A new woman has stepped forward in Salt Lake City, saying Wade Christofferson abused her when she was a teenager and that she reported the conduct to her Latter-day Saint bishop at the time. Christofferson is the brother of LDS apostle D. Todd Christofferson, and the church has now issued a statement spelling out what the apostle knew and when. Her account is emerging as part of a broader federal case that first surfaced last fall.
Accuser Says She Went to Her Bishop as a Teen
The woman told reporters she went to her bishop in her youth to disclose the alleged abuse. Despite that, she says, Wade Christofferson later served in a bishopric and in other church callings. She explains that she chose to go public only after learning there were additional alleged victims. Her account is detailed by The Salt Lake Tribune.
Federal Charges Lay Out Graphic Allegations
Federal charging documents unsealed last November accuse Wade S. Christofferson of attempting to sexually exploit a minor and of coercion and enticement. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, those filings describe sexually explicit FaceTime calls, coded letters to a Utah victim, and a child-sized crawl space in his Ohio home. Christofferson was arrested in Utah on Nov. 20, 2025, and prosecutors say he will be extradited to the Southern District of Ohio to face the federal charges.
Church Details What the Apostle Knew and When
A spokesperson for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints told the Chicago Sun-Times that President D. Todd Christofferson first learned of some of his brother’s history “around 2020” through a disclosure within the family. According to that statement, he “respected the adult victims’ wishes not to involve law enforcement” at that time. Church officials also say that when the apostle learned late last year of an allegation involving a child, he contacted legal authorities within hours, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Survivors Track Timelines and Church Assignments
Timelines assembled by reporters and publicly available databases indicate that Wade Christofferson was excommunicated in the 1990s and rebaptized in the late 1990s. He was later assigned to multiple bishoprics and stake callings that survivors say gave him renewed access to young people. Those timelines also include survivor reports that an annotation designed to prevent him from holding leadership roles was removed, and that he served in bishoprics from roughly 2006 to 2011 and again from 2016 to 2019. These details are documented by the research site Floodlit and survivor accounts.
Prosecutors Cite Evidence of Additional Church Victims
Prosecutors have told judges they have evidence that “reflects additional victims at church where he held leadership roles.” That emerging timeline has sharpened scrutiny on how and when church leaders handled earlier reports, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Survivors and advocates say the case highlights long-standing questions about membership annotations, rebaptism, and the church’s internal disciplinary practices.
Case Status, Extradition and What Comes Next
Christofferson remains in custody, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office says he is expected to be extradited to Ohio to face the federal case. The FBI’s child-exploitation task force is among the agencies involved, according to official statements. As the court process moves forward, both the criminal case and any potential civil actions could bring new information to light and intensify scrutiny of church policies and local handling of complaints. U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Ohio.
Survivors and local advocates say they hope the new accuser’s decision to speak publicly will encourage others to come forward and push institutions toward clearer protections. Church officials reiterated to reporters that the faith “strongly condemns and does not tolerate abuse,” and the unfolding case is expected to keep attention fixed on how ecclesiastical discipline intersects with reporting to law enforcement as courts review the evidence, as per the Chicago Sun-Times.
