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Cult Leader's 50-Year Sentence for Abuse
9 Apr
Summary
- Samuel Bateman received 50 years for child abuse and kidnapping.
- He had over 20 spiritual marriages, some to minors.
- Wives' testimonies and filmmaker infiltration exposed abuse.
In April 2026, Netflix released "Trust Me: The False Prophet," a docuseries detailing the actions of Samuel Bateman, the self-proclaimed heir and prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) following Warren Jeffs' incarceration. Cult expert Christine Marie and her husband, Tolga Katas, infiltrated the FLDS in Short Creek, Utah, beginning in 2016. They met Bateman in 2017 and documented his activities, including his multiple spiritual marriages, from 2019 to 2022.
Bateman took over leadership from Jeffs, claiming Jeffs spoke through him and gathering followers. His practices included "group sexual encounters and isolating victims from their families." He entered into more than 20 spiritual marriages, with at least 10 involving girls under 18, some as young as nine. While not legal, Bateman engaged in sexual encounters with these spiritual wives.
In September 2022, Bateman was taken into custody. By April 2024, he pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit transportation of a minor for criminal sexual activity and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. In December 2024, he was sentenced to 50 years in prison, with a lifetime of supervised release. Some of his former wives have since graduated high school, while others remain loyal, believing in his innocence.
