Samuel Bateman, a polygamous sect leader already serving a federal sentence, was convicted Friday on state child abuse charges after three girls were found in a trailer he was hauling. He was found guilty of coercing girls as young as nine into sex acts and scheming to kidnap them from protective custody.
The conviction of Samuel Bateman highlights ongoing issues within polygamous communities and underscores the legal ramifications of child abuse and exploitation.
Samuel Bateman, a leader within a polygamous sect, has been convicted on state child abuse charges. The conviction stems from an incident in 2022 when authorities stopped his vehicle in Flagstaff, Arizona, and discovered three girls, aged 11 to 14, inside a hot, enclosed trailer. Bateman, who is already serving a 50-year federal sentence for orchestrating sex involving children, was found guilty of coercing girls as young as 9 into sex acts and of scheming to kidnap girls from protective custody. During the state trial, Bateman, who represented himself, repeatedly mentioned his federal conviction, despite the judge's order to exclude such evidence. Federal authorities identified Bateman as a self-proclaimed prophet who established an offshoot network of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which historically practiced polygamy. This practice was abandoned by the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1890 and is now strictly prohibited by the church. Bateman was a follower of Warren Jeffs, the sect's previous leader, who is currently serving a life sentence in Texas for sexual assault of children.