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Arizona Polygamous Sect Leader Sentenced to 50 Years for Sex Crimes Involving 10 Underage Girls

Dec 9, 2024, 10:00 PM

Samuel Bateman, a self-proclaimed prophet and leader of a polygamous sect near the Arizona-Utah border, was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Bateman, who had more than 20 'wives,' including 10 underage girls, pleaded guilty to charges including kidnapping and conspiring to transport underage girls across state lines for sexual purposes. His actions were part of a yearslong scheme that involved coercing children as young as 9 years old into criminal sex acts. The sentencing came after Bateman was arrested in August 2022 while driving through Flagstaff with three girls aged 11 to 14 in a trailer with no ventilation. The case has drawn significant attention due to its connection to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), an offshoot of which Bateman led.