One wonders what kind of a mission he was serving that he was able to lure kids to his apartment.A former Mormon missionary has been arrested in Pittsburgh for allegedly sexually abusing at least 14 young boys while serving in Tonga before attempting to escape justice by fleeing the country using a fake identity.
William James Purdy, 28, of West Valley, Utah, was taken into custody Thursday following a federal indictment handed down July 16, the Department of Justice announced.
Purdy allegedly lured boys into his apartment with gifts including electronic devices, toys, food and money - before exploiting them for sexual exchanges.
Purdy first traveled to the Pacific Island nation in 2017 to serve his mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
But instead of spreading his mission, Prosecutors claim he groomed and sexually abused multiple underage boys over the course of several years,
After his mission ended, Purdy returned to Tonga in 2019 to work as a teacher in the capital city of Nuku'alofa.
The Church has now expanded missions so that older, single men can now serve. Inspired.'The defendant in this case chose to travel abroad under the guise of good intentions and then sexually exploited and abused children who had been trusted to his care,' said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti of the Justice Department's Criminal Division.
'When foreign authorities sought to hold him accountable, he fled back to the United States. The United States will not export child exploitation. The Justice Department is committed to securing justice for children exploited overseas when these heinous acts are committed by Americans.'
For reference
According to court documents, Purdy, a U.S. Citizen, traveled to Tonga in 2017 for his mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While there, he allegedly sexually abused multiple minor boys. Purdy returned to Tonga in late 2019 to teach at a school in Nuku’alofa, Tonga. For years, Purdy allegedly groomed and sexually abused numerous male students, some of whom lived with him. Purdy allegedly provided gifts, including electronic devices and access to the internet, food, toys, and money, in exchange for the performance of sexual acts. Purdy is also alleged to have surreptitiously recorded minor males in his bathroom at his various Tonga apartments.
