Polygamous sect leader faces state sentencing for transporting girls in a trailer

Samuel Bateman, 50, who leads a splinter group of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is scheduled for sentencing on state child-abuse charges after a 2022 Flagstaff traffic stop uncovered three girls, ages 11 to 14, confined in a trailer lacking ventilation, a toilet, and seat belts. The incident resulted in three convictions, each mandating a prison term of four to eight years, with the court retaining discretion to impose the sentences consecutively or concurrently.

Bateman is already serving a 50-year federal sentence for forcing girls as young as nine into sexual acts and for a kidnapping scheme. Though he represented himself at trial and asserted the girls had exited the trailer before his arrest, investigators said a tip about small fingers in the door gaps led to their discovery. Federal authorities note Bateman’s network spanned Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Nebraska, and he previously claimed more than 20 “spiritual wives,” including ten minors.

The case follows broader efforts to curb the influence of the polygamous sect, whose power in Colorado City and Hildale has sharply declined after court-ordered supervision ended last summer. Bateman was also featured in the Netflix series “Trust Me: The False Prophet.”