The leader of an offshoot polygamous sect near the Arizona-Utah border, Samuel Bateman, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport underage girls across state lines to orchestrate sexual acts involving children. Bateman also pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit kidnapping in a plan to free underage girls who had been taken into Arizona state custody. He faces a recommended sentence of 20 to 50 years in prison, with one conviction carrying a possible maximum sentence of life in prison. Authorities say Bateman, a self-proclaimed prophet who had taken more than 20 wives, including 10 girls under the age of 18, created a network spanning at least four states as he attempted to start an offshoot of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Bateman was arrested in August 2022 in Flagstaff after three girls between the ages of 11 and 14 were found in an enclosed trailer. The trailer had inadequate living conditions, and Bateman was charged with obstructing justice in a federal investigation into whether children were being transported across state lines for sexual activity. Nine children were removed from Bateman’s home in Colorado City and placed in foster care, but eight managed to escape and were later found in Washington state. Bateman is accused of giving wives as gifts to his male followers, claiming to do so on orders from the “Heavenly Father.” Investigators say Bateman traveled extensively between Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and Nebraska, engaging in sexual activity with minor girls on a regular basis.
Moroni Johnson of Colorado City pleaded guilty to conspiring with Bateman to transport underage girls over state lines, becoming the second man convicted in the scheme. Four of Bateman’s wives pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit tampering with an official proceeding, stating that they witnessed Bateman engage in sexual acts with his child brides and participated in the plot to kidnap eight girls from state custody. Charges are pending against four other women identified as Bateman’s wives and two male followers, who are charged with coercing minors into engaging in sexual activity via interstate commerce. The four women and two men have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The FBI revealed that Bateman demanded his followers publicly confess for any indiscretions and share those confessions widely. He claimed that punishments, including time-outs, public shaming, and sexual activity, came from the Lord. Bateman instructed some male followers to engage in sex with his wives to atone for their supposed sins against him. Johnson was pressured by Bateman to relinquish three of his wives as atonement for not treating Bateman as a prophet. Sentencing for Bateman is scheduled for July 15, with a recommended sentence of 20 to 50 years in prison. The case sheds light on the disturbing practices of this offshoot polygamous sect and the exploitation of underage girls for sexual acts orchestrated by their religious leader.
