevails—have reportedly banned the book.
Elsewhere, the story, a chronicle of a violent plot to unite
all polygamists and topple the Mormon Church, has drawn praise for its
true-to-life portrayal of the social fabric of Utah's religious subculture.
"I kept looking at the women and the girls he writes
about and how real they are," says Rowena Erickson, a former polygamous
wife who fled Utah's Kingston clan and later helped form a support group called
Tapestry of Polygamy. "He knows the life."
Llewellyn is everything he purports to be and more. . .
."
What John Learned About
Polygamists
In order to best combat and
understand the polygamists he was trying to prosecute, sheriff's deputy Llewellyn studied Mormon doctrine.
He subsequently was
converted to mainstream Mormonism, and then later to Mormon fundamentalism (current practice of
polygamy). Impressed with the
integrity, virtue and undaunted conviction of many of the polygamists, after his
retirement, Llewellyn became a member of Apostolic United Brethren.
As he became more acquainted with the community of polygamists,
and with his background as a sex crimes specialist, John became aware of many abuses towards women
and children. Part of the story in A Teenager's Tears shares his personal experiences.
Then
when the leadership of Apostolic United Brethren re-postured, claiming
"all" the priesthood keys and pretending they were the sole conduit to
a celestial exaltation, Llewellyn took a second look at the fundamentalist
belief structure, and the way many polygamists operated, and summarily disassociated himself.
In 1995 Mr. Llewellyn became an investigator for Virginia
Hill in a civil action to recover 1.54 million dollars in cash stolen from her
by members of Apostolic United Brethren. Hill was at the time the estranged wife
of Harry Hilf, the Godfather of Detroit gambling. The Allred polygamists had
been retained to purchase the Desert Inn Ranch, the Las Vegas mob's recreational
ranch in southern Utah. The polygamists maliciously converted the money to their
own use while ironically attempting to cheat each other out of their
serendipitous treasure. One Allred polygamist, Jeffery J. Norman, was imprisoned
for money laundering.
It took three years for
Llewellyn and investigator, Rod Williams, to build a case against Owen A Allred,
leader of Apostolic United Brethren, and his two henchmen, Dennis E. Matthews
and John C. Putvin. Part of the money was eventually traced to the purchase of a
used car lot, Diamond Automotive Specialties Inc., negotiated by Putvin and
managed by James E. Sandmire. The car lot was recently shut down by the Utah
Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division for selling stolen cars smuggled into Utah
from Canada.
The law suit is still before the
courts and is the impetus for Llewellyn's second fact-based novel that will be
completed this fall. Llewellyn, now a muckraker and free lance writer, is
recognized as an expert on Mormon fundamentalism and polygamy. He is also the
lead investigator in a lawsuit against polygamist, James D. Harmston and his
True and Living Church, headquartered at Manti, Utah, as well as a consultant
for the Attorney General's Office.
Llewellyn, who has studied all the polygamist cartels,
including the infamous Kingston family, states:
"Utah's polygamist groups
are corrupt beyond belief. Although there are many virtuous and law abiding
polygamists within the subculture, the leaders, more political than religious,
have spawned cults merchandising hope, exaltation, and the license to take
plural wives. Dozens of vulnerable men have lost wives, daughters and family
fortunes to unscrupulous prophets. Whenever a man or institution claims to be
the sole and exclusive mouthpiece of God he invites scrutiny, and that man and
entity should be carefully examined and subject to iconoclasm—attacking
cherished beliefs and institutions. If they are what they claim, they have
nothing to fear."
Because the author was once part of the polygamist
subculture, individual polygamists have conveyed their dislike of Murder of a
Prophet because they feel it portrays all polygamists as abusers.
Consequently he has been accused of being a hypocrite and traitor to the
principle of plural marriage. The author's response–
"Notwithstanding there are
many honest, harmless polygamists that would never participate in the abuse
portrayed by certain characters in Murder of a Prophet, the elements for abuse
are inherent and exploited in all of the polygamist cults–they are:
Pretended revelation and
priesthood authority.
Women are taken from one man and
given to another. It is common for a young attractive, single lady to have an
older man claim he has received revelation that she should be his plural wife.
Gullible men have been duped
into quit-claiming their property over to a corrupt priesthood.
Non-profit corporations and land
trusts have been formed designed to inveigle property away from members.
Lying, cheating, manipulating
servile members, encouraging hatred towards government, the LDS Church and
minorities, as well as covering up criminal activity in these cults are well
documented.
"For years, loyal benign members have been aware of the
perversion and corruption in their groups and have done nothing to clean it up
because of their misguided belief in priesthood omnipotence, illusions of Mormon
superiority and a symbiotic dependency of an authority that permits the
incontinent taking of more than one wife.
"On the other hand, the
practice of plural marriage must be working; otherwise there wouldn't be so
many. Scholars and pundits estimate there are as many as 60,000 in and around
Utah. However, I believe a more realistic figure is 25,000.
"Either way, Mormon
fundamentalism is a valid subculture and here to stay. Society has chosen to
openly tolerate homosexuality, then why not polygamy. As long as the LDS Church
continues to flourish, Mormon fundamentalist converts will continue to come from
the frustrated ranks of this Church.
"As long as the plural
relationship is based on free agency—adult mutual consent, respect, love and
cooperation, all the ingredients of a successful monogamous relationship, then
why not? The true polygamist, the one who actually believes and lives his
religion, treats his wives with inordinate respect and dignity. There is nothing
ungodly about their relationship. The problems arise when power and authority
are misused. There is a fine line between power and sex."
Top
By John R. Llewellyn, Salt Lake
Tribune, June 4, 2000, Opinion Page
Right or wrong, fact or myth, whether we like it or not, the Mormon
fundamentalist religious movement has evolved into a bonafide subculture with
its own literature, heroes, symbols and communities. Why? Because the practice
of plural marriage has been allowed to grow and flourish in Utah for nearly 50
years with impunity.
Since the fiasco of 1953, when Colorado City was raided,
politicians, lawmakers, law enforcement and religious leaders have turned a
blind eye, tantamount to sweeping polygamy under the rug. Anthropologists who
have studied and identified the subculture, estimate that the polygamsit
population in Utah and surrounding states may exceed 50,000. Self-styled pundits
and dissidents with personal agendas push the population figure to 100,000 or
more. No one knows for sure how many polygamists inhabit the Intermountain West.
But the more outrageous the pundit, the higher the population estimated.
Within
weeks after the two-year media frenzy over the Kingston belt-whipping finally
subsided, Tom Green, Utah's most televised and loquacious polygamist, rekindled
the fervor when he was charged with an assortment of crimes, all arising out of
polygamy. Green will go on trial for alleged violations of the Utah Criminal
Code. But in the court of public opinion, the polygamist subculture will also go
on trial, and it's about time, proof that the ugly head of polygamy, once
reared, will not go away.
Green cannot turn the clock back and is taking his
lumps for marrying 14-year-old girls. But is prosecuting Green going to
seriously impact the polygamist subculture? Not really. Oh, it will make
polygamist men think twice before marrying adolescent girls, but it won't
in-and-of itself make a dent in the polygamist subculture where the real problem
is firmly rooted — the cults.
About 80 percent of the polygamist population in
Utah belongs to three groups, the Colorado City group, the Allred group
(Apostolic United Brethren) and the Kingston group. The Kingston group is the
smaller of the three, and the most secret. Growth in the Colorado City and
Kingston groups come from within. Converts from the frustrated ranks of the LDS
Church are the Allred's primary source of growth. Ethos, unification and
momentum in these three groups, as oppressive as they may be, are so strong that
it is doubtful that they will ever be eliminated short of "ethnic
cleansing."
Independent polygamists, those who believe and live the Mormon
fundamentalist doctrines, but do not organize, comprise the balance of the
population, except for a cluster of Christian polygamists.
Green is an
independent. He does not belong to an organized group. The impetus to Green's
prosecution, according to Juab County Attorney David Leavitt, was Green's
confession of bigamy on national television. However, other polygamists have
made the same admissions on national television. Owen A. Allred, revered prophet
and leader of Apostolic United Brethren, and James D. Harmston, True &
Living Church — the most innovative of the polygamist prophets — have
confessed many times in newspapers, magazines and television that they are
practicing polygamists. But these two men live outside Juab County and are
apparently under no threat of prosecution.
There are other differences between
Green, Allred and Harmston other than where they live. Allred is the surrogate
god of more than 7000 acolytes.
His people claim he holds all the keys of the priesthood and only he can give
the temple endowments indispensable to a celestial exaltation. Allred collects
tithes and other consecrations in the name of God and controls millions of
dollars of assets. Tithing money is laundered into profit and nonprofit
corporations. He gives and takes wives with impunity. He is the theocratic
leader over two polygamous, incorporated cities, Pinesdale, Mont., and Rocky
Ridge in Juab County. The power base of Allred's theocracy has been reinforced
by civil law and incorporation.
The differences between Allred and Harmston is
in the number of their true believers, ruthlessness and innovation. Harmston is
an ambitious, penurious neophyte compared with Allred. But both are merchants of
faith, hope, exaltation and plural marriages. Both preside over private schools.
Both initiate programs in which young girls are inculcated with the belief that
the only way they can achieve a celestial glory is through plural marriage and
subservience to priesthood, their priesthood.
In contrast, Green claims no priesthood authority over others, has few assets,
collects no tithing. Green does not trade the guarantee of a celestial
exaltation for equity in houses. He does not frighten older people into
believing that without his priesthood and personal acquaintance with the Godhead
they will not go to heaven. In fact, Green is held in contempt by other
polygamists because he will not grovel at the feet of their priesthood. Green is
a mouse among rats.
Polygamy in Utah is a mess and disgrace with no realistic
solutions. The Utah Legislature turned down two bills asking for money to combat
polygamy. Practicing polygamists are safe in one county but not in another.
Rep. David Zolman, whom some polygamists see as a modern Moses who will
eventually deliver them from political bondage, made it out of the Republican
Convention unopposed, in spite of his public defense of the polygamist
lifestyle. What kind of messages are these events sending to the nation?
Does
Utah really want to solve the polygamy problem, or is it too late, or is the way
to solve the problem to pretend its not really a problem? Is Green just another
symbolic prosecution of a little guy to appease our conscience or take revenge,
while the affluent cult leaders like Rulon Jeffs in Colorado City, Allred,
Harmston and Paul Kingston build their economic empires, erect incorporated
cities, passionately procreate new disciples, indenture their converts and
propagandize their youth?
You can't combat the practice of Mormon fundamentalism unless you understand its
purposes, motives, economics and political agendas in context to the
frustrations and needs of adherents. Maybe that's why polygamy has grown to be a
giant, out-of-control tar baby. After pondering the overall problems
comprehensive, in-depth scrutiny of the polygamy vexation could create,
iconoclasm might be better left alone. There is no telling what sacred
foundations iconoclasm might shake.
