A Bonneville County man who served as a leader in a local congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is expected to change his plea to guilty next month following charges that he gave naked massages to minors over the course of roughly a year.
Virgil Larson, 47, signed a plea agreement on May 26 to plead guilty to six amended counts of felony injury to a child. A formal plea change hearing is scheduled for July 6. The case drew significant community attention after multiple victims came forward within days of the initial report, ultimately totaling seven individuals.
How the Case Unfolded
The investigation began on July 3, 2024, when three minors told their ward bishop about the abuse. A Bonneville County sheriff’s deputy received the formal report that same day. Within less than a week — by July 9 — the number of known victims had grown to seven, including one individual who was 18 years old at the time.
Larson was interviewed by sheriff’s deputies on July 25, 2024. During that interview, he acknowledged giving massages to what he estimated were “possibly eight or nine people in the last year.” He had already been removed from his position as first counselor in the local LDS ward earlier that month, in July 2024.
Prosecutors initially charged Larson in September 2024 with five counts of felony sexual abuse of a child under 16. A sixth count was added in December 2024, bringing the total number of charges to six.
Plea Deal and Sentencing Outlook
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Larson will plead guilty to six amended counts of felony injury to a child rather than the original sexual abuse charges. The distinction carries significant legal consequences: the amended charges do not carry a sex offender registration requirement.
As part of the agreement, prosecutors agreed to recommend a suspended prison sentence and up to 30 years of probation — the maximum allowed. However, the sentencing agreement is non-binding, meaning the presiding judge is not obligated to follow the prosecution’s recommendation and retains full discretion over the final sentence.
The plea change is expected to be entered at the July 6 court date. No sentencing date has been publicly announced at this time.
Cases involving child abuse by trusted community figures — whether religious leaders, coaches, or family acquaintances — frequently draw intense public scrutiny, particularly when the accused held a position of spiritual authority over the victims or their families. Larson’s role as first counselor in a local ward placed him in a position of pastoral trust within the congregation before his removal.
The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office conducted the initial investigation, and the number of victims expanding so quickly — from three to seven in under a week — suggests the original report prompted additional victims to come forward once word of the investigation spread.
Crimes against children remain a top enforcement priority for law enforcement agencies throughout East Idaho. Bonneville County courts have seen a range of felony cases involving offenses against minors in recent months. An Idaho Falls man also faces felony charges after items were allegedly stolen from a Bonneville County storage unit, illustrating the range of serious criminal matters currently moving through the local court system.
What Comes Next
The immediate next step in the Larson case is the scheduled July 6 plea change hearing, at which Larson is expected to formally enter guilty pleas on all six amended felony counts. Once the plea is accepted by the court, the case will move into the sentencing phase.
While prosecutors have agreed to recommend a suspended sentence and 30 years of probation, the judge is free to impose a different sentence, up to and including active prison time. Victims and their families may have the opportunity to address the court during sentencing proceedings.
Because the amended charges do not trigger sex offender registration requirements, any sentence handed down will not automatically place Larson on Idaho’s sex offender registry — a point that may factor into public and victim response at sentencing. The community and court proceedings will be closely watched as the case moves toward resolution.