Samuel Bateman
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'''Samuel Rappylee Bateman''' (born {{circa}} 1976) is an American convicted sex offender who led a small polygamous splinter sect of the [[Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]] (FLDS) based in [[Colorado City, Arizona]] and [[Hildale, Utah]] — an area known as [[Short Creek, Arizona|Short Creek]]. Self-styled as a prophet and successor to imprisoned FLDS leader [[Warren Jeffs]], Bateman assembled more than 20 "spiritual wives" between 2019 and 2022, at least 10 of whom were minors, with victims as young as nine years old. He was arrested in 2022, pleaded guilty in April 2024, and was sentenced in December 2024 to 50 years in federal prison. |
'''Samuel Rappylee Bateman''' (born {{circa}} 1976) is an American convicted sex offender who led a small polygamous splinter sect of the [[Fundamentalist Mormon Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]] (FLDS) based in [[Colorado City, Arizona]] and [[Hildale, Utah]] — an area known as [[Short Creek, Arizona|Short Creek]]. Self-styled as a prophet and successor to imprisoned FLDS leader [[Warren Jeffs]], Bateman assembled more than 20 "spiritual wives" between 2019 and 2022, at least 10 of whom were minors, with victims as young as nine years old. He was arrested in 2022, pleaded guilty in April 2024, and was sentenced in December 2024 to 50 years in federal prison. |
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His case was the subject of the 2026 [[Netflix]] documentary series ''[[Trust Me: The False Prophet]]'', directed by [[Rachel Dretzin]]. |
His case was the subject of the 2026 [[Netflix]] documentary series ''[[Trust Me: The False Prophet]]'', directed by [[Rachel Dretzin]]. |
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