A West Valley City man is facing serious charges after being accused of a several-year-long span of sexual abuse against minors while on a missionary trip and later while teaching in Tonga. William James Purdy, 28, was indicted on July 16 and captured on Thursday in Pittsburgh, PA, according to FOX13.
The Department of Justice has detailed allegations that include that Purdy sexually abused "multiple minor boys" during his time as a Latter-day Saint missionary starting in 2017 and while teaching at a school upon his return to Tonga in late 2019. KSL reports, "Purdy allegedly groomed and sexually abused numerous male students, some of whom lived with him," and he provided them gifts like electronic devices, food, toys, and money in exchange for sexual acts.
Additional charges against Purdy include the possession and transfer of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), discovered on his computer during a search of his residence in West Valley City. He is also accused of sending sexual images of himself to minor victims and engaging in deceptive practices to lure a child into meeting him. In a statement that cut through the court's legalese and laid bare the depth of the betrayal, ABC4 quoted the indictment, saying, "He took a great risk in molesting these boys in small, close-knit Tongan communities... took a great risk trying to sponsor a minor victim on a student visa and bring the sexual abuse back home to United States."
Purdy is scheduled to be transferred to Utah to face the federal charges slapped against him. Authorities underscore the gravity of Purdy's actions, stressing the apparent lengths he went to conceal his crimes and continue them, even after being confronted. Interestingly, despite the indictment and the burgeoning evidence, no bail conditions were deemed sufficient to prevent further risks to the community or to ensure Purdy's presence at trial. A chilling footnote to this is the assertion made by law enforcement that there exists no combination of bail conditions that would adequately protect the community or prevent Purdy from fleeing, as shared by ABC4.
