A Utah polygamist and self-proclaimed prophet who "spiritually married" 20 brides, including girls as young as 9-years-old, was sentenced to 50 years in prison on Monday.
Samuel Bateman rose to power in 2019 within a polygamous sect of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints after Warren Jeffs, it's previous leader, was sentenced to prison for child sexual assault.
Bateman's guilty plea reduced the original 50 charges against him to charges of conspiracy to commit transportation of a minor for criminal sexual activity and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, the Salt Lake City Tribune reported.
Bateman made no statement at his sentencing, but in his plea agreement, acknowledged he had spiritually married 20 wives, 10 of whom were underage, and that he did so with intent to "engage in sexual activity with minor girls."
One of Bateman's victims, who was 14 when her mother, a follower of Bateman's, turned her over to Bateman for marriage, spoke to Bateman in court.
"I wasn't old enough to consent, and you know it," the girl said. "I hope you get everything you deserve. Which is absolutely nothing."
"As a child, I had no understanding of what was happening to me," stated another victim, who was 9-years-old when she "married" Bateman and he began sexually abusing her. "My innocence was stolen."
Some of Bateman's adult wives have faced charges for their role in the child sex ring. Donnae Barlow, was sentenced in August to house arrest and probation for attempting to hide evidence and helping to kidnap eight of Bateman's child brides from the Arizona Department of Child Services in 2022, The Sentinel reported.
"Samuel Bateman gives new meaning to the term 'emotional coercion,'" Mari Loring, sociologist and social worker, told U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich. An evaluation found Barlow suffers from Stockholm Syndrome, severe PTSD and dissociation which has led to memory problems.
Barlow said in court that she has no recollection of engaging in various group sex acts, which regularly included the child brides, under Bateman's direction, although she doesn't deny that they occurred.
"I understand that I made a huge mistake," she told Brnovich. "I know the world has a lot more to offer. I'd like to go out there and explore the world and see what else it has for me."
Brnovich sentenced three other wives of Bateman in July. Marona Johnson and Leia Bistline were each given two years in prison followed by three years of probation.
A Utah couple bears partial responsibility for ending Bateman's abuse. Tolga Katas, a documentary filmaker and his wife Christine Marie, who runs a nonprofit called Voice for Dignity, collected evidence in hundreds hours of video footage and forwarded it to the FBI.
"Justice was served," Marie told The Salt Lake Tribune. "I'm proud of the FLDS women that were strong enough to take a stand against abuse. And I'm proud of every one of those girls that spoke up."
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