US3 min(s) read
Published 10:02 28 Jun 2026 GMT
A polygamous sect leader who is already serving a 50-year federal prison sentence has now been convicted on additional child abuse charges after three young girls were found inside an unventilated trailer he was towing through Arizona.
Samuel Bateman was found guilty on three counts of child abuse on Friday after a jury heard evidence surrounding a 2022 traffic stop near Flagstaff.
The case began when a passerby reportedly noticed small fingers reaching through gaps in the trailer doors and alerted authorities.
When police stopped Bateman's vehicle in August 2022, they discovered three girls, aged between 11 and 14, inside the enclosed trailer.
According to prosecutors, the trailer contained a makeshift toilet, a sofa and camping chairs, but had little ventilation despite the hot conditions.
Bateman, who represented himself during the trial, denied intentionally putting the girls in danger.
Taking the stand in his own defence, he told jurors he would never harm the people he loved.
He acknowledged that the girls had spent hours inside the trailer and admitted ventilation was poor, but downplayed the conditions.
"I just trusted myself as a driver," Bateman said during testimony.
"I asked God to bless me every time we hopped in that vehicle."
He also claimed he believed the girls had exited the trailer during a stop and said he was "as shocked as could possibly be" when officers informed him they were still inside when he was pulled over.
Prosecutors strongly disputed that account.
During closing arguments, prosecutor Eric Ruchensky told jurors: "It's common sense that you don't carry people in a trailer designed for cargo on a hot day with no ventilation."
The jury took around 40 minutes to reach a verdict, finding Bateman guilty on all three counts.
The conviction comes as Bateman is already serving a 50-year federal prison sentence in a separate case.
Federal prosecutors previously accused the self-proclaimed prophet of orchestrating sexual abuse involving children and coercing girls as young as nine into sexual acts with himself and other members of his group.
Authorities also alleged he participated in a scheme to kidnap girls from protective custody.
That case later became the focus of the Netflix documentary series Trust Me: The False Prophet.
According to federal court records, Bateman once claimed to have more than 20 "spiritual wives", including multiple girls under the age of 18.
Bateman led an offshoot group linked to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a polygamous sect historically associated with the neighbouring communities of Colorado City and Hildale near the Arizona-Utah border.
He was previously considered a follower of Warren Jeffs, who is serving a life sentence in Texas for child sexual assault offences.
Bateman is due to be sentenced on the latest convictions on August 25.
