Judge Orders Utah-Based Polygamous Sect to Sell South Dakota Compound

A South Dakota judge has ordered the Fundamentalist LDS Church, a polygamous sect based in Utah, to sell its compound near Pringle in Custer County to settle a lawsuit. The property, spanning 140 acres and including nine parcels of land, will be auctioned on February 25 at the Custer County Courthouse. Sheriff Marty Mechaley confirmed the sale, which is intended to satisfy a debt of nearly $1.7 million owed to three men from a 2017 federal court settlement.

The lawsuit stems from an alleged dispute over access to a property leased by the sect to the men. Two of the men were reportedly detained and unlawfully jailed in Arizona during the conflict. The compound, located along a gravel road and shielded by pine trees, a privacy fence, and a guard tower, has been a focal point of legal proceedings involving the group.

Seth Jeffs, who leads the FLDS compound in South Dakota, is the brother of Warren Jeffs, the group’s former prophet. Warren Jeffs is currently serving a life sentence in Texas for sexually assaulting underage girls he considered to be his brides. The group has faced significant challenges in recent years, including a loss of hundreds of members and control of the sister cities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona, due to the leadership void created by Warren Jeffs’ imprisonment.

Seth Jeffs pleaded guilty in 2016 to charges related to a multimillion-dollar food-stamp fraud scheme. His brother, Lyle Jeffs, was sentenced in 2017 for his role in the same scheme. These legal actions have contributed to the group’s ongoing struggles with internal governance and external scrutiny.

The sale of the South Dakota compound marks another legal step in the group’s history, reflecting the broader challenges it faces as it navigates legal, social, and religious complexities. The case underscores the ongoing tensions between the group’s practices and the legal systems of the United States.

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