A West Valley City man was arrested Thursday on charges related to sexually exploiting minors in Tonga while working as a teacher in the Polynesian country.
William James Purdy, 28, of West Valley, was indicted in Pennsylvania on July 16 for allegedly abusing minor boys in Tonga, where he traveled in 2017 to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; while there he allegedly sexually abused ”multiple minor boys,” according to a press release by the U.S. Department of Justice. Purdy apparently returned to the island country in 2019, where he taught at a school in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, and allegedly “groomed and sexually abused” boys.
“The defendant in this case chose to travel abroad under the guise of good intentions and then sexually exploited and abused children who had been trusted to his care,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said in a post on social media.
“When foreign authorities sought to hold him accountable, he fled back to the United States. The United States will not export child exploitation. The Justice Department is committed to securing justice for children exploited overseas when these heinous acts are committed by Americans.”
The Justice Department has identified 14 victims in its investigation so far. Purdy was initially arrested in 2022 by Tonga police after an 8-year-old boy said Purdy had sexually assaulted him during tutoring sessions. When Purdy was released from jail pending trial, he allegedly continued to sexually abuse children. In March 2023, just prior to his scheduled trial, Purdy fled Tonga using an assumed identity and returned to Utah.
For decades leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have decried abuse.
“As President of the Church, I affirm the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ on [abuse],” said President Russell M. Nelson in October 2022. “Let me be perfectly clear: Any kind of abuse of women, children or anyone is an abomination to the Lord.
“He grieves and I grieve whenever anyone is harmed. He mourns, and we all mourn, for each person who has fallen victim to abuse of any kind. Those who perpetrate these hideous acts are not only accountable to the laws of man, but will also face the wrath of Almighty God.”
According to a statement published on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, the church “has a zero-tolerance policy” when it comes to abuse. “This means that if we learn of abuse, we cooperate with civil authorities to report and investigate the abuse,” according to a statement titled, “How the church approaches abuse.”
“As followers of Jesus Christ, we condemn abuse in any form. Abuse is a serious public health concern and is against the law in many countries,” according to the statement. “It is also forbidden by the commandments of God. No one should abuse another, and no one should have to endure abuse.”