A former missionary and teacher in Tonga has been arrested in the United States on federal charges for sexually abusing multiple minors during his time in the kingdom.
William James Purdy, 28, of West Valley, Utah, was indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury on July 16 and taken into custody today, July 25 (Tongan time) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Purdy, who first arrived in Tonga in 2017 as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), allegedly preyed on young boys for years—grooming them with gifts, money, and electronics in exchange for sexual acts.
Shockingly, he is also accused of secretly recording minors in his bathroom at multiple residences in Tonga.
In October 2022, Tongan police arrested Purdy after an eight-year-old boy disclosed being sexually assaulted during tutoring sessions.
Despite his release on bail, Purdy allegedly continued abusing children before fleeing Tonga in March 2023 under a false identity—just before his scheduled trial.
“The defendant in this case chose to travel abroad under the guise of good intentions and then sexually exploited and abused children who had been trusted to his care,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
“When foreign authorities sought to hold him accountable, he fled back to the United States. The United States will not export child exploitation. The Justice Department is committed to securing justice for children exploited overseas when these heinous acts are committed by Americans.”
14 Victims and Counting
Investigators have so far identified 14 Tongan boys as victims, some of whom lived with Purdy while he taught at a school in Nuku’alofa.
The Tonga Police and Tongan Department of Public Prosecutions worked closely with U.S. agencies, including the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), to build the case.
“This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse,” the US authorities said.
Purdy now faces trial in the U.S., where prosecutors vow to seek the maximum penalty. If convicted, he could spend decades in prison.
