Bountiful is a settlement in the Creston Valley of southeastern British Columbia, Canada, near Cranbrook and Creston. The closest community is Lister, British Columbia. Bountiful is made up of members of two polygamist Mormon fundamentalist groups. The settlement is named after Bountiful in the Book of Mormon. History The first member of the group that bought property near Lister was Harold (aka) Michael Blackmore, who moved there with his family in 1946. Other members of the church who believed in the principles of plural marriages soon followed. After Winston Blackmore became the bishop in the 1980s, the group took the name of Bountiful. Bountiful's estimated population was 600 in 1998 and has since grown to about 1,000. Most of the residents are descended from only half a dozen men. Bountiful's Mormon fundamentalists have divided into two groups: about half are members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church), and the rest are members of the Church of Jesus Christ (Original Doctrine) Inc., an FLDS offshoot based on the teachings of Winston Blackmore, who split with the FLDS Church after concluding the president of the church, Warren Jeffs, had exceeded his authority and become too dictatorial. The FLDS bishop is James Oler. Allegations of abuse On April 19, 2005, Bountiful's leaders held an extensive press conference in an effort to dispel many of the allegations of abuse that had surrounded their community. Bountiful has come under intense scrutiny for its involvement in the polygamous FLDS Church. Warren Jeffs, who was one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, is thought to have visited a dozen or so times in 2005. The Vancouver Sun on January 28, 2006, released information that Utah's attorney general was collaborating with British Columbia's attorney general in attempting to deal with polygamy and the alleged abuse in these communities. Jeffs was captured by the authorities outside Las Vegas in August 2006 during a routine traffic stop. On September 25, 2007, he was found guilty of being an accomplice to rape. Prosecutors said Jeffs forced a 12-year-old girl into marriage and sex with her 19-year-old first cousin. Jeffs faced 5 years to life in prison on each of two felony charges. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said, "Everyone should now know that no one is above the law; religion is not an excuse for abuse, and every victim has a right to be