What to Know
Cult psychology expert Christine Marie wanted to help women in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She moved to Short Creek, Utah, with a videographer and met Samuel Bateman, a man who considered himself a prophet with multiple wives.
He became a prominent figure in Christine Marie’s Netflix documentary Trust Me: The False Prophet. Bateman’s actions, many of which the documentary helped expose, landed him behind bars. Bateman will likely never see the world outside again. A federal court convicted the polygamous sect leader of multiple offenses related to child sex abuse and kidnapping in 2024. A judge sentenced him to 50 years in federal prison.
On June 26, 2026, an Arizona court convicted him of additional child abuse charges related to a horrific discovery on a state highway in 2022. Bateman’s rationale for the abuse is nothing short of shocking.
Bateman considered himself a religious prophet.
According to the Associated Press, Bateman once belonged to the FDLS, but created his own small group on the Utah-Arizona state line at Short Creek. Bateman became the leader and sexually abused both adult women and minor girls for years. In August 2022, police pulled him over following complaints of seeing fingers coming out of a small gap on the trailer’s back door.
Inside, law enforcement found three young girls aged 11 to 14 traveling in the unventilated trailer. They had a makeshift toilet, couch, and camping chairs, but no fresh air, according to court documents obtained by the Associated Press.
Bateman acted in his own defense for his state case.
In a series of videos posted to Hidden True Crime’s YouTube channel, we see Bateman acting as his own attorney and seemingly believing that he did nothing wrong.
Even though he knew the girls were inside a trailer in the hot Arizona sun, he felt that God was on his side.
“I just trusted myself as a driver,” he testified. “I asked God to bless me every time we hopped in that vehicle.”
He added that he had no idea the girls were still in the trailer when police pulled him over. Bateman was “shocked as could possibly be” when he saw them.
During his testimony, he asserted himself as a loving father who doesn’t “even spank my children.”
Arizona Family reported a court convicted Bateman of his state child abuse charges.
The world is safer with people like Bateman behind bars.
Following his 2024 sentencing, FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Jose A. Perez shared his gratitude for the court’s decision.
“Every child should feel and be safe in their homes,” he shared in a statement. “Today’s sentencing brings some closure to the victims with hopes they can confidently continue the long road to living normal lives with trusted and loving adults surrounding them. Protecting our most vulnerable populations, with children at the top of the list, is and will continue to be a high priority for the FBI and our partners.”
United States Attorney Gary Restaino agreed.
“Protecting the most vulnerable is our highest calling as prosecutors,” he wrote. “Many thanks to our dedicated prosecutors and law enforcement colleagues for an expeditious investigation, and to our victim advocates for their focus on services and healing.”
