Polygamous sect leader convicted of abuse charges after girls found in trailer on Arizona highway

[littlemissmartypants]

Source: AP

A polygamous sect leader already serving a 50-year federal prison sentence for orchestrating sex involving children was convicted Friday on state child abuse charges after girls were found in an unventilated trailer he was hauling through Arizona.

Someone alerted authorities about the trailer in August 2022 after seeing small fingers reaching through gaps in the doors. Police stopped Samuel Bateman’s vehicle as he was driving through Flagstaff and found three girls inside, who were ages 11 to 14 at the time. The trailer was enclosed with a makeshift toilet, a sofa and camping chairs.

In the federal case, Bateman was convicted of coercing girls as young as 9 to submit to sex acts with him and other young adults, and for scheming to kidnap girls from protective custody, the story of which is the focus of a Netflix series, “Trust Me: The False Prophet.”

Bateman previously claimed to have more than 20 “spiritual wives,” including 10 girls under the age of 18. He testified in his own defense in the state case, telling jurors he would never harm the people he loves. He acknowledged during cross-examination that he knew the girls were in a hot trailer for hours and the ventilation wasn’t good, but downplayed the conditions.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/samuel-bateman-trial-arizona-child-abuse-polygamy-1b0504057b9aed19852abb4317d2441c

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PHOENIX (AP)
By JACQUES BILLEAUD and JOSH KELETY
Updated 8:44 PM EDT, June 26, 2026

[ninjanurse]

1. Netflix documentary is good

Examines how people can be controlled by religion and a dominating leader

[Billsdaughter]

28. I just recently watched this documentary!

It was unbelievable how long it took the authorities to do something. But that couple documenting everything, those two are heroes. The couple os still living up there!

[ret5hd]

2. so, what is his drag name?

they always forget to tell us their drag names.

[FakeNoose]

3. So this guy is just a creep, who found out he could use religion as a cover for his creepiness

[mwmisses4289]

4. Isn't he part of that pedophile branch that broke off from the main Mormon church?

The one the pray and be sweet doc was about? This Bateman guy i think sees himself as the leader since the other guy (jeff, jeffers?) is in prison serving time for the same thing?

[niyad]

7. warren jeffs

[murielm99]

13. This Jeffs character still communicates

with his followers. I have heard his creepy voice. I have often worried that he is going to ask them all to commit mass suicide.

[JT45242]

5. Hopefully, mandatory sentences will be consecutive after the federal time

Reads like they could tack 12-24 years into the end of that term. 74 years would effectively be a life sentence.

[GiqueCee]

6. Short-eyes...

... don't fare too well in prison, they say. May Bateman's fate reflect that fact.

[squiregeek]

8. Might be Trump

You never know what King Rottinghand will do with a pedophile. Pardoning this guy would be so on-brand. The state conviction will keep him behind bards.

[squiregeek]

9. Bars damnit!

[Icanthinkformyself]

10. The pedophile's acts explains

why Republicans want to reduce or, preferably, remove the 'age of consent' laws. They just love phucking children any way they can. Raping them, taking away their food (SNAP and USAID and other program cuts), their rights (the repeal of child labor laws in Southern states) and, cutting education funding to keep them stupid so they will be agreeable peons. It will be a long time before the positive change that is happening will fully bloom. I hope I live to see the Social Democrats take the reins of power in DC. It will be glorious, as the Klingons say.

[mdbl]

11. The state needs to jail him before Dump can pardon him

Don't just leave him in federal prison. That's where all the criminals go to be released.

[Farmer-Rick]

12. Pedo Trump can pardon his fellow pedophiles

But the state charges can't be pardoned no matter how much Bateman pays Trump.

[AZJonnie]

19. Two Words: Tina Peters (nt)

[Farmer-Rick]

22. Oh wow a Democratic Governor

Commuted her sentence. I guess money buys you anything in the United States.

[AZJonnie]

23. Yeah, I was super freaking annoyed at Polis over this

But it shows that a mechanism exists by which a corrupt, criminal POTUS with immunity, a lapdog Congress and cronies at SCOTUS can leverage their power to get state charges dropped too, even if they can't legally do so directly

[popsdenver]

20. LOL

While what you say is true, there are other ways. Recently, our DINO, Extremely Pro-Corporate Governor Polis pardoned a treasonous election person who had committed a major fraud espionage, and was sentenced to prison in Colorado for 10-20 years......
Polis and Trump had "conversations" and Polis went from saying "No Way."......to agreeing with Trump and commuting her sentence and releasing her......

Maybe Polis wants a position in Washington D.C. now that he cannot run for another term as Colorado Governor??????????
Maybe filling out the rest of Bennet's Senate Term, now that Bennet is running to replace Polis as Colo Governor??????.........
Of course, if Bennet doesn't win the governorship, he will just go back to his Do-Nothing act in the U.S. Senate, along with his sidekicks Hickenlooper and Degette in the house.......

Interestingly DeGette and Bennet have come out of the woodwork recently, both running a ton of political ads saying all that they have done to thwart Trump and Republicans in spite of the fact that we haven't heard a peep out of DeGette, Bennet, Hickenlooper the entire time they have been in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate........It seems to be apparent that there is a bit of Fright going on with them, because many Dems, are, for the first time, confronting Our Colorado.... Do Nothing Dem Politicians.

[travelingthrulife]

14. Now do Trump and the rest of the Republicans

[NBachers]

15. And I've got to wonder- Is this the first and only time he transported girls around like this?

[dave99]

16. Friend of trump

[58Sunliner]

17. What kind of sick bastard pulls a trailer so he can rape children at will?

Where are the parents? Did they allow this?

[radical noodle]

24. The parents are in the cult

He tells them it's God's will.

[58Sunliner]

30. They should be charged with abuse and trafficking.

[Lifeafter70]

26. In the 80s I worked for a creep like that

I was a waitress in a well known restaurant franchise chain. The owner had a small travel trailer parked behind the restaurant. If you refused his advances you found yourself out of a job. I was lucky enough to find a new job. The authorities didn't seem to care. It was considered "consensual" .

[58Sunliner]

29. Horrible. Too bad corporate didn't get a video of him making demands of the staff.

[hunter]

18. Who are the girls? Where did they come from?

This could be a bigger story than reported.

[radical noodle]

25. Their parents were in the cult n/t

[riversedge]

21. There are few people I would say: Lock em up and throw away the keys,-but it sure fits this jerk!!

[artemisia1]

27. Can you imagine the level of abuse pre-mid 20th century that was perpetrated by folks such as him? Then, there

was no real recourse -- or concern -- over young women and children trafficked and abused by "religious" leaders. If they still do this today, the scale, say in 1890 or 1920, must have been immense.