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Child Abuse

FLDS leader Samuel Bateman gets second sentence of 24 years in state case

September 3, 2026 at 6:03 AM MT · via The Guardian · Summarized by Mormon News from original reporting

Samuel Bateman, a fundamentalist polygamous sect leader already serving 50 years for federal child sex abuse charges, received an additional 24-year state prison sentence, The Guardian reports. The state sentence stems from charges related to the 2022 discovery of three girls, ages 11 to 14, locked in a trailer Bateman was towing.

Bateman led a small group that broke away from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), a fundamentalist group not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Authorities said Bateman directed the group in practicing child marriage and abuse across multiple states.

Bateman pleaded guilty to state child abuse and kidnapping charges. His federal and state sentences will run concurrently, meaning he will serve the longer 50-year federal term.

Read the full story at The Guardian

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