Netflix cult figure jailed after girls found in trailer

Samuel Bateman, who is already serving a 50-year federal prison sentence for orchestrating sex involving children, was stopped by police after a member of the public spotted small fingers reaching through gaps in the trailer’s doors in 2022. Authorities searched Bateman’s vehicle as he was driving through Flagstaff, Arizona, and found three girls, aged 11 to 14. The trailer was fit with a makeshift toilet, a sofa and camping chairs. In 2024, Bateman was convicted of coercing girls as young as nine to submit to

sex acts with him and other young adults, and of scheming to kidnap girls from protective custody. His crimes are the focus of a hit Netflix series, Trust Me: The False Prophet. The popular show, which premiered in April this year, followed cult expert Christine Marie and her videographer husband, Tolga Katas, as they immersed themselves in a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints community in Utah. The couple captured hours of footage, including some of Bateman admitting to abusing women and children,

much of which formed the prosecution’s case. Bateman previously claimed to have more than 20 “spiritual wives”, including 10 girls under the age of 18. He opted to testify in his own defence, sensationally telling jurors he would never harm the people he loves. During cross-examination, Bateman admitted the girls had been in a hot trailer for hours with no proper ventilation. “I just trusted myself as a driver,” he said. “I ask God to bless me every time we hop in that vehicle.” Bateman

also claimed he thought the girls had gotten out when the vehicle had stopped at one point. He claimed to be as “shocked as could possibly be” when he learned that they were still inside when he was pulled over. During closing arguments, prosecutor Eric Ruchensky rubbished this claim, telling jurors, “it’s common sense that you don’t carry people in a trailer designed for cargo on a hot day with no ventilation”. Jurors in the state case weren’t supposed to hear about Bateman’s conviction in

federal court after the judge barred the evidence from being introduced. However, Bateman brought it up several times as he represented himself, leading the judge to strike the comments from the record. The jury delivered its verdict on Friday (local time) after a deliberation period of just 40 minutes, convicting him on all three counts of child abuse. Each count carries a mandatory sentence, between four and eight years. Federal prosecutors said Bateman travelled extensively between Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Nebraska as he worked to

build an offshoot network of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and his followers practised polygamy, a legacy of the early teachings of the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which abandoned the practice in 1890 and now strictly prohibits it. Bateman was one of the trusted followers of Warren Jeffs, who previously led the sect and is serving a life sentence for sexual assault of children.

Samuel Bateman, Netflix, Trust Me: The False Prophet, Flagstaff Arizona, child abuse conviction, girls in trailer, Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, polygamy, Warren Jeffs