A former Chicago area Mormon church figure who was excommunicated in the 1990s over allegations of child sexual abuse — and quickly reinstated by the faith group, and allowed to serve as a member and leader in an Ohio congregation — pleaded guilty Thursday in a criminal case that accused him of molesting two other children more recently.
Wade Christofferson, 73, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Columbus, Ohio, to coercion and enticement of a minor, which carries a sentence of at least 10 years in prison, and up to a life term.
He’s expected to be sentenced by Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr. at a later date. If Christofferson ever gets out of custody he will have to register as a sex offender, per the plea agreement.
An attorney for Christofferson couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Arrested in November, Christofferson was accused in court records of molesting an Ohio child 15 to 20 times.
He “also allegedly engaged in a sexually explicit FaceTime call with a second minor victim and sent coded letters to her Utah home that referenced sexual activity,” federal prosecutors alleged. “Christofferson also committed hands-on sexual abuse of that child as well.”
Some if not all of the misconduct occurred in 2025, records show.
The victims were 10 or under.
Beyond the horror of the accusations, the case spurred questions about how seriously the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — the formal name for the Mormon institution — handles child sex abuse allegations and whether offenders are sometimes shown deference over accusers.
Christofferson’s brother, D. Todd Christofferson, is a top Mormon leader in Utah where the faith system is based. He acknowledged this year through a church spokesman that he learned in or about 2020 that his brother may have molested children many years earlier and didn’t notify police or child welfare authorities.
With those accusers grown, D. Todd Christofferson “respected the adult victims’ wishes not to involve law enforcement at that time,” the spokesman has said.
Wade Christofferson’s more-recent abuse involving other victims didn’t occur on church grounds and wasn’t directly related to church activities, according to records and interviews. However, court records show his cell phone was examined around the time of his arrest and the online history included the search: “in Ohio do clergy have to report child abuse confessions”?
Court records say he also texted the father of one of his victims in November, saying: “I am deeply sorry for what I have done and will be meeting with my bishop to start the repentance process.”
While the Latter-day Saints has, much like the Catholic church, adopted child safety protocols to prevent abuse and deal with a sexual abuse crisis within the ranks, transparency is seen as a key part of prevention and accountability, according to experts.
If there’s an abuse allegation made against a Catholic priest in Chicago, the cleric is immediately pulled from public ministry and the parish and public are informed about the accusation while investigations are conducted. Once they’re concluded, the public is also informed of the outcome.
Most major arms of the Catholic church maintain public online registries of credibly accused clergy, but the Mormon church doesn’t have anything similar for its members and leaders — even though public records and news stories show sexual misconduct is a significant problem.
While attending and serving at a Latter-day Saints congregation in far northwest suburban Crystal Lake in the mid-1990s, Wade Christofferson was “excommunicated” over allegations of child sexual abuse, as the Chicago Sun-Times has reported.
Not long after, he was allowed to be “rebaptized.” He moved to Ohio and resumed active participation in a Mormon community there, where he also became a leader.
Neither the Crystal Lake community nor the Ohio congregation apparently were ever told of the past misconduct.