Samuel Bateman, the self proclaimed leader of a polygamous sect who is already serving a 50 year federal prison sentence for child exploitation crimes, has been convicted in Arizona on three counts of child abuse after authorities discovered three girls locked inside an enclosed cargo trailer with little ventilation.
A jury returned guilty verdicts on all three charges Friday after deliberating for about 40 minutes. The convictions stem from an August 2022 traffic stop in Flagstaff, where officers found three girls, ages 11 to 14, inside a trailer that Bateman had been towing.
Each conviction carries a mandatory prison term of between four and eight years. A judge will decide whether those sentences will run at the same time or one after another during a sentencing hearing scheduled for Aug. 25.
The case began when a passerby noticed small fingers reaching through gaps in the trailer doors and alerted authorities. Officers stopped Bateman’s vehicle and found the girls inside the enclosed trailer, which contained a makeshift toilet, a sofa and camping chairs but had inadequate ventilation.
During the trial, Bateman represented himself and testified that he would never intentionally harm the people he loved. Under questioning, he acknowledged knowing the girls had remained inside the hot trailer for hours and admitted the ventilation was poor.
“I just trusted myself as a driver,” Bateman told jurors. “I asked God to bless me every time we hopped in that vehicle.”
He also claimed he believed the girls had left the trailer during a stop and said he was shocked to discover they were still inside when police pulled him over.
Prosecutor Eric Ruchensky argued that the danger posed to the children required no expert explanation.
“It is common sense that you do not carry people in a trailer designed for cargo on a hot day with no ventilation,” Ruchensky told jurors during closing arguments.
Although jurors were instructed not to consider Bateman’s earlier federal conviction, he referenced the case multiple times while representing himself. The trial judge ordered those comments removed from the record.
The latest convictions add to Bateman’s lengthy federal prison sentence imposed after he was found guilty of coercing girls as young as 9 into sexual acts involving himself and other adults. Federal prosecutors also secured convictions related to a plot to kidnap girls who had been placed in protective custody.
That federal investigation became the subject of the Netflix documentary series “Trust Me: The False Prophet.”
Federal investigators said Bateman claimed to have more than 20 “spiritual wives,” including 10 girls younger than 18. Prosecutors alleged he built a network spanning Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Nebraska while leading an offshoot of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Authorities said Bateman traveled frequently across state lines while directing followers to participate in criminal acts involving children. Investigators also alleged that he assigned wives to male followers, claiming the decisions came through divine instruction.
Bateman had previously been a trusted follower of Warren Jeffs, the imprisoned former leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Jeffs is serving a life sentence in Texas after being convicted of sexually assaulting children.
Federal investigators also uncovered a broader conspiracy involving Bateman’s followers.
Businessman Moroni Johnson pleaded guilty to conspiring with Bateman to transport underage girls across state lines for illegal sexual activity, becoming the first person convicted in the wider federal investigation. Prosecutors said the conspiracy lasted about three years before ending in September 2022.
Authorities also charged several of Bateman’s adult wives with helping remove children from state protective custody after his arrest. Court records show four women later pleaded guilty to conspiring to interfere with an official proceeding after admitting they witnessed Bateman sexually abuse child brides and participated in plans to remove eight girls from state custody. Criminal charges remain pending against several additional followers.
The investigation also revealed that nine children were removed from Bateman’s Colorado City home after his second arrest in 2022. Eight of those children later disappeared from foster care before they were located hundreds of miles away in Washington state.
The case highlights years of federal and state efforts to dismantle criminal networks operating within splinter groups that emerged from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. While the church’s influence has declined significantly in the Arizona and Utah border communities where it was historically based, authorities have continued pursuing criminal cases involving former members accused of exploiting children.
The latest verdict ensures Bateman faces additional prison time beyond his existing federal sentence and reinforces prosecutors’ efforts to hold members of the organization accountable through both state and federal courts.
What we know so far
Samuel Bateman has been convicted on three counts of child abuse after three girls were found inside an enclosed cargo trailer with poor ventilation during a traffic stop in Flagstaff, Arizona. He is already serving a 50 year federal prison sentence for child exploitation crimes and related offenses.
What authorities are saying
State prosecutors argued Bateman knowingly exposed the girls to dangerous conditions, while federal investigators have described him as the leader of a multistate criminal network that exploited children under the guise of religious authority. The jury agreed, convicting him on all counts.
Why this matters
The conviction represents another major legal victory in the long running effort to prosecute leaders of abusive extremist polygamous groups operating in the western United States. It also underscores increasing coordination between state and federal authorities in child exploitation investigations.
What happens next
Bateman is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 25. The court will determine whether his new prison terms will be served consecutively or concurrently with his existing federal sentence. Additional criminal cases involving several of his followers are still pending.
Story sources: The Associated Press and Arizona Family, The Independent