PHOENIX — A leader of a polygamist sect was handed a 50-year prison sentence for exploiting young girls, some as young as 9, to engage in unlawful sexual acts and plotting to abduct them from protective custody. Samuel Bateman, who identified himself as having more than 20 spiritual wives—including ten minors—admitted to orchestrating a long-standing operation that involved transporting these girls across state lines for his illicit activities.
The 48-year-old Bateman entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy related to transporting minors for sexual purposes, which could have resulted in a sentence ranging from ten years to life. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap, also potentially punishable by life imprisonment. The court decided to serve his sentences of 50 years concurrently, effectively making it a single term. Many charges against him were dropped under the plea deal.
Law enforcement revealed that Bateman attempted to form a faction of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which splintered from the mainstream church after it renounced polygamy in 1890. Judge Susan Brnovich presided over the case and heard testimony from three teenage survivors, who expressed lingering trauma from their experiences. Despite the court recognizing the victims by name, their identities have been protected as per standard practice involving minor victims in sexual abuse cases.
During sentencing, Judge Brnovich emphasized that Bateman should never regain his freedom and should not have access to young women again, noting that the lengthy sentence essentially equals a life term for someone his age. She condemned his actions, stating, “You took them from their homes, from their families and made them into sex slaves. You stripped them of their innocence and childhood.”
Before the official sentencing, a brief closed hearing was conducted regarding Bateman’s mental health assessment. His legal team maintained that he could have benefitted from psychiatric treatment instead of incarceration for a maximum of 20 years.
The teenage witnesses openly shared their struggles with building relationships and coping with their past in high school, describing the supportive environment they now have with foster families and adult allies outside their former community. After the hearing, the young women were seen embracing and quietly crying while being escorted out by members of “Bikers Against Child Abuse,” an organization committed to protecting children.
In a courtroom devoid of Bateman’s supporters, attention was drawn to the long-standing issue of sexual abuse connected to the FLDS sect. Previously, leader Warren Jeffs faced serious charges related to similar crimes against minors. Bateman was an ally of Jeffs, who subsequently condemned Bateman in a written message to followers while imprisoned.
From 2019 to 2020, Bateman claimed to take women and children from his followers as his “wives,” based on his beliefs that such actions lead to heavenly rewards. Each claimed “marriage” initiated his unwanted sexual contact with the minors. Prosecutors reported that Bateman enforced public confessions from followers regarding any infractions and imposed severe punishments, including coercing male followers to surrender their own family members to him.
Bateman’s extensive travels throughout multiple states permitted him to exploit underage girls, with evidence that his sexual offenses were communicated across state lines electronically. His arrest occurred in August 2022 when authorities discovered three girls aged 11 to 14 confined in an unventilated trailer he was towing.
Following his initial bond release, he was arrested once more, suspected of obstructing justice in a federal investigation surrounding his transport of minors. Subsequently, authorities took nine children from Bateman’s residence into protective custody. Notably, eight of these children fled from foster care, ultimately being found in Washington state.
Federal prosecutors indicated that Bateman’s plea arrangement was dependent on all of his co-defendants also pleading guilty, which included compensation for victims and asset forfeiture. Furthermore, seven of Bateman’s adult associates faced convictions related to their participation in his crimes, some admitting to coercing girls into becoming Bateman’s spiritual wives or participating in the criminal abuse.
Upcoming trials are also scheduled for additional individuals connected to the case, including two brothers from Colorado City who are facing lengthy prison terms. The narratives presented in court painted a troubling picture of Bateman’s accomplices, revealing their own harrowing experiences under a religious system that distorted the perception of acceptable behavior regarding minors.
Overall, this case underscores the severe ramifications of such abusive practices within extremist sects and the ongoing journey of healing for the survivors.
