Independent · Local · Community-first
polygamous sect leader tied to utah sentenced to 24 more years for child abuse
Samuel Bateman, 50, was convicted after three girls ages 11 to 14 were found inside an unventilated trailer during a 2022 traffic stop. The former Warren Jeffs follower is already serving 50 years in federal prison for crimes involving children.
Samuel Bateman, a polygamous sect leader with ties to the Utah-Arizona border, has been sentenced to an additional 24 years in prison on three child abuse convictions.
The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Flagstaff, where authorities discovered three girls, ages 11 to 14, inside an enclosed, unventilated trailer without air conditioning or seat belts.
Bateman, a former trusted follower of Warren Jeffs who led his own FLDS offshoot, is already serving a 50-year federal sentence for crimes involving children. A judge ordered the new 24-year state sentence to be served after his federal sentence.
