RantCrush Top 5: June 16, 2017

The leader of the polygamist cult the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has been found and arrested after a year on the lam. Lyle Jeffs was indicted for food stamp fraud and money laundering last winter. He reportedly removed a GPS tracker from his ankle by using olive oil. He has been on the run since June 2016 and was reportedly found after a tip from a member of the public. His brother, Warren Jeffs, was the original leader of the cult, but was sentenced to life in prison for child sexual assault in 2011–two of his dozens of wives were just 12 and 15 at the time.

Lyle Jeffs also faces fines of almost $2 million for using children laborers and unpaid labor to harvest pecans in 2012. His indictment last year came after he financed his community by using church members’ food stamps. Members reportedly received millions in SNAP benefits, the program that is supposed to help low-income families purchase food. Lyle Jeffs reportedly collected all members’ food stamps before redistributing them. Sometimes people were required to hand in their food stamps to church-owned stores without receiving any food in return.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.