Polygamous cult leader with 20 ‘wives’ Samuel Bateman faces charges for child sexual abuse
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Polygamous religious leader Samuel Bateman is facing sentencing in the US for a number of sexual abuse charges involving children, including 10 underage girls.
Bateman, 48, who claims he has more than 20 spiritual “wives”, is due to be sentenced Monday, where he could face decades in prison for coercing girls as young as 9-years-old to submit to criminal sex acts with himself and other adults.
He has pleaded guilty to a years-long scheme to transport girls across state lines for his sex crimes. Bateman also later kidnapped some of the girls from protective custody, and his plea agreement called for 20 to 50 years in prison. However, each conviction carries a possible life sentence.
Bateman was arrested in August 2022 by state police while driving through Flagstaff, Arizona pulling a trailer. His arrest happened after a witness saw small fingers reaching through the slits of the door and alerted authorities. Inside the unventilated trailer authorities found three girls aged between 11 and 14 years, plus a makeshift toilet, a sofa, and camping chairs.
Before sentencing, a federal judge will hear from a doctor who evaluated Bateman’s competency. The judge will then determine whether Bateman’s sentencing goes forward, or if he is remanded to state custody for psychiatric treatment until he’s deemed mentally fit to assist in his defense, according to attorney Brian Russo.
Seven of Bateman’s adult “wives” have been convicted of crimes related to coercing children into sexual activity or impeding the investigation into Bateman. In court records, lawyers for some of these “wives” painted a bleak picture of their clients’ upbringings, saying they were given to Bateman like property, and raised and manipulated in a religious cult that taught sexual activity with children was acceptable.
Two Colorado City brothers also face 10 years to life for assisting Bateman’s criminal activity.
Content retrieved from: https://womensagenda.com.au/politics/world/polygamous-cult-leader-with-20-wives-samuel-bateman-faces-charges-for-child-sexual-abuse/.
