Federal Suit Alleges Church Facilitated Trafficking of Minor
A lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington in 2025 claims that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and senior leaders knowingly assisted in the international trafficking of a minor. The complaint asserts that church funds were utilized to transport a convicted sex offender and a young child to a mission residence in Madrid, Spain, where the child was subsequently groomed and sexually abused.
Defendants Named in Complaint
The filing, submitted by parents Brandon and Heidi Bussey on behalf of a minor identified as H.B., lists the Church, Mission Presidents Philip and Cathy Bussey, Bishop Thayne Lyman, and the alleged perpetrator, Paydan Bussey, as defendants. The plaintiffs allege violations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, contending that the defendants recruited, harbored, and transported the child for sexual exploitation in order to safeguard the Church’s reputation and financial interests.
2019 Trip to Madrid
Court documents indicate the allegations concern a trip to Spain in December 2019. At that time, Philip and Cathy Bussey were serving as Mission Presidents, a senior leadership position, and residing in a home owned by the Church. The complaint states that the couple invited the minor victim and the perpetrator to spend Christmas at the mission home, noting that all tickets were purchased and paid for by the Church. The filing alleges that the defendants were aware Paydan Bussey was a registered sex offender with a 2012 conviction for abusing a minor. While inside the mission home, the complaint alleges the perpetrator began grooming the child and touching him over his clothing.
Ordained While on the Registry
The plaintiffs argue the Church's negligence began in 2015. According to the complaint, Paydan Bussey met with Bishop Thayne Lyman to be ordained into the priesthood while still listed on sex offender registries in both Washington and Utah. The suit asserts that Lyman proceeded with the ordination, a decision that granted the perpetrator authority, leadership, and unrestricted access to children. The plaintiffs contend this validation allowed the individual to victimize the minor for nearly a decade.
Institutional Cover-Up and the “Helpline”
The lawsuit alleges the defendants engaged in a coordinated effort to conceal the perpetrator's history to ensure Philip Bussey’s advancement to Mission President and later Stake Patriarch. The complaint asserts that the Church prioritizes its wealth and reputation over child safety, citing the use of the institution's internal “Helpline.”
Alleged Pattern of Abuse
The complaint details a history of abuse, alleging the perpetrator used blankets and sheets—purchased by the Mission Presidents via Church funds—to construct structures where he would isolate the child. The alleged abuse escalated from fondling to forced oral copulation and continued until May 2023, when the victim was eight years old. The perpetrator faces criminal charges in Utah, including three counts of sodomy on a child and one count of kidnapping.
Damages Sought
The plaintiffs are seeking damages for physical and emotional suffering, along with punitive damages, arguing the Church’s actions were malicious and willful. They contend that the institution sacrificed a child to maintain the appearance of a perfect leadership family.
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