Polygamous clans of Utah

Polygamous clans of Utah

The polygamous clans of Utah are a group of offshoots of the Mormon church, who still practice plural marriage despite that practice's ban by the mainstream LDS church. In this form of polygamy, men are married to multiple women simultaneously.

Recently, there have been many publicized legal cases relating to these groups and groups with similiar views, in particular the tendency of some members to marry and subsequently have sex with girls under the age of 18. Examples include the Elizabeth Smart case, and the case described in [1], in which a man married his 15-year-old cousin, who was also his niece.

One such group is the so-called Kingston clan, also known as the Latter Day Church of Christ, with claims that it includes 1,200 members. The group runs a $150 million business including pawn shops, restaurant supply stores and dairies. Several members have been charged and convicted of polygamy.