Polygamous Sect Leader Faces Sentencing for Child Abuse in Arizona

Samuel Bateman, a 50-year-old polygamous sect leader, is set for sentencing on Tuesday after being convicted of child abuse in Arizona. This follows his existing 50-year federal prison term for orchestrating sexual acts involving minors.

The charges stem from a disturbing incident in August 2022 when Bateman was pulled over in Flagstaff, revealing three girls, aged 11 to 14, crammed inside an unventilated trailer. The trailer, equipped with makeshift seating and a toilet, lacked proper air conditioning and seat belts. Authorities were alerted by a concerned citizen who spotted small fingers reaching out of the trailer's gaps.

Each of Bateman's three counts carries a mandatory sentence of four to eight years. A judge has the discretion to decide whether these sentences will run concurrently or consecutively. Bateman, who represented himself during trial, minimized the trailer's conditions, insisting he was unaware the girls were inside during the stop.

Bateman, who claims to have had over 20 'spiritual wives,' including minors, was previously a close associate of Warren Jeffs, the notorious leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, currently serving a life sentence for child sexual assault.

Source: www.independent.co.uk