cult-leader · Near Flagstaff, Arizona

What happened after Samuel Bateman, a self-proclaimed prophet, was arrested with underage girls in a trailer?

What happened?

Samuel Bateman, a self-proclaimed prophet and leader of an FLDS offshoot cult, was arrested in August 2022 after underage girls were found in a trailer he was towing; he subsequently pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit transportation of a minor for sexual activity and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, receiving a 50-year prison sentence in December 2024.

Convicted or liable

Last checked: Jun 14, 2026
Sources: Esquire; bio. (Biography)

Timeline

  1. Samuel Bateman is arrested near Flagstaff, Arizona, after police find three girls, aged 11 to 14, in a trailer he was towing.

  2. Bateman is initially indicted on three counts of destroying or attempting to destroy records and tampering with criminal proceedings, and federal authorities subsequently arrest him.

  3. Samuel Bateman pleads guilty to federal charges of one count of conspiracy to commit transportation of a minor for sexual activity and one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

  4. Samuel Bateman, then 48, is sentenced to 50 years in federal prison with lifetime supervised release.

  5. Bateman files a motion to vacate, set aside, or correct his sentence (2255) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.

  6. The Netflix documentary 'Trust Me: The False Prophet,' chronicling Bateman's rise and downfall, is released.

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