Full Breakdown
Arizona Judge Adds 24-Year State Sentence for Polygamous Sect Leader Samuel Bateman
8/27/2026, 1:07:48 AM
State Sentencing of Samuel Bateman
On Tuesday, Arizona Judge Joshua Steinlage ordered Samuel Bateman, 50, to serve an additional 24 years in state prison for three child-abuse counts. The conviction stems from a 2022 traffic stop in Flagstaff that uncovered three girls, ages 11 to 14, confined in a trailer lacking air conditioning, seat belts, and proper ventilation. Bateman, who represented himself, offered no plea for leniency.
Background of Federal Convictions
Bateman is already serving a 50-year federal term for coercing girls as young as nine into sexual acts and for plotting to kidnap girls placed in protective custody. Those federal offenses were highlighted in the Netflix documentary *Trust Me: The False Prophet*. He leads an offshoot of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a group once headed by Warren Jeffs, who is serving a life sentence in Texas for child sexual assault.
Conditions in the Trailer and Abuse Charges
Authorities described the trailer as equipped with a makeshift toilet, sofa and camping chairs but no air conditioning or seat belts. A tip about small fingers protruding from gaps in the doors prompted the stop. Victims testified that the heat and confinement caused severe psychological trauma; one survivor, then 14, said she has required ongoing therapy and that Bateman “stole my childhood.”
Official Responses
The judge cited an “insane danger” to the girls as a factor in imposing the state term after Bateman completes his federal sentence.
Verbatim Quote
- “I love these dear people with all my heart, and I had no intention in the entire world to harm them,” — Arizona. Samuel Bateman, urged the judge — Samuel Bateman, self-represented defendant.
