Undercover filmmakers who spent months inside a secretive polygamist sect led by self‑proclaimed prophet Samuel Rappylee Bateman say they documented the abuse of underage girls now at the center of his recent 50‑year federal prison sentence.
Bateman, 48, was sentenced in December 2024 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit transportation of a minor for sexual activity and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, with a judge ordering 50 years on each count to run concurrently.
Prosecutors said he claimed more than 20 "spiritual" wives, including 10 underage girls, and coerced girls as young as 9 to engage in sex acts with him and other adults, according to People.
The new docuseries, titled "Trust Me: False Prophet," features footage gathered by a cult expert and a videographer who gained Bateman's trust and embedded with the group tied to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS).
They recorded closed‑door meetings, punishments, and interactions showing what they describe as systematic grooming and sexual exploitation of girls.
According to court documents, Bateman told followers he acted on orders from "Heavenly Father" and taught that giving up wives and daughters to him would bring spiritual rewards. Federal agents said some male followers were pressured to surrender their own children, who were then transported across state lines to be abused, VOA News reported.
Authorities say Bateman moved families through Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and Nebraska, often crisscrossing borders to avoid scrutiny while maintaining tight control through public confessions and harsh discipline. Investigators later recovered recordings of sexual abuse that had been transmitted electronically, helping build the federal case.
In court, three teenage girls described lasting trauma from what they endured in the sect, statements the judge said underscored why the lengthy sentence amounted to a de facto life term. No visible supporters attended Bateman's sentencing hearing, according to local reports.
Bateman's group emerged as a breakaway faction after former FLDS leader Warren Jeffs was imprisoned for child sex abuse related to underage marriages. Advocates say the docuseries' release is intended to highlight ongoing risks in isolated religious communities and to encourage other potential victims to come forward, as per NPR.
