Former Mormon Bishop Accused of Trying to Lure Teens

USA Today
February 4, 2014

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/24/mormon-bishop-sex-crime/4829127/

[with video]

MESA, Ariz. — Technology made it possible for a man to abuse teenage victims thousands of miles away, but it also left a digital trail that eventually resulted in his arrest, police said.

Michael Wayne Coleman, 53, was arrested Jan. 16 and accused of luring a minor for sexual exploitation after a forensic examination of a laptop computer and cellphone uncovered sexually graphic conversations and an exchange of nude photographs with a 17-year-old student in Brazil, said Detective Steve Berry, a Mesa police spokesman.

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Police praised Educatius International, a company that primarily arranges for foreign-exchange students to study in the United States, for seizing a company-issued laptop and cellphone from Coleman immediately after it received a complaint from a 16-year-old student.

The teenage boy complained that Coleman, then a regional manager for the company, "asked for a hug and kiss during a Facebook chat session," according to court documents. The comment made the student feel "very uncomfortable."

He reported it to his host family, which contacted Educatius.

A top company official flew to Arizona, seized the electronic devices from Coleman on Oct. 30 and suspended him, said David Leibowitz, a company spokesman. He said Educatius fired Coleman after a review of the devices turned up inappropriate communications.

"When you are a business where you work with students, you work with minors, that's a responsibility you take very seriously,'' Leibowitz said. "The police investigation was initiated by Educatius making the report.''

The police investigation began Nov. 2, and Berry said the forensic analysis was time-consuming as detectives traced digital conversations.

Coleman was a Mormon bishop when the investigation started but has since been relieved of that post, Berry said.

"We've all got smartphones, laptops and tablets. The Internet can make a very large world very small," he said.

Police are concerned about the possibility of additional victims because of Coleman's access to minors through his work and through the church, but Coleman has not been accused of any additional crimes.

"The company certainly acted swiftly. Not only was he suspended, but his cellphone and computer were seized immediately," Berry said, potentially preserving vital evidence. "The action they took could certainly stop harm from happening to other juveniles."

Eric Hawkins, a Mormon Church spokesman, said the church took immediate action against Coleman.

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has zero tolerance for abuse of any kind," Hawkins said in a prepared statement.

"Any person who engages in abuse is rightfully subject to both legal prosecution and formal church discipline. When the church became aware of these charges, Coleman was released as a bishop to allow him to attend to legal proceedings."

Technology only makes these connections easier, whether it's e-mail, pornographic images or, in this case, using a laptop to Skype, Berry said. Detectives examining the laptop found Skype names and were able to learn in January that Coleman was corresponding with another 17-year-old boy in Brazil. The luring charge stems from those discussions.

Coleman mentioned during the conversations how their relationship "would reflect negatively on his church and his family," according to the court document. He discussed leaving his family and going to Brazil or having the boy live in his house as a foreign-exchange student.

"During the sexually graphic conversations, it appeared the student and Coleman exchanged nude photographs with each other," the document said. "Coleman also discussed his fear of being caught and the possibility of going to prison."