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ST. GEORGE — Seth Jeffs, one of 11 Fundamentalist LDS Church leaders facing accusations in a food stamp fraud case, was extradited Thursday from South Dakota to Utah, federal prosecutors said.
Jeffs, the brother of well-known imprisoned FLDS leader Warren Jeffs, will be arraigned Monday in federal court in St. George on charges of conspiracy to commit Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He will appear before U.S. District Judge Robert Braithwaite in a 1 p.m. hearing, said U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman Melodie Rydalch.
Among other accusations, prosecutors said in an indictment filed last month that Seth Jeffs and other leaders directed lawful food stamps recipients, who are FLDS Church members, to buy items strictly for the purpose of diverting them to the church's storehouse.
A federal judge in South Dakota ordered on Feb. 29 that Jeffs be extradited to Utah. Jeffs was also deemed a flight risk at that hearing and was denied release from custody.
