Samuel Bateman, polygamous sect leader, convicted on 3 abuse counts
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Samuel Bateman, a polygamous cult leader currently serving a 50-year federal prison sentence in a child sex abuse case, was convicted in Arizona on state child abuse charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop after authorities found three girls locked inside a closed trailer.
A Coconino County jury found Bateman guilty on three counts of child abuse on Friday. After approximately 40 minutes of discussion, the decision was made. Bateman is scheduled to be sentenced on August 25.
Each case of child abuse carries a mandatory prison sentence of four to eight years. The judge will decide whether the sentences will be given simultaneously or consecutively.
The case centered on an incident that occurred in Flagstaff in August 2022; Police stopped Bateman after a witness reported seeing children’s fingers reaching through gaps in the doors of the trailer he was towing. Officers found three girls, ages 11 to 14, in the unventilated trailer. Inside was a makeshift toilet, a couch, and camping chairs.
SELF-DECLAIMED “PROPHET” WAS EXPOSED AFTER HIS UNDERAGE “WIFE” HELPED EXPOSE THE ABUSE OF THE COUPLE HE TRUSTED
Samuel Bateman, 50, is currently serving 50 years in prison for Conspiracy to Transport a Minor for Criminal Sexual Activity and Conspiracy to Kidnap. (Coconino County Sheriff)
Prosecutors said Bateman knowingly endangered the girls by transporting them for hours in hot conditions in a trailer intended for cargo, not passengers.
“It’s common sense that you don’t transport people in a trailer designed for cargo on a hot day with no ventilation,” prosecutor Eric Ruchensky told jurors during closing arguments.
Bateman represented himself at the hearing, along with appointed counsel. Testifying in his own defence, he denied intending to harm anyone. During interrogation, he admitted that the trailer was hot and the ventilation was inadequate, but he minimized the danger.
“I felt confident as a driver,” he said. “Every time we got in that vehicle, I asked God to bless me.”
SELF-DECLAIMED “PROPHET” WAS EXPOSED AFTER HIS UNDERAGE “WIFE” HELPED EXPOSE THE ABUSE OF THE COUPLE HE TRUSTED
Three girls embrace before Samuel Bateman is escorted from his home following his arrest on Wednesday, September 14, 2022 in Colorado City, Arizona. As part of the investigation, seven girls were removed from Bateman’s house and two were removed from another house. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
He claimed he thought the girls had gone out when they stopped. He said he was “as shocked as can be” when he was pulled over and discovered they were still inside.
The Arizona case followed Bateman’s federal conviction in a broader harassment and kidnapping conspiracy case. Federal prosecutors accused him of using his status as a self-proclaimed prophet to force girls, some as young as 9, to have sex with him and others. He was also found guilty of planning to remove the girls from protective custody.
This federal case attracted public attention and was featured in the Netflix series “Trust Me: The False Prophet.”
Bateman has previously said he has more than 20 “spiritual wives,” including several underage girls. Authorities described him as the leader of a small religious branch with ties to communities along the Arizona-Utah border that have long been associated with polygamous sects.
SELF-DECLAIMED “PROPHET” WAS EXPOSED AFTER HIS UNDERAGE “WIFE” HELPED EXPOSE THE ABUSE OF THE COUPLE HE TRUSTED
On April 1, 2024, Samuel Bateman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport a minor for criminal sexual activity and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. (Netflix)
Federal authorities said Bateman traveled throughout Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Nebraska to build a following affiliated with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The FLDS church has historically been centered in Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah.
Bateman was once considered a trusted follower of former FLDS leader Warren Jeffs, who is serving a life sentence in Texas for sexually assaulting children.
The FLDS church practices polygamy, a doctrine based on the mainstream teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The mainstream church abandoned polygamy in 1890 and now bans the practice.
The influence of the FLDS church has declined sharply in Colorado City and Hildale. A 2017 court order placed communities under outside control after it was revealed that church control had entangled local government and law enforcement. The towns were released from this control earlier than expected last year after officials cited major changes in local government and community life.
Samuel Bateman declared himself Warren Jeff’s heir. (Netflix)
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The cult’s practitioners are now believed to make up only a small fraction of the population in these towns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
