Ariz. Polygamous Sect Leader Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for Conspiracy for Transporting Underage Girls for Sex

• Samuel Rappylee Bateman was sentenced to 50 years in prison for conspiracy to transport a minor for sex and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
• According to an FBI affidavit, Bateman had more than 20 spiritual wives, several of whom were underage, and engaged in “group sex” with them.
• Prosecutors claimed that Bateman instructed his followers to kidnap several girls, taken from his home and placed in group homes by the the Department of Child Services, and transport them over state lines.

A polygamist sect leader — who had more than 20 wives, including several who were underage — will spend 50 years in prison, according to multiple reports. 

Samuel Rappylee Bateman, 48, was sentenced to 50 years in prison in federal court for conspiracy to transport a minor for sex and conspiracy to commit kidnapping — charges he pleaded guilty to in April, the Associated Press, AZ Central and KLKN-TV all reported.

“The amount of harm you caused is nothing short of unmeasurable,” U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich told Bateman during the sentencing, per AZ Central. 

“You should not have the opportunity to be free and never have the opportunity to be around young women,” Brnovich added, per AP. “You took them from their homes, from their families and made them into sex slaves. You stripped them of their innocence and childhood.”

In his plea agreement, Bateman admitted to coercing underage girls, as young as 9, to engage in sexual activities with him and other adults and for planning to abduct girls and transport them over state lines, according to the outlets. 

Several of the victims spoke in court ahead of the sentencing. One girl said, per AZ Central, “This abuse has created a ripple effect that has touched everyone I know,” while another reportedly said, “I hope you feel the pain you caused me as you sit rotting in your cell.”

Bateman was arrested in September 2022. An FBI affidavit obtained by the Washington Post and Salt Lake Tribune at the time noted that Bateman had created a cult-like offshoot of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and engaged in “group sex” with some of the girls he claimed as wives. He also watched other men sexually abuse and assault girls.

The affidavit also claimed that Bateman was audio-recorded saying God had instructed him to “give the most precious thing he has, his girls’ virtue,” to a handful of adult men and said, “God will fix their bodies and put the membrane back in their body. I’ve never had more confidence in doing his will. It’s all out of love.”

He reportedly told his 14-year-old daughter too that he wanted to have a child with her and make her his wife, per the FBI affidavit. The document claimed that he gave her $50 and a bag of Doritos at the time, which appeared to be “bribes.” The girl was subsequently removed from the home by Bateman’s then-wife and a restraining order was filed against him.

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After Bateman’s arrest, FBI agents raided his Arizona home looking for evidence of marriages or sex between children and adults, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. A number of girls ranging in age from 11 to 16 were also removed from Bateman’s Arizona home and taken into Department of Child Services custody. 

The girls were placed in various group homes. However, they subsequently vanished for several weeks until they were found again in Spokane, Wash. Prosecutors claimed Bateman instructed his followers from jail to kidnap the girls and transport them over state lines. 

Two of Bateman’s followers have been found guilty of charges including interstate travel to persuade or coerce a child to engage in sexual activity. Seven of his adult wives have been convicted of crimes related to coercing children into sexual activities and impeding the investigation into Bateman, per AP.