A polygamist religious leader who claimed to have more than 20 religious “wives”, including 10 underage women, was arrested on Monday for forcing women as young as 9 to have sex with him and other adults. Was sentenced to 50 years in prison. , and to make plans for seizing them from the safety of custody.
Samuel Bateman, whose Mini Team was once a branch of the sect led by Warren Jeffs, pleaded not guilty. Years old scheme to transport girls His sexual crimes were traced throughout the case, and some of them were then seized from protective custody.
Under oath, Bateman pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport a minor for sexual exploitation, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which is punishable as such. Even during imprisonment. He was sentenced to 50 years on each count, with credit to be served concurrently.
remains of charge It was disregarded as a part of the oath.
The government says Bateman, 48, attempted to start a branch of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Terminating-Week Saints, based primarily in the neighboring communities of Colorado Town, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah. The fundamentalist party, sometimes called FLDS, broke away from the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1890 following the Mormons’ upcoming formal outlawing of polygamy.
Coconino County Sheriff’s Office using AP
Bateman’s sentencing in the U.S. District Court sentencing hearing for Susan Brnovich comes ahead of an upcoming court hearing for the three young girls about the trauma they still try to come to terms with. The Associated Press no longer names sex crime victims even if they have provided their names in court, and some are still considered minors.
Brnovich informed Bateman, “You should never have the opportunity to be independent and should never have the opportunity to be around young women.” ,
“You took them from their homes, from their families and turned them into sex slaves,” the judgment said. “You took away from them their innocence and childhood.”
Near the sentencing, the teens, who were accompanied by girls who were foster parents, hugged and cried quietly. He was escorted out of the court by a group of women and men wearing jackets with the slogan “Bikers Against Child Abuse”.
Alleged practice of sexually exploiting women by sect members whom they claim to be spiritual “wives” has long troubled the FLDS. Jeffs was convicted in Texas in 2011 of charges related to the sexual assaults of his underage fans. Bateman was considered one of Jeffs’ loyal fans and declared himself, like Jeffs, a “prophet” of the FLDS. Jeffs denounced Bateman in a written “revelation” sent from jail to his fans, and subsequently attempted to start his own private party.
In 2019 and 2020, while insisting that polygamy brings advancement to heaven and that he was acting on the orders of “Heavenly Father”, Bateman began taking female adults and children from his male fans and sending them to his “Wives” declared. The plea was sworn. Neither of these “marriages” were legally or formally recognized for a month, with Bateman stating that at every age he claimed another “wife”, this implied his illicit sexual contact with the girl or woman. Marked the beginning.
Federal brokers said Bateman demanded that his fans confess publicly to any indiscretions and that he inflicted punishments ranging from public embarrassment to sexual ordeal, while also saying that some male fans were forced to confess by surrendering their other parts. Hold on to your “sins” and daughters for that.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Arizona said Bateman traveled widely between Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Nebraska and consistently recruited underage women into his criminal sexual conduct. Recordings of some of his sexual crimes were broadcast to various locations through the use of digital devices.
Bateman was arrested by state police in August 2022 as he was driving through Flagstaff pulling a trailer. Someone had alerted the government after seeing small hands entering between the slats of the door. In the trailer, which was denied ventilation, they found a makeshift toilet, a sofa, tenting chairs and three girls aged 11 to 14.
Bateman posted bond but was soon rearrested, charged with obstruction of justice in a federal investigation into whether children were being transported to Case for his sex crimes. The government also took nine children from Bateman’s home in Colorado Town into protective custody.
Eight children ran away from foster care in Arizona, and were found in a car driven by one of the adult “wives” several miles away in Washington. Bateman also admitted his involvement in the kidnapping plot.
Federal prosecutors said Bateman’s plea bargain was contingent on him also indicting all of his co-defendants. It demanded compensation of up to $1 million per victim and immediate confiscation of all property.
Bateman’s seven adult “wives” were convicted of crimes such as forcing children to undergo a sexual procedure or obstructing Bateman’s investigation. Some also said he forced women to become Bateman’s religious “wives”, witnessed Bateman have criminal sex with women, participated in illegal group sex with children, or abducted them from foster care. Involved in doing. On January 14, an attempt is scheduled to be made to kidnap another girl depending on the kidnapping amount.
Two brothers from Colorado City also face up to 10 years in prison at their sentencing hearings on Dec. 16 and Dec. 20, and in October for inducing or forcing a child to engage in sexual activity, including interstate travel. Will be convicted of the charges. The government says one bought Bateman two Bentley vehicles, the other bought him a Field Rover.
In court news, attorneys for some of Bateman’s “wives” painted a bleak picture of their clients’ religious upbringing.
One said her client was raised in a religious cult that taught sex with children and that she was tricked into “marrying” Bateman. Another said that his client was given to Bateman through someone else as if it was a specialty job, felt that he had refused selection, and was manipulated by Bateman into doing things that She didn’t want to do it a different way.
