Polygamist Leader with 20 'Wives' Faces Sentencing for Sex Crimes with Underage Girls

Dec 9, 2024, 03:15 PM

Samuel Bateman, the leader of an FLDS offshoot sect near the Arizona-Utah border, is set to be sentenced on Monday after pleading guilty to charges including kidnapping, conspiring to transport underage girls across state lines, and sexual abuse. Bateman, who had more than 20 spiritual 'wives,' including 10 underage girls, faces decades in prison for coercing girls as young as 9 years old to submit to criminal sex acts with him and other adults. His arrest was facilitated by evidence recorded by a Utah couple, which led to outrage among his followers when they discovered their involvement in aiding the FBI. A woman from Colorado City also played a crucial role in helping the police.