The American created a sect and married little girls: their parents gave them to him and recruited adult women

The FBI reported that the self-proclaimed prophet in the United States had more than 20 wives, many of them under the age of 18. Samuel Rappily Bateman claimed that it was the will of God that forced him to have sexual relations with his wives. Writes about it with the BBC.

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At first, Bateman, 46, was a member of the Mormon splinter branch of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS). He subsequently left to form his own religious group.

One day, Samuel tried to marry his only daughter, but she told her mother about her father's plan. The mother and daughter then left and received a restraining order against Bateman. This woman was his only wife in 2019 - before he started taking many wives. CBS News.

The FBI said that Bateman was financially supported by followers who abandoned their own wives and children to become Bateman's wives.

According to the FBI, Bateman punished those followers who did not consider him a prophet. He claimed that the punishments, which ranged from public shaming to sexual punishment, came from the Lord.

In August 2022, Bateman was arrested in Arizona on child endangerment charges after three underage girls aged 11 to 14 were found in his cargo trailer. Then 9 more underage girls were removed from the homes he used and placed in orphanages in Arizona. In November, eight of them fled from there, writes Insider.

He posted bail, but was soon arrested on charges of destroying records and obstruction of justice.

On the subject: In the state of New York, they found a sect in which they branded women and made sex slaves of them

Recently, 24-year-old Moretta Johnson (one of the wives) was arrested on federal kidnapping charges, and eight of the nine runaway girls were found in Spokane, Washington.

The FBI alleges that Moretta Johnson and two other wives, Naomi Bistline and Donna Barlow, conspired with Bateman to transport underage girls. Children were transported between Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Nebraska and planned to use them for sexual pleasures of members of the sect.

According to the woman, she became one of Bateman's wives when she was still a minor. Johnson gave birth to a child seven months after she turned 18.

In a conversation with the FBI, none of the nine girls removed from the community mentioned sexual abuse by Bateman. They all talked about intimate interactions with him.

The Southern Poverty Law Center recognized the FLDS church as a hate group. Its founder, Warren Jeffs, was sentenced to life in prison in 2011 for sexually abusing two underage female followers he took as brides. Bateman was once among the trusted followers of imprisoned leader Warren Jeffs, but Jeffs denounced Bateman.

The FLDS is a splinter sect of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church. Polygamy is a legacy of the early teachings of the mainstream church, but it abandoned the practice in 1890 and now strictly forbids it.

"New Prophet"

In 2019, Samuel Bateman, after years of trying to strengthen his position in the cult, declared himself a "prophet" of the FLDS. The radical group has long been led by notorious cult leader Warren Jeffs, who now rules over many followers from prison.

According to the FBI, Bateman attracted a small following of about 50 FLDS members to split the sect. He took 20 wives, most of them girls under 15 years old.

According to the FBI, in May 2020, Bateman went to his follower Moroni Johnson and married his daughter, born in 2010.

A law enforcement informant close to the brides told the FBI that Bateman was "disgusted" that the girl was urinating at night.

Although Moroni was "very nervous about having to give up his youngest daughter to Bateman", he remained a loyal follower. The supposed prophet took all of Moroni's daughters and at least one of his wives.

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In November 2020, Bateman's underage wives, which included Moroni's daughters, were forced to watch him have sex with Moroni in a Nebraska hotel room.

The women and girls were told that it was "binding brothers" and they themselves were forced to have sex with other men in the sect.

Judgment on wives

Naomi Bistline and Donna Barlow appeared in federal court in Flagstaff on December 7th. Moretta Johnson is awaiting extradition from Washington State.

Barlow's sister, Alice Barlow, said the community is supportive, the children are happy and the wives see each other as sisters. She said Bateman is "sweet and gentle", teaching that forgiveness and repentance are within reach.

“They are trying to destroy religion,” Alice said. Samuel is a prophet and savior in this world. He didn't do anything wrong. They must understand that God will protect his prophet.”

Barlow has lived in Colorado City most of her life and has a two-year-old child with special needs. She was homeschooled until 7th grade and has no independent source of income.

Prosecutor Wayne Wenhuizen noted that Bistline and Barlow spoke to Bateman about the children.

“These women have proven that they will stop at nothing to thwart a federal investigation and protect Bateman, who raped children,” he said.

Barlow, Beistline and Johnson face life in prison if found guilty. Johnson does not yet have a lawyer in Arizona.

Polygamy is a felony in Arizona, but it's just a misdemeanor in Utah after jail time for polygamy between consenting adults was lifted in 2020.

Lawmakers overwhelmingly supported the proposal, which supporters say would allow the state's roughly 30 people living in polygamous communities to step out of the shadows and report abuses, such as underage marriages by other polygamists, without fear of prosecution.

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