Wendell Loy Nielsen (born c. 1941) was the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the FLDS Church),[1][2] replacing Warren Jeffs, at that time imprisoned on charges related to sexual assaults against minors.
[4] In September 2007, Warren Jeff, the president of the FLDS Church was convicted on two first-degree felony charges of accomplice rape and received two five-to-life prison sentences.
[2][4] "The state paperwork is a legal formality that clarifies that Nielsen has the authority to make decisions related to church business and legal dealings", church attorney Rodney Parker said.
"[2] In July 2010, Warren Jeffs' rape as an accomplice conviction was overturned due to a flaw in jury instructions, and a new trial was ordered.
[6] In August 2011, Warren Jeffs was found guilty of another charge: sexual assault of a minor, for raping a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old; for which he was sentenced to life in prison, plus twenty years.