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A man posing as an LDS marriage counselor has been charged with sexually abusing two of his patients in early November at his Midvale office.
Police say a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bishop in Utah County initially referred at least two couples to Arturo Tenorio, 57, of Kearns, for marriage counseling.
After the first few sessions, Tenorio asked the couples to come in individually. After a couple of solo sessions, police say, Tenorio inappropriately touched and talked to the women.
Midvale police Detective Jacob Cutright said after a short time, the bishop looked deeper into Tenorio's background. When he asked Tenorio if he had certification or a license, Tenorio responded that he couldn't find the documents at the time, Cutright said. The bishop then urged the women to contact law enforcement.
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has zero tolerance for abuse of any kind," church spokesman Scott Trotter said. "As soon as we became aware of these allegations, we encouraged the people to report it to the police."
Two counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse against Tenorio were filed Friday in 3rd District Court in West Jordan. He was arrested Monday and booked into Salt Lake County jail. He is being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond. He will have his initial appearance Wednesday morning.
Court documents state that Tenorio began asking one woman "graphic, sexually explicit questions unrelated to her marriage."
He then began to fondle her over and underneath clothing, the charges state.
Midvale police are asking other female clients of Tenorio to come forward.
"The pattern he showed with these two women was very similar and seemed very practiced, and I would assume there are other women," Cutright said.
The women told police that although they felt what Tenorio was doing was inappropriate, they put a lot trust in him and didn't immediately associate what he was doing as illegal.
Cutright said after his arrest, Tenorio told police he is a "coach," not a marriage counselor, and doesn't have the licensing or schooling to be a counselor. He saw clients at Vision Coaching and Consulting, 75 E. Fort Union Blvd.
Tenorio would speak at LDS chapels and firesides and afterward would talk to the bishop to offer his marriage-counseling services to couples.
Tenorio is the brother of Octaviano Tenorio, who is a member of the LDS Church's First Quorum of the Seventy.