Sect leader ‘used olive oil’ to slip off GPS ankle tracker while under house arrest

Lyle Jeffs was released from jail in June and violated terms of house arrest after two weeks

FBI officers believe Mr Jeffs may be using a secret network of safe houses to evade capture (Getty)

The leader of a Mormon sect under house arrest for fraud charges is believed to have escaped his tracking device by using olive oil, the FBI has confirmed.

Federal prosecutors pleaded with a judge not to release Lyle Jeffs, of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), from prison in Utah’s Salt Lake City as they believed he would attempt to evade police surveillance.

However, Jeffs was released on June 9 and violated the terms of his house arrest less than two weeks later, after which a warrant was issued by the FBI for the 56-year-old’s capture.

It is believed he used olive oil as a lubricant on his ankle to slip off the GPS monitoring bracelet on 18 June.

Investigators said the device had been slightly “damaged” but not enough to trigger a warning to officers in the area.

A Mustang car was seen leaving the garage of Jeff’s home late at night, around the time he is thought to have escaped from his tracker.

FBI spokeswoman Sandra Yi Barker told People Magazine officers believed Jeffs’ escape “was premeditated and he had help”, adding that he should not be confronted as he may be armed.

She added the cult head “also has access to various modes of transportation, including planes and boats” with which to launch an escape.

The Latter Day Saints leader is one of 11 people accused of diverting $12m of taxpayer money into a food stamp fraud scheme, and his trial has been delayed.

Former FLDS members believe Jeffs will be using a network of secret safe houses across Utah and Arizona to evade the attentions of FBI officers, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

The network was allegedly set up as a two-tiered system in 2004 by Jeffs’ brother Warren, who is serving a life sentence for the rape of two children.

Jeffs is a known polygamist, and the FLDS preaches that homosexuality is a sin and harbours white supremacist beliefs.

The FBI said investigations were ongoing as to how Jeffs could have evaded surveillance officers.