Secretive Polygamous Sect Ordered to Pay Nearly $1M Over Alleged Child Labor Violations
A secretive polygamous sect in Utah, including a church leader and his business affiliate, were ordered to pay about $1 million over allegedly violating child labor laws.
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), Bishop Lyle Jeffs and his business contractor, Brian Jessop were accused of illegally hiring children who worked at a pecan farm in southern Utah from 2008 to 2013, CNN reported.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Jill Parish of Utah ordered Jeffs to pay roughly $312,000 in back wages and a similar amount in damages, according to court documents. The church, Jeffs, and Jessop are also expected to pay about $280,000 in back wages.
Court documents from 2019 revealed that the U.S. Department of Labor alleged Paragon Contractors, a company that Jessop operated, used children from the FLDS church to work on the farm, according to CNN.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/secretive-polygamous-sect-ordered-to-pay-nearly-1m-over-alleged-child-labor-violations/ar-AAQ8EKS
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