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Former LDS bishop from Lehi formally charged with sexual abuse, exploiting a prostitute

By Stacy Johnson daily Herald - | Feb 26, 2019

An additional charge of forcible sexual abuse was filed against a Lehi man arrested as part of an undercover operation into human trafficking.

According to charges filed Monday in Provo’s 4th District Court, David Moss is facing one count of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony, as well as the third-degree felony of exploiting a prostitute and two misdemeanor counts of patronizing a prostitute and lewdness, announced at the time of his arrest.

Moss, 51, who was serving as a bishop of a Lehi ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the time of his arrest, reportedly communicated through text message on Feb. 14 with a person he believed to be a prostitute, but was actually an undercover police officer.

Charging documents state that Moss arranged to meet with the undercover officer and her friend and “engage in sexual activity, for which he was willing to pay cash.”

Police report that Moss also offered to be the undercover officer’s manager for a cut of her profits. He promised to provide protection and to help ensure that she maintain regular, high-paying customers. Moss also reportedly told the undercover officer that he would teach her how to avoid being arrested.

Moss met with two undercover officers at a Lehi hotel room, according to charging documents, and Moss reportedly again offered his managing services to the undercover officer. He reportedly demonstrated how to detect if the person was a police officer, which included grabbing the hand of the officer and placing it over his genitalia, over his clothes, the charging documents state.

Officers reported that Moss again offered to pay for sexual acts, but said that he first wanted to make sure that the undercover officer was not with the police. Charging documents state that he then unzipped his pants and exposed himself to both women and tried to have the undercover officer touch him.

Moss was released after posting a $10,600 bail.

Moss was previously employed as a lieutenant with the St. George Police Department where he supervised the vice squad, according to the UCSO. At the time of his arrest, Moss was a bishop for the Mill Pond Ward for the LDS Church, according to information on http://lds.org. He has since been released from that service by the church.

The arrest was made as part of an undercover operation by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office’s Special Victims Unit and the Lehi Police Department targeting human and sex trafficking. The operation was in part funded through the Adobe Foundation, who helped pay for equipment, training and expenses for the operation. The undercover operation has netted 41 arrests so far.

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