Kingston Order / Davis County Cooperative (Latter-Day Church of Christ)
Polygamist sect of fundamentalist Mormons headquartered in Davis County, Utah. Distinctive teaching of 'pure blood' that has produced documented systematic incest. Multiple federal and state investigations including the 2020 federal $511M tax-fraud sentence of leader Jacob Kingston for biofuel tax-credit fraud.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
+2 for documented incest doctrine, child marriages, and substantial financial exploitation.
Profile facts
In context
The Kingston Order, formally the Latter-Day Church of Christ, is one of the largest fundamentalist Mormon polygamist groups (≈3,500 members). Its 'family relations' doctrine has produced systematic documented incest — Mary Mackert's 'Polygamist's Daughter' and Amanda Grace Sims's testimony are key sources. The 2018–20 federal Washakie Renewable Energy biofuel-credit fraud case ended in Jacob Kingston's $511M sentence — the largest federal renewable-energy fraud conviction in US history.
History
Founded by Charles Elden Kingston after his 1929 break with the mainstream LDS Church. The 2020 federal biofuel-fraud case represents one of the largest financial scandals connected to a US polygamist sect.
Key control doctrines
- 'Pure blood' family-relations doctrine producing documented incest
- Polygamous plural marriage
- Total surrender of property and labour to community businesses
Recovery resources
- Holding Out Help (Utah) — Utah-based direct services for people leaving Mormon-fundamentalist polygamist groups — housing, education, employment, and family support.
- Sound Choices Coalition — Ex-FLDS-founded advocacy supporting women and children leaving fundamentalist polygamous communities; serves Kingston exits.
- Cherish Families — Support for families and children from fundamentalist polygamist groups; Utah / Arizona focus.
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory; relevant for the financial-control and incest-disclosure recovery dimensions.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; family-side exit guidance and BITE-model resources.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Notable public ex-members
- Mary Mackert
- Amanda Grace Sims
- Multiple federal-case witnesses
Legal cases & controversies
- USA v. Jacob Kingston (2020, $511M biofuel fraud)
- Multiple state child-welfare and polygamy investigations
Evidence by BITE axis
- Documented systematic incest
- Child marriages of girls as young as 14
- Total surrender of property to community businesses
- Members work without standard wages in community businesses
- Outside contact restricted
- Aggressive litigation and political influence in Utah
- Internal abuse allegations historically suppressed
- Kingston family as divinely chosen lineage
- 'Pure blood' doctrine framing intra-family marriage as spiritual progress
- Outside world framed as fallen
- Severance from ex-member family
- Forced marriages of teenage girls to older relatives
- Fear of damnation reinforces obedience
Lifton's 8 criteria of thought reform
Robert Jay Lifton's 1961 framework, complementary to BITE. Criteria this group exhibits according to the cited sources.
- Demand for PuritySharp world split into pure vs impure; relentless pressure to conform to an absolute standard.
Timeline
- 1935Charles Elden Kingston organises the group
- 1948Davis County Cooperative incorporated
- 2020Jacob Kingston sentenced to 18 years for $511M biofuel fraud
Evidence matrix
Structured sources cross-linked to the claims they document. Tiered per the source hierarchy. For free-text citations see the Sources section below.
Sources
- Mary Mackert, 'The Polygamist's Daughter' (1998) search ↗
- Amanda Grace Sims, 'Sister Wife' (2010) search ↗
- USA v. Jacob Kingston et al. (2020) search ↗
- Escaping polygamy and the Kingston clan: Whistleblower Mary Nelson on escaping sect known as The Order - CBS News — https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kingston-clan-blowing-the-whistle-at-23-escaping-polygamy/ open ↗
- Clan leader pleads guilty to incest — https://www.chicagotribune.com/2003/11/07/clan-leader-pleads-guilty-to-incest/ open ↗
- Origins and Development of the Church of the Firstborn of the Fullness of Times — https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/5228/ open ↗
- Utah polygamist sect accused of indoctrination, rape and child marriage — https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/19/utah-polygamy-sect-kingston-group-lawsuit open ↗
- The Lion, the Polygamist, and the Biofuel Scam — https://www.wired.com/story/lion-polygamist-and-biofuel-scam/ open ↗
- Utah trial featuring a prominent member of polygamist sect and an L.A. businessman has wide implications — https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-02-16/utah-trial-of-prominent-member-of-secretive-polygamist-sect-and-a-los-angeles-businessman-has-international-implications open ↗
- Donald Trump Jr. appeared in promotion for gun company run by prominent member of polygamous group - CBS News — https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-jr-desert-tech-riles-promotion-nicholas-young-the-order-polygamous-group-utah/ open ↗
- Flucht vor Inzest und Gewalt: Aussteiger aus einer polygamen Sekte erzählen. — https://www.vice.com/de/article/flucht-vor-inzest-und-gewalt-aussteiger-aus-einer-polygamen-sekte-erzaehlen/ open ↗
- Office of Public Affairs | Los Angeles Businessman, Utah Fuel Plant Operators and Employees Sentenced to Prison for Billion-Dollar Biofuel Tax Fraud Scheme — https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/los-angeles-businessman-utah-fuel-plant-operators-and-employees-sentenced-prison-billion open ↗
- I'm a Person, and I Deserve More': What It's Like to Escape a Polygamous Cult. — https://www.vice.com/en/article/im-a-person-and-i-deserve-more-what-its-like-to-escape-a-polygamous-cult/ open ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-22Phase 1 Batch A: recovery resources expanded from 2 entries to 5 verified entries. Added Sound Choices Coalition, Cherish Families, Freedom of Mind alongside existing Holding Out Help and ICSA.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Key terms in this profile
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
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Frequently asked questions
Q.Is Kingston Order / Davis County Cooperative a cult?
CLCI Hub deliberately avoids the binary label "cult." Instead it places groups on a transparent 0–40 spectrum of documented control using Steven Hassan's BITE model (Behaviour, Information, Thought, Emotional). Kingston Order / Davis County Cooperative scores 35 out of 40 — "Destructive / Extreme", at high confidence. The score describes documented control patterns, not a judgement of members' sincerity or beliefs; many members do not personally experience the patterns listed.
Q.What is Kingston Order / Davis County Cooperative's CLCI score?
Kingston Order / Davis County Cooperative scores 35 out of 40 on the Cult-Like Control Index, which falls in the "Extreme" band. That total is the sum of four BITE axes — Behaviour 9, Information 8, Thought 8, Emotional 8 — plus a signed modifier of +2 for aggravating or mitigating factors.
Q.Why does Kingston Order / Davis County Cooperative score 35 on the CLCI?
The score reflects publicly documented patterns including: Documented systematic incest under 'pure blood' doctrine; Child marriages of girls as young as 14; Major federal tax-fraud convictions (Jacob Kingston 2020); Total surrender of property to community businesses. These map onto the BITE axes of behaviour, information, thought, and emotional control, and a signed modifier of +2 is applied for factors such as financial demands, leadership accountability, and exit costs. Every claim is backed by the citations in the Sources section on this page.
Q.How reliable is the Kingston Order / Davis County Cooperative rating?
This profile is rated High confidence. High confidence means the score is backed by court records, academic work, and/or sustained investigative journalism. CLCI scores are not fixed — they are revised whenever new public evidence appears, and groups that reform can score lower over time.
Q.Where can I get help regarding Kingston Order / Davis County Cooperative?
If you or someone you care about is affected by Kingston Order / Davis County Cooperative, start with the Recovery resources listed on this page. General cult-aware support is available from the International Cultic Studies Association (icsahome.com) and the Freedom of Mind Resource Center (freedomofmind.com). CLCI Hub is an educational resource, not a crisis service — if anyone is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services.
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