Polygamist Sect Leader Sentenced to 50 Years for Coercing Girls
Samuel Bateman, a polygamist religious leader, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for coercing young girls into sex acts and scheming to kidnap them from protective custody. Bateman, who claimed over 20 “spiritual wives,” including 10 underage girls, had pleaded guilty to transporting girls across state lines for sex crimes.
Bateman, a former follower of Warren Jeffs’ sect, was accused of trying to start an offshoot of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The group engaged in polygamy, a practice abandoned by the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1890.
During the sentencing, teenage girls testified about their ongoing struggles as survivors of Bateman’s abuses. They described how Bateman took them from their families, made them into sex slaves, and robbed them of their innocence. The judge emphasized that for a man of his age, the 50-year sentence effectively amounted to a life sentence.
Bateman’s crimes involved coercing underage girls for sexual activities and kidnapping them from protective custody, often traveling across states to commit his crimes. Some of his “wives” were also implicated in coercing children into sexual activities or impeding the investigation into Bateman’s actions.
The plea agreement required all of Bateman’s co-defendants to also plead guilty and called for restitution of up to $1 million per victim. Seven of Bateman’s adult “wives” have already been convicted of crimes related to coercing children into sexual activities. As more of Bateman’s associates face sentencing for their roles in the crimes, the legal system is working to bring justice to the victims of this disturbing case.
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