Samuel Bateman: Polygamous cult leader used jailhouse phone to make 'explicit' calls to minors
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COLORADO CITY, ARIZONA: Samuel Bateman, the polygamous leader who is currently serving time in prison, used the jailhouse phone system to have sexual conversations with minors, according to a federal filing.
In November 2022, Bateman referred to a 13-year-old girl identified as Jane Doe 4 as his "sexy darling" during a video call that included his adult wives, according to documents filed on March 3, 2022. At the time of the phone call, he was barred from contacting the underage teen as she was a named victim in the ongoing child abuse case against him. He also asked her about "all the sacred times" they shared together, in addition to more explicit sexual remarks.
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Intimidating government witness
The documents also claim that the accused made similar vulgar remarks during the same call to another two 16-year-olds, who are identified as Jane Doe 10 and Jane Doe 11.
On the same day, in another illicit conversation, he reportedly ordered his wives to send intimidating messages to a government witness from outside the community. "Tell her that she picked the wrong religion to hate. K?" Bateman instructed the women.
Notably, government counsel successfully petitioned to isolate Bateman by curtailing his communication with everyone, excluding his lawyers. These restrictions are still in effect as of now.
Samuel Bateman and his crimes
Samuel Rappylee Bateman, who is a self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), an offshoot of Mormonism that practices polygamy, was arrested in August 2022 when authorities found three underage girls locked inside a trailer he was towing near Flagstaff.
A raid on his two properties unearthed evidence of incest, group sexual activity involving both adults and minors, and child sex trafficking. After his arrest, an FBI affidavit reported that the majority of his 20 wives were under 15 years old, and several of them were subsequently taken into custody by the Arizona Department of Child Services. He was also a follower of Warren Jeffs, the infamous, self-appointed prophet serving life in prison for child sex abuse.
Bateman has pleaded not guilty to federal kidnapping and evidence tampering charges.
Currently, he is being held without bond while awaiting trial on all counts, which is set to begin in March 2024.