{"id":2619999,"date":"2026-06-27T15:54:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T19:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/polygamous-sect-leader-convicted-of-abuse-charges-in-arizona\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T15:58:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T19:58:01","slug":"polygamous-sect-leader-convicted-of-abuse-charges-in-arizona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/polygamous-sect-leader-convicted-of-abuse-charges-in-arizona\/","title":{"rendered":"Polygamous sect leader convicted of abuse charges in Arizona"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpolygamous-sect-leader-convicted-of-abuse-charges-in-arizona%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2619999&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A polygamous sect leader serving a 50-year federal prison sentance for orchestrating sexual acts involving children was convicted on state child abuse charges after girls were found in an unventilated trailer he was hauling through Arizona. The incident came to light when authorities were alerted in August 2022 after witnesses saw small fingers reaching through gaps in the trailer doors. Police stopped Samuel Bateman\u2019s vehicle in Flagstaff and discovered three girls aged 11 to 14 inside the makeshift trailer, which contained basic amenities like a toilet, sofa, and camping chairs.<\/p>\n<p>Bateman, who previously claimed to have over 20 \u201cspiritual wives\u201d including girls under 18, admitted during his defense that he knew the trailer had poor ventilation but minimized the conditions.He also expressed faith in his driving and claimed he thought the girls had exited the trailer when the vehicle was stopped. Prosecutors argued that carrying people in a cargo trailer on a hot day without ventilation was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-the-left-started-the-culture-wars-tom-cotton-says-and-normal-americans-expect-us-to-stand-up-and-fight-back\/\" title=\"EXCLUSIVE: The Left Started The Culture Wars, Tom Cotton Says, And \u2018Normal Americans Expect Us To Stand Up And Fight Back\u2019\">common sense grounds<\/a> for concern.<\/p>\n<p>The jury quickly convicted Bateman on three counts of child abuse, each carrying a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-washington-blm-alliance-begins-lobbying-state-legislature-demands-gov-inslee-declare-racism-a-public-health-crisis\/\" title=\"New \u2018Washington BLM Alliance\u2019 Begins Lobbying State Legislature, Demands Gov. Inslee Declare Racism A Public Health Crisis\">mandatory minimum sentence<\/a>, with sentencing scheduled for August 25. During the trial,evidence of his federal conviction was barred from being presented. Bateman had been involved in building a network connected to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, practicing polygamy and following Warren Jeffs, a fugitive sect leader serving life for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/math-problems-with-child-sexual-assault-scenario-assigned-at-junior-high-school-in-arizona\/\" title=\"Math Problems with Child ... Scenario Assigned at Junior High School in ...\">child sexual assault<\/a>. The sect\u2019s influence has diminished over the years, with towns placed under supervision and later released from court oversight, now numbering only a small minority of residents.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>PHOENIX (AP) \u2014<\/strong> A polygamous sect leader already serving a 50-year federal prison sentence for <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >orchestrating sex involving children<\/a> was convicted Friday on state <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/child-abuse-and-neglect\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2024\">child abuse<\/a> charges after\u00a0girls were found in an unventilated trailer\u00a0he was hauling through <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/arizona\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"327\">Arizona<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Someone alerted authorities about the trailer in August 2022 after seeing small fingers reaching through gaps in the doors. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/police\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"211\">Police<\/a> stopped Samuel Bateman\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/4627678\/shooting-world-cup-crowd-massachusetts\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Shooting in World Cup crowds in Massachusetts leaves at least 4 wounded<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/4627431\/buttigieg-separated-from-children-false-report-police\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Buttigieg separated from children after being targeted by false CPS report<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4626406\/judge-keeps-death-penalty-on-the-table-in-tyler-robinson-murder-case\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Judge keeps death penalty on the table in Tyler Robinson murder case<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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, \u201cTrust Me: The False Prophet.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This undated photo provided by the Coconino County, Ariz., Sheriff\u2019s Office shows Samuel Bateman, the leader of a small polygamous group near the Arizona-Utah border. (Coconino County Sheriff\u2019s Office via AP, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bateman previously claimed to have <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/religion-arizona-kidnapping-utah-flagstaff-c270357dc321bf62dcde3d9238044b04\">more than 20 \u201cspiritual wives<\/a>,\u201d 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\u2019t good, but downplayed the conditions.<a><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/cunningham-fever-pointing-bonner-clark-mercury-32a3fdddc487b625d757877865260674\"><\/a>\u201cI just trusted myself as a driver,\u201d he said. \u201cI asked God to bless me every time we hopped in that vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He claimed he thought the girls had gotten out when they stopped. He said he was as \u201cshocked as could possibly be\u201d when he learned that they were still inside when he was pulled over.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During closing arguments, prosecutor Eric Ruchensky told jurors, \u201cIt\u2019s common sense that you don\u2019t carry people in a trailer designed for cargo on a hot day with no ventilation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jurors in the state case weren\u2019t supposed to hear about Bateman\u2019s conviction in federal court. The judge barred the evidence from being introduced. But Bateman brought it up several times as he represented himself, leading the judge to strike the comments from the record.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The jury delivered the verdict Friday in about 40 minutes, convicting him on all three counts of child abuse. Each count carries a mandatory sentence, between four and eight years. The judge has discretion to run the counts consecutively or concurrently. A sentencing hearing is scheduled Aug. 25.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Associated Press left a voice mail and email messages Friday for Bateman\u2019s appointed advisory counsel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Federal authorities said Bateman, a self-proclaimed prophet, traveled extensively between Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Nebraska as he built an offshoot network of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which historically has been based in the neighboring communities of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He and his followers practiced polygamy, a legacy of the early teachings of the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which abandoned the practice in 1890 and now strictly prohibits it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bateman was one of the trusted followers of\u00a0Warren Jeffs, who previously led the sect\u00a0and is serving a life sentence in Texas for sexual assault of children.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4612848\/new-age-openness-latter-day-saints\/\">LATTER-DAY TRANSPARENCY: A NEW AGE OF OPENNESS FOR THE LDS CHURCH<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The influence of the polygamous sect has\u00a0waned significantly over time\u00a0in the towns where the sect has historically been based. In 2017, a court order placed the towns under supervision, excising the church from their governments and shared police department.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the area has since transformed so quickly that they were released from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-south-carolina-man-livestreamed-sexual-assaults-of-toddler-gets-30-years-in-federal-prison\/\" title=\"DOJ: South Carolina Man Livestreamed ...s of Toddler, Gets 30 Years in Federal Prison\">court-ordered supervision<\/a> last summer, almost two years earlier than expected. Practicing sect members are now believed to account for only a small percentage of the towns\u2019 populations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Polygamous sect leader convicted of child abuse in Arizona<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2634,"featured_media":2620000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26177609793358.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[81828,4472,32285,27704,81829],"class_list":["post-2619999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-abuse-charges","tag-arizona","tag-legal-case","tag-polygamy","tag-sect-leader"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26177609793358.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2634"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2619999"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619999\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2620003,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619999\/revisions\/2620003"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2620000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2619999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2619999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2619999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}