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Meet John R. Llewellyn
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John Llewellyn is uniquely qualified as a polygamy expert and can speak to the issues in a way no one else can. He is highly articulate and thoroughly knowledgeable about law enforcement polygamy strategies, government attitudes, and the vast issues inside and outside of polygamy. |
He knows all the leaders of polygamy groups, many of their members, and a multitude of polygamists who live outside a Group,
including Tom Green and his wives and former wives. He is available
for interview by TV and the Press, and he has polygamist contacts who are willing to talk about their lifestyle. He also knows all the key law enforcement and government figures involved.
John R. Llewellyn, retired Salt Lake County Sheriff's Lieutenant,
specialized in sex crime investigation which included polygamy
complaints. He compiled an intelligence file on mass murderer Ervil
LeBaron, who in 1977 ordered the death of Doctor Rulon C. Allred,
leader of Utah's second largest polygamist group. LeBaron, a
self-imposed "One Mighty and Strong," attempted to extort tithing from Utah's polygamist groups. Murder of a Prophet is a paradigm of the Allred murder, and factual expose´ of the dark side of Utah polygamist cults.
In order to best combat and understand the polygamist, deputy
Llewellyn studied Mormon doctrine and was converted to Mormonism and then Mormon fundamentalism. Impressed with the integrity, virtue and undaunted conviction of many of the polygamists, after his retirement, Llewellyn became a member of Apostolic United Brethren.
However, when the leadership of Apostolic United Brethren
re-postured, claiming "all" the priesthood keys and pretending they were the sole conduit to a celestial exaltation, Llewellyn took a second look at the fundamentalist belief structure and summarily disassociated himself.
In 1995 Mr. Llewellyn became an investigator for Virginia Hill in a
civil action to recover 1.54 million dollars in cash stolen from her by
members of Apostolic United Brethren. Hill was at the time the
estranged wife of Harry Hilf, the Godfather of Detroit gambling. The
Allred polygamists had been retained to purchase the Desert Inn Ranch, the Las Vegas mob's recreational ranch in southern Utah. The
polygamists maliciously converted the money to their own use while
ironically attempting to cheat each other out of their serendipitous
treasure. One Allred polygamist, Jeffery J. Norman, was imprisoned for money laundering.
It took three years for Llewellyn and investigator, Rod Williams, to
build a case against Owen A Allred, leader of Apostolic United
Brethren, and his two henchmen, Dennis E. Matthews and John C.
Putvin. Part of the money was eventually traced to the purchase of a
used car lot, Diamond Automotive Specialties Inc., negotiated by Putvin and managed by James E. Sandmire. The car lot was recently shut down by the Utah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division for selling stolen cars smuggled into Utah from Canada.
The law suit is still before the courts and is the impetus for
Llewellyn's second fact-based novel that will be completed this fall.
Llewellyn, now a muckraker and free lance writer, is recognized as an
expert on Mormon fundamentalism and polygamy. He is also the lead
investigator in a lawsuit against polygamist, James D. Harmston and his True and Living Church, headquartered at Manti, Utah, as well as a consultant for the Attorney General's Office.
Llewellyn, who has studied all the polygamist cartels, including the
infamous Kingston family, states: "Utah's polygamist groups are corrupt beyond belief. Although there are many virtuous and law abiding polygamists within the subculture, the leaders, more
political than religious, have spawned cults merchandising hope,
exaltation, and the license to take plural wives. Dozens of vulnerable
men have lost wives, daughters and family fortunes to unscrupulous
prophets. Whenever a man or institution claims to be the sole and
exclusive mouthpiece of God he invites scrutiny, and that man and
entity should be carefully examined and subject to iconoclasm
—attacking cherished beliefs and institutions. If they are what they
claim, they have nothing to fear."
Because the author was once part of the polygamist subculture,
individual polygamists have conveyed their dislike of Murder of a
Prophet because they feel it portrays all polygamists as abusers.
Consequently he has been accused of being a hypocrite and traitor to
the principle of plural marriage. The author's response–
"Notwithstanding there are many honest, harmless polygamists that
would never participate in the abuse portrayed by certain characters in Murder of a Prophet, the elements for abuse are inherent and exploited in all of the polygamist cults–they are: Pretended revelation and priesthood authority.
Women are taken from one man and given to another. It is common for a young attractive, single lady to have an older man claim he has received revelation that she should be his plural wife.
Gullible men have been duped into quit-claiming their property over
to a corrupt priesthood. Non-profit corporations and land trusts have
been formed designed to inveigle property away from members. Lying, cheating, manipulating servile members, encouraging hatred towards government, the LDS Church and minorities, as well as covering up criminal activity in these cults are well documented.
"For years, loyal benign members have been aware of the perversion and corruption in their groups and have done nothing to clean it up because of their misguided belief in priesthood omnipotence, illusions of Mormon superiority and a symbiotic dependency of an authority that permits the incontinent taking of more than one wife.
"On the other hand, the practice of plural marriage must be working; otherwise there wouldn't be so many. Scholars and pundits estimate there are as many as 60,000 in and around Utah. However, I believe a more realistic figure is 25,000. "Either way, Mormon fundamentalism is a valid subculture and here to stay. Society has chosen to openly tolerate homosexuality, then why not polygamy.
As long as the LDS Church continues to flourish, Mormon
fundamentalist converts will continue to come from the frustrated ranks of this Church. "As long as the plural relationship is based on free agency—adult mutual consent, respect, love and cooperation, all the ingredients of a successful monogamous relationship, then why not?
The true polygamist, the one who actually believes and lives his
religion, treats his wives with inordinate respect and dignity. There is
nothing ungodly about their relationship. The problems arise when
power and authority are misused. There is a fine line between power
and sex."
Llewellyn as an author, has written several feature articles for The
Event Newsweekly, Fate Magazine and a historical article about
heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey that will appeared in the
May-June issue of Salt Lake Magazine.
| Books
authored by John R. Llewellyn: * Murder of a Prophet * Tears of a Teenager: When Parents Convert to Polygamy * Tom Green: The Polygamist Who Talked His Way Into Prison |
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