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Sorry. I misunderstood you posting. I thought that you were suggesting that Jeffs had not been present.

Please tell me how you know that he need not have been present to be convicted of being an accomplice to rape?

Also, what happened to the girls parents? They would have a legal duty to protect an underage girl. Simply believing that Jeffs is a prophet would not diminish that duty.

It would do far more to end the abuses people are describing if the parents are treated severely for permitting such abuse and not just the religious nut who the parents willfully follow. Even the army teaches soldiers that they are not obligated to obey an unlawful order.

Thanks for your question:

>>>Please tell me how you know that he need not have been present to be convicted of being an accomplice to rape?

It’s a good question, I’ll try to lay out the facts.

It was two points I was making: He didn’t/doesn’t have to be present to order a marriage and he was convicted of being accomplice to rape of a 14 year old girl.

He was tried and found guilty on two counts of rape as an accomplice for his role in arranging a 2002 marriage between a 14-year-old girl.

I saw an interview with the victim. She said she was told she was to be married and she begged Jeffs not to do this. I think it’s clear, she did meet/know Jeffs or was able to communicate with him.

Jeffs is scheduled to be tried in Arizona on sex charges stemming from the arranged marriages of three teenage girls to older men.

Now, whether he was present or would have to be present at such a wedding to be convicted, I don’t know.

The second point was he need not be present to order criminal activity.

There are 6-10 thousand members in three states and Canada; and I’ve read elsewhere from at least a couple of sources that women who never saw Jeffs in person were told they were to marry because the Prophet had decided.

>>>Also, what happened to the girls parents? They would have a legal duty to protect an underage girl.

As far as I know nothing happened to her parents.

>>>It would do far more to end the abuses people are describing if the parents are treated severely for permitting such abuse

A very good point. However, something that struck me in reading about the various prosecutions was difficult it was concerning who was who and where they were and how to find them. Besides their record keeping, they also have members in government positions, and disappear across borders quite easily and quickly.

I don’t know if any attempt was made to prosecute this girls parents. It’s a very interesting question to me. I’ll see if I can find more information and let you know if I do.

thanks for your post.