Federal Investigators Bust Mormon Missionary For Sexually Assaulting 14 Boys While On Mission Trip In Tonga
Federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania have arrested former Mormon Missionary William James Purdy on July 24th. They allege Purdy sexually abused several boys while on missionary trip in Tonga. He returned to the island nation as a “trustworthy teacher” and molested more children.
Purdy fled Tonga for Utah in March 2023 after Tongan authorities accused him of molesting 14 boys.
The indictment says Purdy groomed and manipulated his minor victims and their parents. Parents trusted him when he was serving as a Mormon missionary. However, he took advantage of their goodwill and the fact that he was a member of the church.
Purdy is attending law school in Pittsburgh and interning at a law firm.
On July 16th, a federal grand jury in Utah indicted Purdy on two counts of sexual exploitation of children. In addition, the federal grand jury indicted on one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual contact.
U.S. And Tongan Authorities Allege Purdy Raped 14 Tongan Boys From 2017 Through 2023
Purdy first traveled to Tonga for a mission trip with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2017.
Purdy lived in remote, geographically isolated island chains that required a full-day boat trip to visit. There, he raped four boys, some as young as 8, mostly on church property.
Purdy groomed children by giving them electronic toys, money and phones. In 2019, he visited Tonga again as a teacher in Nuku’alofa.
He groomed and sexually molested multiple students including some who lived with Purdy. While teaching in Tonga, Purdy stayed in different apartments while teaching in Tonga. Tongan authorities say he secretly recorded boys in his bathroom.
In October 2022, an 8-year-old boy revealed that Purdy was sexually assaulting him. Tongan authorities arrested Purdy and detained him. Following his release from jail, he is accused of more sexual assaults against children in Tonga.
Purdy was due in court for a trial in Tonga related to the sex abuse. However, but he escaped the country under a different identity. He stole the identity of a mentally disabled Tongan man and obtained a passport in his name.
Security footage captured Purdy holding the passport at the Fuaʻamotu International Airport in Tongatapu, Tonga.
In the motion, prosecutors wrote Purdy “preyed upon boys in remote communities. Purdy chose boys who were unlikely to speak out about this abuse because of their conservative, religious culture. Also, they would be afraid to speck out due to the stigma associated with male-on-male sexual abuse in their community.
Tongan authorities still have a warrant pending against Purdy in Tonga. They argue he is a serious danger to the public.
