From Deseret News archives:

Did FLDS 'cook the books'?

Published: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 1:55 p.m. MDT
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"He's got everything he needs there," said Sam Brower, a private investigator who has been tracking the FLDS Church for ex-members who are suing the group. "He's got money, vehicles, wives. People go there to worship him."

Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran said Monday he did not believe Jeffs was on the "YFZ Ranch" in Texas. It's named after a song Jeffs wrote called "Yearn for Zion." Doran said he was attempting to arrange a meeting with people on the FLDS Church's ranch to discuss the recent developments.

"We have always expressed it to them and urged them to comply or give us information or have Warren turn himself in," Doran said.

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said he would like to see FBI agents spend more time watching the YFZ Ranch.

"I am urging them very strongly to put in some additional observation, especially at the Texas compound," Goddard said. "What it's going to take is a comprehensive federal, state and local task force approach to close in on Mr. Jeffs."

Goddard said he and Shurtleff expressed concern that the FBI was not doing enough to track Jeffs but said he "applauded" the decision to put Jeffs on the most-wanted list. Arizona's next targets appear to be the Colorado City Unified School District and police officers within the polygamous border towns.

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"I've been in contact with the Justice Department about civil rights violations by officers in the Colorado City town marshal's office," he said Monday. The Arizona attorney general told the Deseret Morning News the Justice Department has opened a file on the police officers, but would not say more.

Recently, Arizona has gone after police officers' certifications, following Utah's lead. Lawyers for the court-appointed special fiduciary questioned officers last month about their loyalties to Jeffs involving the theft of property from the UEP. A federal grand jury in Arizona is also investigating Jeffs and the FLDS Church. A police officer and assistant postmaster in Colorado City are being held in jail for refusing to testify before a grand jury last month.

The FBI is investigating the possibility of another FLDS property in Mexico, near Cancun. On Jeffs' wanted poster, it lists a possible location as Quintana Roo, Mexico.

"Obviously, if they have a presence there's certainly a possibility he could have gone there," FBI special agent Patrick Kiernan said Monday.

However, Mary Batchelor with the pro-polygamy group Principle Voices said she has been to the area and no FLDS members are there. She said there is a colony of polygamists there but they are members of the LeBaron family.

"There's only about eight homes there. It's not a very big community and they would know if there are any other fundamentalists there," she said.

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Warren Jeffs

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