Kingston Group

The Kingston Group, officially known as the Davis County Cooperative Society, is a polygamist fundamentalist Mormon sect founded in 1935 by Charles Elden Kingston in Salt Lake City, Utah. Also known simply as "The Order," the group practices plural marriage and maintains a closed community structure based on claimed divine revelations about bloodline purity and religious authority.

The organization operates extensive business enterprises including trucking companies, construction firms, and retail establishments, generating substantial revenue that allegedly supports the lifestyle of its leadership while rank-and-file members often live in poverty. Federal prosecutors and civil rights attorneys have characterized these arrangements as exploitative labor practices that violate modern employment laws.

In recent years, the Kingston Group has faced multiple federal lawsuits and criminal investigations related to allegations of child trafficking, forced marriage, and sexual abuse. Former members have testified about being coerced into marriages with close relatives, including uncles and cousins, as young as age 16. The group's leadership, particularly members of the Kingston family, have been accused of using religious authority to facilitate these practices.

The organization's insularity and rejection of outside legal authority have made it a target of law enforcement investigation, with several high-profile raids and prosecutions of Kingston Group leaders. Despite legal pressures, the group continues to operate and maintains several hundred members across Utah and surrounding states.