He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. Snow said her marriage fell apart over her not liking the Kingston Group and her husband wanting to have another wife. Now, former members say, girls who will be plural wives meaning they have only a spiritual marriage to their husband are left alone until they are 18 so laws about sex with a minor wont apply. The well-kept yellow house sat on the corner of a tidy cul-de-sac called South Bonner Circle surrounded by a black wrought-iron fence. Paul Vallas and wife Sharon have been together 38 years. According to All Famous Birthdays, Paul Vallas has a staggering net worth of $5 million. Members who have left in recent years say that changed after some of Paul Kingston's brothers were convicted of. Hansen said during family home evenings nights when a mans family gathers for religious studies and games her husband would take girls 12 and older who were single and lead them in a teaching. Thats when Nicole Mafi, one of Paul Kingstons daughters, says in the lawsuit she was called into a meeting of recent high school graduates to discuss going to college. Kent Johnson, a spokesman for the Davis County Cooperative Society (DCCS), which also is named as a defendant, said members are strongly encouraged to strictly adhere to every legal guideline when applying for financial aid. Paul was upset any of this had been reported at all, says a former member close to the boys. Were fucked, they told their cousin. Former members estimate Paul has 30 wives and more than 50 children. Come back, his dad will say. Like other fundamentalists of that era, he believed the Mormon Church had lost its divine authority when it renounced polygamy in 1890, so he persuaded three other families to join him in establishing their own sect. Now, two years later, Stephen still sleeps with a gun near his bed. As lore has it, Elden was the one mighty and strong predicted by Scripture, who holding the scepter of power in his hand would set in order the House of God. With thick white hair, a lantern jaw and a commanding presence, he had no problem attracting followers. The other seven are brothers or sons of Paul Kingston. Sometimes he parked his immaculately buffed burgundy Ford Thunderbird on the curb, but it was rare to see the man himself. The DCCS is a financial cooperative established by his uncle Elden Kingston in 1935. The roof sagged, the carpet was worn, and the place reeked of cheap cologne. The theft of the silver bars from Rachel Youngs basement, they concluded, had been a copycat crime. He was angry and confused, says a former member of the cult. We really know what your game is.. Genealogy profile for Paul Kingston Paul Kingston (1824 - 1894) - Genealogy Genealogy for Paul Kingston (1824 - 1894) family tree on Geni, with over 240 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. At clan gatherings, girls who were still in their teens danced with men old enough to be their uncles, whom they were sometimes forced to marry. Many of these men are also given stewardship of the Orders business holdings sent out to run the clans coal mine or ranches, or to oversee one of its many storefronts. She was definitely the pick of the litter, and thats why Paul got her, Ron recalls. Men rise in prominence by being obedient and pure of blood and by having large families that can produce a lot of money and workers for the group, the suit continues. On weekends, he was sent out to work at the Orders coal mine with other teenagers. The Order stays as far away as possible from police, and this was like inviting them in your front door., With its vast wealth suddenly exposed to public view, the clan moved quickly to hush up the scandal. LDS Church wants to light up a temple in a place that prides itself on dark skies, For husband-and-wife team, this new restaurant is the culmination of a decadeslong dream, plural marriages that happen outside the law, two stars of the television show Escaping Polygamy,", Shanell DeRieux, a former Kingston Group member, stigmas that often come with being associated, Kent Johnson, a spokesman for the Davis County Cooperative Society. Lawful marriage and the way it binds people together legally and financially, Hansen said, is seen as a way to keep the more rebellious girls in the Kingston Group. He asked him if he was being obedient, then excused himself to talk to Stephens mother. Prior to 2017, Kingston was Professor of Sociology, and by courtesy, Professor in the Curry School of Education. Thanks, it read. Hansen said some men try to use their children to improve their status in the sect. Theyd keep it in basements, in filing cabinets, in a big safe in one of Pauls offices, says Levi Kingston, a former clan member. He has held several high-level positions in government and education and worked as a consultant, so he likely has earned a significant income over the years. Paul Elden Kingston is an accountant and attorney who has served as the Trustee-in-Trust of the Davis County Cooperative Society (DCCS), a Mormon fundamentalist denomination, [2] since 1987. Over 75 years, the Kingstons have amassed a fortune worth an estimated $300 million, but the operation skirts the edges of the law. Kingston had told gaming regulators in California. (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jessica Kingston was wed at age 16 in what she says was a marriage she felt pressured into by her parents and others in a polygamous sect. Contact. All of their children who survived the Great Famine emigrated. Two of Hansen's daughters legally married when they were under the age of 18 to young men in the Kingston Group. Do you think if I took $5 million in gold, Id be working out here?. I knew I wasn't supposed to marry him, she said, but I almost did to get everyone to shut up and leave me alone about marriage.. Kingston succeeded his father John Ortell Kingston as the leader of the Kingston Clan on his father's death in 1987. According to people who have left the Order, the cult exploits its 2,000 members as virtual slave labor and hides profits from tax collectors. This is your fault, he thundered, glaring at them. Their father rarely came by, and because the nearest town was 18 miles away, the kids forged a fierce bond among themselves. From the outside it seemed like a typical suburban home, offering few clues of the secrets that were contained inside. It is a common and intentional practice in the Order to require girls and women to submit sexually to their husbands even if the sexual submission is against their will because having children results in workers for the benefit of the Order, the lawsuit states. Boys are taught they will need to receive revelation from God on whom to marry. Jessica said her husband was on a group text that went around listing girls or women who had not yet married with jokes about how old the females were getting. Thanks for contacting us. Some people say they funneled the money through Mexico. Hansen, 50, in a recent interview, said she told her daughter that wanting to leave home was the wrong reason to get married. Among those Kingston Group brides who marry as minors and for whom The Tribune was able to find birthdates, the average age was 16 years, 7 months and 12 days. In Utah, Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, plans a bill that would raise the minimum marriage age to 18. Stoddard was the president of the Latter Day Church of Christ, the Kingston Groups incorporated religious organization. But the constant fear has subsided. While much of the focus of any polygamous group is on plural marriages that happen outside the law, records and interviews with current and former first wives in the Kington Group lend insight into how legal marriages are facilitated. The accusers describe a patriarchal doctrine known as The Law of One Above Another, which they claim designates everyone a rank in the groups hierarchy. The families of 19-year-old Stephen Smith who was rumored to be . As a favored son of the prophet, Paul had the freedom to disregard the strict discipline his father imposed on other members of the Order. Johnson said neither he nor any other representatives of the cooperative society were aware of the lawsuit until contacted by The Salt Lake Tribune recently for comment. Then one night, a clan member called and told him that the Order planned to kill him. One is a first cousin. J.O. The Order's top man, Paul Kingston, counts a half-dozen such relatives among his 20-plus wives, according to ex-members and Attorney General's investigator Ron Barton. Create Biography Paul Elden Kingston (1959- ): Known as the "Watchman on the Wall" who claims to hear from God regularly, Paul is the son of John Ortell. She is the fifth of her mothers 12 children. The DCCS is a financial cooperative established by his uncle Elden Kingston in 1935. A short, blustery man with a hair-trigger temper, Daniel Kingston had reportedly once kidnapped two boys at gunpoint and led them out to the Great Salt Lake (the charges were later dropped). (Jessicas dad and the young man had taken courses together at the University of Utah.) Paul married Frances G Chez Kingston. Later that afternoon, in another house across town belonging to the Order, a woman named Patty Kingston opened her closet to discover that a chest of gold coins worth as much as $5 million had vanished. She's since left the marriage and wants the legal marriage age raised to 18. According to former Order members, they worked long shifts sorting coal and operating heavy machinery in unsafe conditions. 210 King Sobhuza II: King of Swaziland (now Eswatini), lived 1899-1982, is thought to have had 70 wives. Messages sent to Paul and David Kingston as well as representatives of the Latter Day Church of Christ, the Kingston Groups religious organization, and other named defendants in the lawsuit were not returned. Everyone in the Order knew that she controlled the purse strings for the operation but few were aware that she was sitting on a hidden stash of silver. A lawsuit alleges leaders of a Utah polygamous sect bilked federal student aid programs by instructing teenagers to omit their fathers and other sources of income when applying for benefits. When Jessica Kingston was 15, her father told her she had four choices apparently the number of suitors who had spoken to him about marrying her. The now-20-year-old said she and her husband have started a family of their own. If the case succeeds, the whistleblowers can collect perhaps millions of dollars from the damages or fines paid by the defendants. I was scared to death when I left. From a clan ranch in Nevada, Stephen called his brother Ben, who had left the Order a few years before. That wasnt the only reason Jessica liked him. had some 80 children by 13 wives, but his favorite was Paul, an excellent student who made friends easily. She also felt a religious call to wed and saw herself as mature enough to undertake such a commitment. A state court website says the judge must conclude that the marriage is voluntary and in the best interests of the minor.. The Tribune, with assistance from former sect members who reviewed the records, also found 20 cases in which both the bride and groom were at least 18. The young women ranged from about age 18 to 22. . No record of the case is available at the court clerks office. By our latest survey, his statement said, the majority of DCCS college students were not using government-funded financial aid, including many who would qualify if they had applied. All rights reserved. So when her husband pushed for that daughter to marry, too, Hansen thought she was mature enough. Brother Ron Tucker, he would intone, come and get your number. According to the Orders interpretation of the Book of Revelations, only 144,000 numbered men will be allowed to rule in heaven under God. The couples divorce became final in 2011. It would be several more years before Stephen learned that Paul Kingston was his father, and that his mother was just one of his dads many wives. When one of his favorite wives died, he missed her so much that he dug her up from her grave. Its all political, Jessica said. We've received your submission. The plaintiffs estimate the eight combine to have 106 wives and 911 children. Did the Utah Legislature do enough to save the Great Salt Lake? They teach the girls its their choice, Hansen said, but [say], Heres the selection.. That daughter was born with a form of heart disease and had long acted responsibly in caring for it, Hansen said. He thinks about his mom, and wonders if she misses him. Donate to the newsroom now. He would talk to them about marriage and thinking of whom to marry, Hansen said. He even had charts showing who were the higher families in the sect so his daughters knew where to look for a mate. Shortly after that meeting, the complaint continues, Mrs. Those families have intermarried to the extent that half brothers and sisters are now marrying one another, as well as uncles. Back then, Paul Kingston stood around five feet ten and weighed close to 200 pounds. Home. The clan believed he had their treasure, and they were sending someone to kill him. Frances was born on November 4 1892, in Indiana. For Stephen and the other kids on the ranch, the highlight of each week came on Sundays, when they traveled the hour and a half south to Salt Lake for church. The deputy heard the Brown boys knew who stole the gold but suddenly, without explanation, they and everyone in the clan clammed up. Comparable graduation rates have been attained by our bachelors and advanced degree students when compared to the state of Utah and the U.S., despite an uphill battle of active discrimination against our students. Boys work its coal mine and stack boxes at Standard Restaurant Supply, a massive discount store. The other seven are brothers or sons of Paul Kingston. Three others, including Grant, said they had to flee to escape such a fate. LDS Church wants to light up a temple in a place that prides itself on dark skies, For husband-and-wife team, this new restaurant is the culmination of a decadeslong dream, offered such statistics to counter the stereotype, Nicole Mafi, one of Paul Kingstons daughters. This is an indication that an experienced qui tam firm looked at the facts, Markey said, and realized it was a case that was worth pursuing.. Church leader Paul Kingston conducted the service and his brothers John Daniel and David were speakers. Those two unions happened in Colorado, where its legal to marry your cousin. The suit was filed against the groups leader Paul Eldon Kingston and 21 other members. ", "United by fundamentalist Mormon beliefs, one polygamous group helps another by bringing truckloads of food", "Young Brides Stir New Outcry on Utah Polygamy", "Shurtleff: Child bride polygamous marriages appear to have stopped", "Polygamists are urged to make public statement", "No longer performing child-bride marriages? (Photo courtesy of Kollene Snow) Kollene Snow, 16, poses in her dress before her 2009 marriage in West Valley City. They were the type of kids you didnt mess with, says Robert Owen, a former member of the clan. If you were more obedient, this wouldnt have happened., After that, everything changed, Stephen says. That includes the fraud within Washakie Renewable Energy as well as what the plaintiffs allege was a separate scheme by sect members to bilk a U.S. Department of Agriculture program to provide free lunches to child and adult day cares. One baby deemed to have too many deformities was allegedly put in a shoe box and left to die. If they kill me, they kill me, he says. She, in turn, wrote a letter to the judge on their behalf, and the case was settled without a trial. In qui tam cases, the federal government can either join the plaintiffs in recouping losses and pursuing damages and fines, or let the plaintiffs prosecute the lawsuit on their own. One of them, Stephen Knight, made for the most unlikely of suspects. The clan, known privately as the Order, runs what prosecutors believe is one of the largest organized-crime operations in Utah, overseeing its far-flung empire from a string of secret locations and backrooms. He was born Jan. 7, 1928, in San Diego, Calif., a son of the late Paul and Evelyn . Kingston succeeded his father John Ortell Kingston as the Trustee-in-Trust of the DCCS upon his father's death in 1987. The suitor had asked her to dance a few times at The Orders youth social events. One day, not long after the gold disappeared, Knight got an anonymous phone call. If that child comes to her at age 16 wanting to marry, she said, she will have questions. DeRieux said she and her husband were not allowed to live together or consummate their marriage until they had a religious ceremony the following month. As the first of Paul Kingstons many wives, Patty enjoyed a privileged role in the Order including access to vast wealth. In his opening statement and in his cross examination of Kingston, the attorney also spent much time dwelling on the practice of polygamy in the Kingston family sect, saying that sect leader Paul . Exhibiting LGBTQ+ tendencies can indicate impure blood, according to the lawsuit. Its a quiet, haunting place, with massive hayfields that stretch to the horizon. When he had finished, he walked toward Stephen, who was sitting on the tractor. Instead, she volunteered for extra shifts at the Kingston Group-run coal mine near Huntington, where she worked as a dispatcher. They sat there for a moment, warming their hands against the sputtering heater. A review of wedding certificates shows how the teen marriages are sanctioned at the highest levels of the Kingston Group. Jessica Kingston said she has heard males talking to one another about a girl and say, If youre going to marry that girl, shes going to have to be a first wife because she wont live polygamy.. Stephen calmly waited until his uncle got close, and then he reached behind the seat and pulled out a shotgun, leveling it at his uncle. A passerby might catch a glimpse of children in the windows, but for the most part, the Young family kept to themselves. Paul already had two wives, but he and Richaun were married in a secret ceremony at her parents house. While the Kingston Group, founded in 1935, is not affilated with the FLDS, members practice a fundamentalist version of Mormonism that involves polygamy. At age 15, Snow wanted out of the Kingston Group. Three weeks after Snow married a 21-year-old man in Davis County, Hansens 17-year-old daughter legally married a 24-year-old man in Salt Lake County. Their divorce was finalized in July 2012 a little more than three years after they married. Situated at the base of a rugged mountain range, the Orders spread sat in a pristine valley of glistening hayfields and open pasture. Boys as young as 14 labored in the workshop. One of the Orders leaders did jail time for severely beating his own daughter after she fled an arranged marriage to his brother. 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