
I’ve long suspected precisely this:
http://www.plonialmonimormon.com/2017/07/gadiantonism-as-counterfeit-temple.html
I would have to go back, however, to see whether I’ve explicitly said as much, though, or even hinted at it, in what I’ve published thus far on the Gadianton robbers.
For links to my writings on the topic, see “Gadiantonism and Organized Crime?”