Samuel Rappylee Bateman, a self-proclaimed "Prophet", has been accused of marrying over 20 women including his own daughter and indulging in violent sex acts. The startling revelations were made in an affidavit filed by the FBI.
Bateman Led a Cult
The Metro reported that Bateman was arrested in September as he was caught transporting underage girls across the state in an unsecured trailer. The 46-year-old was stopped by a state trooper after the latter saw 'children's small fingers moving in the gap of the rear trailer door' as he pulled up behind the vehicle.'
During a search, three girls between the age of 11-14 years were recovered while two women and two girls under the age of 15 were found in Bateman's SUV. He was charged with three counts of child abuse, according to the outlet.
Bateman, who leads an offshoot group of the Mormon Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, started to proclaim that he was a "prophet" in 2019. As per the affidavit obtained by the Salt Lake Tribune, the cult leader has "approximately 50 followers and more than 20 wives, many of whom are minors, mostly under the age of 15." He has been accused of incest, group sex acts involving adults and children, and child sex trafficking.
Daughters "Sacrificed Their Virtue for the Lord": Bateman
The affidavit filed by FBI Special Agent Dawn A. Martin further claimed that majority of Bateman's wives are daughters, sisters and mothers from two extended polygamous families. The NY Post reported that in one of the audio recordings accessed by Martin from a November 2021 conversation, Bateman was heard claiming that "Heavenly Father" had instructed him to "give the most precious thing he has, his girls' virtue," to three of his adult male followers.
Allegedly Bateman also watched the three adult men having sex with his daughters, one of whom was only 12 years old, the affidavit claimed. He allegedly went on to claim his daughters had "sacrificed their virtue for the Lord" and that "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," Bateman was quoted by the FBI in the affidavit.
