Wade Christofferson knows he’s going to federal prison for at least 10 years.

The 73-year-old brother of a leading apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints knew that when he pleaded guilty this summer to a felony that carries that sentence as a required minimum.

But an Ohio federal judge could hand down a longer sentence — potentially keeping Christofferson in prison for the rest of his life. With his sentencing set for next week, his attorney is asking U.S. District Judge Edmund Sargus for leniency.

Christofferson admitted in plea agreement documents to sexually abusing two girls, one in Ohio and another in Utah. He pleaded guilty to coercing and exploiting the Utah girl through sexually explicit letters and phone calls.

His attorney, Darren Meade, noted in a court filing this week that Christofferson is in his 70s, has never been convicted of a crime and has a chronic joint disease and other health issues. At Christofferson’s age, Meade wrote, a lengthy prison sentence “represents a profound loss of liberty.”

“Age and deteriorating mobility neither excuse his conduct nor diminish the need for protection,” Meade wrote, “but they bear directly on the actual severity of the punishment and on whether an otherwise extremely long sentence would be greater than necessary.”

The defense attorney emphasized in his court filing that Christofferson is not trying to minimize the wrongfulness of what he did or the trauma inflicted on the victims and their families. He asked for a prison term below federal sentencing guidelines but did not specify how many years. He also asked that the judge not impose a hefty fine.

Federal prosecutors had not filed their own sentencing memorandum as of Friday, so it’s unclear what sentence they will seek.

Christofferson is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday in an Ohio courtroom.

Pleading his case

Christofferson’s attorney also sent the judge a handful of letters from those who support him, including his brother, Greg Christofferson, fellow Latter-day Saints and his wife.

His brother-in-law, Joseph Moody, signed his letter noting his own affiliation with church-owned Brigham Young University as a professor emeritus of astrophysics. Moody wrote that he understands and respects the law and hopes Christofferson can receive counseling to “restore him to who he really is as shown by how he has acted for nearly all his life.”

“I do pray,” Moody wrote, " … that there might be some mercy for a good man, who I am confident, will rise from his transgressions if given the chance."

These types of support letters are common in criminal cases. At times, Latter-day Saint bishops and other people connected to the church have vouched for defendants accused of serious crimes — even as the church itself has discouraged such interventions as potentially harmful. Experts say support letters like these can cause feelings of betrayal for not only victims but also the wider church community.

Christofferson’s older brother is D. Todd Christofferson, who is a member of the faith’s governing First Presidency.

The Salt Lake City-based church has said that the apostle did not learn about any abuse allegations against his sibling until sometime in 2020-21.

“That matter involved abuse from decades earlier that was denied,” a church spokesperson said in a statement. “Consistent with respect for adult survivor rights and a request for privacy … he did not take independent public action.”

When the church leader learned “late last year” of the recent abuse that led to the federal charge, the statement added, he “reported it to legal authorities within hours.”

“Child abuse is inexcusable,” the statement said. “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is committed to preventing, reporting and addressing abuse.”

How the latest case began

According to “a statement of facts” in his plea agreement, Wade Christofferson was FaceTiming with the Utah girl last November, when her father overheard him asking her to see “snow” and “friends.”

After Christofferson’s request, the girl went into a bathroom closet and closed the door. Her father opened the door a few seconds later, the statement says, and found the girl lifting up her shirt to the camera.

Police started investigating a week later after a man in Ohio — who knew about the Utah phone call — reported that Christofferson had also sexually abused his daughter.

Christofferson, prosecutors said in their news release, admitted to “hands-on sexual abuse of the child in Utah and the second victim in Ohio approximately 20 times.”

The Utah girl told her father, and later investigators, that Christofferson had taught her code words, and that “friends” meant “nipples” and “snow” referenced her genitals. The father told investigators that Christofferson had been sending his daughter letters over the past six months that used these and other sexual “code words.”

The Salt Lake Tribune generally does not identify alleged sexual assault victims and is not specifying how Christofferson knew the two girls in an effort to protect their privacy.

Police in Dublin, Ohio, where Christofferson lives, searched his home in November, and a review of his phone allegedly revealed a search history for criminal defense attorneys in Ohio and Utah, as well as the phrase, “In Ohio do clergy have to report child abuse confessions.”

Prosecutors also initially alleged that Christofferson had searched online regarding leaving the United States, but his defense attorney clarified in his sentencing memo that the search happened in 2023 before he was charged — and was related to a planned family vacation to England and Denmark.