Arizona cult leader kidnapped children and forced them into sex with adults
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The leader of a polygamous sect claimed to have more than 20 spiritual “wives,” including 10 underage girls. He was sentenced to 9 years in prison on Dec. 50 for forcing girls as young as 9 to perform sexual acts on him and other adults and for arranging their kidnapping, according to Associated Press.
Samuel Bateman, whose small group was an offshoot of a cult once led by Warren Jeffs, pleaded guilty to a years-long scheme to transport girls across state lines to commit sex crimes and kidnap some of them.
A clarification is needed here. The Warren Jeffs cult, of which Bateman’s group of fanatics was an offshoot, is a religious group known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS). It is a breakaway organization from the Mormon Church that maintains a belief in polygamy, despite its prohibition in the mainstream Mormon Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).
Warren Jeffs was the leader of the FLDS and effectively controlled it as an absolute religious authority. He inherited power from his father, Rulon Jeffs, in 2002. Jeffs proclaimed himself a prophet whose commands were perceived by his followers as “divine.”
Jeffs argued that polygamy was a prerequisite for salvation and entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. Men could have dozens of wives. He regulated marriages, appointed “spiritual wives,” and controlled all aspects of members’ lives, including their property, work, and contact with the outside world. Members lived in closed communities, such as the Zion Ranch in Texas, avoiding contact with the “outside world,” which was considered sinful. Men who displeased the leader could be expelled from the community, and their wives and children were given to other men.
Warren Jeffs was arrested in 2006 and convicted in 2011 of sexually assaulting underage girls he married. He was sentenced to life in prison. The case caused widespread controversy, drawing attention to the FLDS and its brutal practices, including child marriage, sexual abuse, and the suppression of women’s rights.
Despite his conviction, Jeffs remains a symbolic figure for some FLDS members who believe he is still a prophet. And, as the Bateman case shows, Jeffs’s ideas continue to spread vigorously.
Under the plea agreement, Bateman pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport a minor for sexual purposes, which carries a sentence of 10 years to life in prison. He also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which carries a sentence of up to life in prison. Bateman was sentenced to 50 years on each count, to be served concurrently.
The remaining charges were dismissed as part of the agreement.
Content retrieved from: https://www.forumdaily.com/en/sect-leader-gets-50-years-in-prison-in-scheme-to-orchestrate-sex-involving-children/.
