The city of Hildale, Utah – long one of the twin homes of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – has been selling land to people tied to the church at well below market value, according to an investigation from the Salt Lake Tribune.
The newspaper reports plots of city-owned land were sold in 2014 for just over $125,000, but were later assessed to be worth more than $1.25 million.
An officer of two of the corporations that have bought the land is currently one of the FLDS members on trial for food stamp fraud.
The land was sold as the U.S. Department of Justice took Hildale and neighboring Colorado City, Ariz. to court, alleging discrimination against non-members of the FLDS sect.
According to the Tribune's investigation, no public announcement exists that the land was for sale, and says the public was not able to bid on buying the land.
