Shannon Flynn Describes Working with Forger/Bomber Mark Hofmann

• The Origins of a Forger (Early Life & Coins): Hofmann’s life of deception began long before he forged church documents; he started electroplating fake mint marks onto coins at just 12 years old. Flynn reveals that Mark Hofmann successfully fooled experts for years, though a simple block of dry ice would cause the forged mint marks to flake right off.
• Fabricating Provenance (The “Oath of a Freeman”): Flynn details the ingenious ways Mark Hofmann established legitimate backstories for his fake documents. For the highly valuable “Oath of a Freeman,” Hofmann slipped a forged copy into a stack of pamphlets at a massive New York bookstore, took it to the register, and obtained a genuine receipt to prove where he “found” it.
• Mastering the Art of Deception (Forgery Techniques): Mark Hofmann’s historical research and chemical techniques were unprecedented. He would steal blank flyleaves from 19th-century books at the University of Utah and BYU so the paper would pass carbon dating. To age the ink instantly, he placed documents in a fish tank with an old electric train motor, using the ozone (O3) to oxidize the ink. This technique eventually led to his downfall, as the rapid drying caused the ink to crack—a telltale sign investigators later used against him.
• Beating the Polygraph: Despite murdering two people and fabricating dozens of documents, Mark Hofmann passed a polygraph test with a highly truthful score of +14. Flynn explains that Hofmann had a genius-level IQ of 137 and used intense self-hypnosis and biofeedback—skills he learned from a hypnotist at age 13—to suppress his physical stress responses.
• Police Coercion and Flynn’s Arrest: Flynn was briefly caught up in the investigation and was arrested for possessing an unregistered automatic weapon that actually belonged to Hofmann. Flynn vividly recounts how the police lied to the media about finding a “bomb factory” in his storage unit, which initially made Flynn believe that the police were framing Hofmann for the bombings too.
• The Murders and Mark Hofmann’s Unraveling: Hofmann operated heavily on a “forgery on demand” basis, constantly producing documents to put out financial fires. The pressure reached a breaking point when a $185,000 bank loan for the nonexistent “McLellin collection” came due. Hofmann built pipe bombs to kill Steve Christensen and Kathy Sheets purely to buy himself time and distract investigators. The third bomb, which injured Hofmann himself, was likely triggered in a moment of desperation as he realized his web of lies had trapped him.
• Life in Prison & Church Fallout: Flynn visited Mark Hofmann several times in prison during the early 1990s, noting that Hofmann had fully adapted to convict life and still practiced self-hypnosis daily. Flynn also addresses the faith crises many experienced over the Hofmann saga, arguing that it is unreasonable to leave the LDS Church just because its leaders failed to detect the forgeries, pointing out that general authorities “don’t have magic powers.”

00:00 Introduction
01:39 How Shannon Met Mark
02:32 Mark’s Early Forgery Career – Coins
09:07 Shannon’s Work with Mark
11:33 Oath of a Freeman Forgery
16:57 Mark’s Legitimate Collecting & Financial Dealings
20:31 McLellin Collection Scheme & First Interstate Bank Loan
25:12 Mark’s Personality
27:57 Beating the Polygraph
51:49 Shannon’s Arrest & Jail Time
1:02:09 The Bombings – Initial Response
1:32:03 Document Forgery Techniques – Paper & Ink
1:38:04 Advanced Forgery Methods – Oxidation & Cracking
1:23:16 Bombing Motives & Third Bomb
1:11:20 Mark’s Production to Demand Strategy
1:15:45 Impact on LDS Scholarship
1:43:40 Prison Life & Suicide Attempt
1:46:05 Shannon’s Prison Visits & Correspondence
1:57:28 Legal Strategy & Plea Agreement
1:40:03 Parole Hearing & Life Sentence
2:04:30 Closing Thoughts on Church Authority