Church leader expected to plead guilty after giving naked massages to minors
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CHUBBUCK — A church leader is expected to plead guilty to allegations of giving children naked massages in exchange for getting an amended charge that would not require him to register as a sex offender.
Virgil Larson, 47, was initially charged in September 2024 with five counts of felony sexual abuse of a child under 16 years of age.
In December 2024, he was charged with an additional count, bringing the total to six.
According to court records, Larson signed a plea agreement on May 26, agreeing to instead plead guilty to six amended counts of felony injury to a child. Those charges do not require Larson to register as a sex offender.
At his sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled, both parties will be able to argue for an underlying prison sentence, but the prosecution has agreed to recommend that the prison sentence be suspended, and that Larson be given nothing harsher than 30 years of probation.
The agreement is non-binding, meaning the court is not required to follow the parties’ recommendations and may sentence Larson to whatever the judge deems just.
Larson is expected to change his plea on July 6.
EastIdahoNews.com reached out to Larson’s defense attorney, Stratton Laggis, for a comment, but we have not heard back. If we receive a statement, we will update this article.
The case
On July 3, 2024, a Bannock County Sheriff’s deputy was told of a possible sexual abuse case after “several boys had possibly been touched inappropriately by a neighbor and church leader who was giving them massages.”
Court documents say Larson was the first counselor in the leadership of his local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ward.
EastIdahoNews.com reached out to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ media relations to ask whether Larson was still in his role at the church, but we have not heard back. We will update if we receive a response.
Three minors reported the abuse to their ward bishop. The sheriff’s office learned about the abuse from the Kirton McConkie Law Office in Lehi, Utah, which represents the church, according to police reports.
The law office disclosed the information to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
When being interviewed by officers, Larson claimed he currently worked in finance but stated he “initially worked for a physical therapist and thought that was what he wanted to do before he settled on finance. ”
The victims stated that “the massages were done on the naked body, focusing on the buttocks.”
On July 5, a woman met with a deputy and reported that Larson had been massaging her son. According to police reports, she “did not think anything of it since (Larson) is a trusted individual with the church. ”
According to the woman, Larson picked up her son from their home and took him to his home for a massage.
When they arrived, they entered a bedroom with a massage table, and Larson reportedly locked the door. According to court documents, the victim “got scared and started praying.”
Larson reportedly requested that the child take off all of his clothes because “it was better to have skin-to-skin contact during the massage.”
By July 9, four more victims had come forward, bringing the total to seven victims, one of whom was 18 years old.
Another victim reported he “consistently receives text messages from (Larson).”
One also claimed Larson was often “out of breath” during the massages.
Victims reported that no sexual conversations were had during the massages, and Larson would “only talk about basketball, golf or how the day was going.” However, one victim reported Larson had taken a photo of him on the massage table to show the bruising on his back.
One victim reported a different situation, where Larson had taken him to Gold’s Gym and reportedly exposed his genitalia to him mid-conversation while in the locker room.
On July 25, Larson was interviewed by deputies and reportedly admitted he has no formal education in physical therapy but said he had financial clients who were massage therapists and had taken his child to physical therapy sessions.
Larson claimed two of his relatives have physical ailments, so he researched on the internet to find ways to help them, which led him to buy a massage table.
When asked how many people he had massaged outside his family, Larson said, “Possibly eight or nine people in the last year.”
He then allegedly began telling the deputy about a boy he had massaged, who had already identified themselves as a victim. Larson said the victim’s parents were aware of the massaging and denied any touching of the victim’s private areas.
When asked if he had accidentally touched any of the minor’s private areas, Larson reportedly stated he “could not recall or not that he was aware of.”
He later admitted that there “may have been times when (the victim’s genitalia) were covered with a towel and as he pushed on an area of the body, it would move, and the covered genitalia would touch his hand,” but stated there was “no intention.”
Larson then told the deputy about many of the victims, telling very similar stories to the reports against him, but saying that he couldn’t identify if any of them were minors.
When asked if the parents of the victims knew that “their children were going to be nude at his residence and that he was going to be massaging their glutes,” Larson reportedly stated he felt it was “understood” but did not “specifically have those conversations with the parents.”
He also reportedly claimed the massages “were not sexual to him.”