The FBI has accused Samuel Rappylee Bateman, an alleged polygamist cult leader from Arizona, of having 20 wives, including several underage girls and one who might be his own daughter.
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Bateman, 46, allegedly set himself up as the leader of a religious sect in 2019 and began claiming wives from the families of his male followers, according to an FBI affidavit obtained by Fox News. The FBI alleges that one of those girls may have been his own teen daughter, and that he also took several other underage girls to be his wives. The youngest was reportedly 9 years old.
He had "approximately 50 followers and more than 20 wives, many of whom are minors, mostly under the age of 15," the FBI said in its affidavit.
The suspect proclaimed "he was a prophet" and started his own offshoot sect of the Mormon Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, according to the affidavit obtained by the Salt Lake Tribune.
Bateman is also accused of directing and participating in various group sex acts with his wives and followers.
He faces three counts of abuse of a child or vulnerable adult in Arizona’s Coconino County Superior Court, records show. He’s also facing federal charges for allegedly telling his followers to delete text messages that could be used as evidence.
The FBI is accusing Bateman of trafficking underage girls across state lines for sexual activity. They say the women were transported in trailers, that they were forced to use a bucket as a toilet and were potentially subjected to sexual assault.
Authorities reportedly found three girls in a trailer that Bateman was driving through Arizona last August.
Some of the evidence against Bateman comes from secret recordings made by a Colorado City woman.
In one of the recordings, Bateman says he was instructed by the "Heavenly Father" to "give the most precious thing he has, his girls' virtue," to three of his adult male followers while he watched, as detailed by the affidavit.
According to Bateman, his daughters, one of whom was underage at the time, had to "sacrifice their virtue for the Lord."
"It's all out of love," he was quoted as saying.
The FBI affidavit was filed in a federal court in Washington on Friday.
The Arizona Department of Child Safety has removed eight girls from Bateman's home in Spokane, Washington, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Bateman has been in an Arizona jail since September 13 after his two homes in Colorado City were raided by the FBI.
His attorney has not commented on the allegations against him, and they have not been proven in court.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual assault, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or consult RAINN's website. If you need immediate assistance, please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital. Support is available.
An Alleged Cult Leader Is Accused Of Having 20 Wives & Marrying Followers' Underage Daughters
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