How do I handle theifs? And the Bishops who protect them? The cops? Mo also. Seriously who do you turn to in the church above the Bishop Pric level?

Non-Mo Utahns should form a secret Star Chamber.

Hire a good, not-mormon attorney! That's what I did.

My bishop nephew stole money from me and my brother, and we got half of it back. If we hadn't hired an attorney, we would not have recovered any of it.

You have to take the matter in your own hands. Be strong! My brother and I had indisputable proof, but the thief nephew is still in the bishopric, and still trying to steal money from family members and others. He claims he WON our case, because he got to keep half the money he stole. Sigh...I guess he did come out ahead....

In the Mormon cult, stealing is rewarded.

I'm sorry this happened to you! If the amount stolen is small, consider it the same as a college course, which can cost around $500, sometimes. A course on NOT having this happen to you EVER again!

Throw the thief out of your life. No contact is the only way to deal with psychopaths and sociopaths and criminals. Protect your children, family, and friends. I warned others about my nephew, to make myself feel better, but, even so, he conned my uncles out of tens of thousands of dollars, for him to start up a bogus business.

Unfortunately, sometimes all you can do is 1)save yourself from future damage, 2) warn others 3) legally try to recover what was stolen from you.

If you worry too much about "justice" or "punishment" or "revenge", you will be giving the criminal too much of your thoughts and time and health. It's best to put it all behind you, and say, "Never again!"

The Bible says, "GO (get out of my life) and sin no more!" The Bible does not say, "Forgive and let the thief continue to steal from you." No one gives that advice, except for Mormons.

I disavowed a sociopathic uncle who stole from our community tens of thousands of dollars. He's an effing POS because of how he conned my children and myself. He grew up in Utah as a never mo.

I wonder how much negative influence that had on his early childhood development? The local children from primary used to make fun of him the couple of times he tried going for being different. He's been a genius all his life.

Watch out for them because they make the most formidable foes when they turn to the dark side. He's still there. I have nothing more to do with him. He's never come clean, and will take his dirty filthy lucre to the grave with him.

He has no remorse or conscience for his crimes against society. That's what makes him a sociopath.

Are you in Utah? Because this is a whole other ball game than in the rest of the 49 states.

You handle it in the same manner that a non-Mormon would. Do not involve the church. Either go to the police, hire a lawyer, or write it off to the "school of experience." I hope that you have learned that you can't necessarily trust someone just because that person is a Mormon.

had hired to set up the trusts for my disabled brothers after our farm sold. She had spent all one brother's money and my other sister went and talk to the lawyer. He was furious. He was mormon and he forced my sister to pay back all she had spent and took control of the trust away from her and gave it to me and my other sister.

So it actually happens that mormon lawyers can be good guys.

Mormonism itself is theft. It attracts thieves. Money changing hands always gets the attention of schemers and scammers.

"I gave them [GasBuddy] access to my checking, and after my second purchase, someone had hacked into my checking account and made an unauthorized charge for $753.00 for $#*!ing herbal supplements from Utah!!!!!! No one else had my numbers except them!"

Reviewer gave the app one star.

Mormonism and scammers are a match made in heaven. Being swindled by a Mormon has become a cliche. Something definitely stinks in Utah.

I don't know why I have been looking up old Mormon celebrities lately. I came across a 2007 Donny Osmond interview on YouTube. In this Donny said that when he was a young adult, his family had people that they trusted handling their money for them. Suddenly, most of their fortune disappeared! They never got it back, because the thief had covered his tracks so well that they never could prove who did it. I have a feeling that trusted Mormon friends and relatives were the ones handling that money. After all, they were Utahns.

It happens to all sorts of groups. An argument can be made that it is more common in LDS, but there's no telling for sure. It is hardly rare.

Bernie Madoff, who ran the largest Ponzi scam in history, was quite happy to victimize his fellow Jews. My mother, a high-ranking Christian Scientist, was victimized by a Christian Science financial handler. There are probably Icelanders who specialize in exploiting other Icelanders.

I confess to a bit of "blame-the-victim" thinking, but people need to practice due diligence, whether they are seeking professional expertise (financial, medical, legal, etc.), buying a used car, going home with somebody they just met in a bar, or walking down a dark street.

The same way you handle anybody else who's a thief.
You call the cops on 'em.
Or sue them.

Did they break into your house and take the money? That's theft. Goo to the police.

Did they lie to you and you gave them the money? That's fraud. You can sue them, and if it is big enough, you might be able to get a prosecutor to file charges.

In fraud cases, the people handed over their money, because they believed the lies. Often, they wanted to believe the lies, in a combination of greed and gullibility.

At least in Massachusetts. And leaving the issue of nomenclature aside, you have a point: the OP should start collecting business records and then file a police report. It would then go to the appropriate detective supervisor, who would determine the merits of the case, the proper jurisdiction and agency (or agencies) for further investigation and prosecution, if any.

The OP then has an official track to follow, which may not go anywhere, but it's a start, even if a frustrating one. With a good paper trail and specific violation of laws, the OP can consider--as you noted, Bro/Jerry-- simultaneous criminal and civil actions.

And lastly, you're absolutely right, Bro/Jerry: scammers appeal to what people want to hear, not what the facts actually portray. Also true in matters of the heart.

I learned a long time ago that when someone tries to give me that old, worn out line:"trust me", whether it be a used-car salesman, politician, religious leader, or anyone for that matter, DON'T.