Conviction on State Charges
A polygamous sect leader already serving a 50-year federal prison sentence for orchestrating sex involving children was convicted Friday on state child abuse charges after girls were found in an unventilated trailer he was hauling through Arizona. Samuel Bateman, a self-proclaimed prophet, was found guilty on all three counts of child abuse by a jury in Flagstaff, Arizona, after a brief deliberation of about 40 minutes.
Discovery of Girls in Trailer
In 2022, someone alerted authorities after seeing small fingers reaching through gaps in the doors of a trailer being towed by Bateman's vehicle. Police stopped Bateman as he was driving through Flagstaff and found three girls inside, aged 11 to 14 at the time. The trailer was enclosed, containing only a makeshift toilet, a sofa, and camping chairs, with no ventilation.
Bateman's Testimony
Bateman testified in his own defense, claiming he would never harm the people he loves. He acknowledged during cross-examination that he knew the girls were in a hot trailer for hours and that the ventilation was poor. “I just trusted myself as a driver,” he said. “I ask God to bless me every time we hop in that vehicle.” He claimed he thought the girls had gotten out when they stopped and was “as shocked as could possibly be” when he learned they were still inside when he was pulled over.
Prosecutor's Closing Arguments
During closing arguments, prosecutor Eric Ruchensky told jurors: “It’s common sense that you don’t carry people in a trailer designed for cargo on a hot day with no ventilation.” The judge had barred evidence of Bateman's federal conviction from being introduced in the state case, but Bateman, representing himself, brought it up several times, leading the judge to strike his comments from the record.
Federal Conviction and Background
Bateman is already serving a 50-year federal prison sentence for coercing girls as young as nine to submit to sex acts with him and other young adults, and for scheming to kidnap girls from protective custody. His story is the focus of the Netflix series Trust Me: The False Prophet. He previously claimed to have more than 20 “spiritual wives”, including 10 girls under the age of 18.
Connection to Fundamentalist Church
Federal authorities said Bateman traveled extensively between Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and Nebraska as he built an offshoot network of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), historically based in Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah. He and his followers practiced polygamy, a legacy of early teachings of the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which abandoned the practice in 1890 and now strictly prohibits it. Bateman was a trusted follower of Warren Jeffs, the former FLDS leader serving a life sentence in Texas for sexual assault of children.
Decline of Sect Influence
The influence of the polygamous sect has waned significantly in the towns where it was historically based. In 2017, a court order placed the towns under supervision, excising the church from their governments and shared police department. However, the area transformed so quickly that they were released from court-ordered supervision last summer, almost two years earlier than expected. Practicing sect members are now believed to account for only a small percentage of the towns’ populations.
