# Samuel Bateman's FLDS splinter · The Cult Dossier · The Atlas · The Congregation of Tomorrow

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The Cult Dossier · No. 131 · Christian-Derived
Samuel Bateman's FLDS splinter
the Bateman group
c.2019 – 2022 · Colorado City, Arizona; Hildale, Utah; Nebraska
XII. THE WIDER FIELD — CONCISE ENTRIES
Fully religious — Mormon fundamentalist splinter
### Who led it
### What it worshipped and taught
### Who was in it
### How it ended, or where it stands
### The dead
### Of note
### Its timeline
- c.2019 Declares himself a prophet as the FLDS fragments after Jeffs's life sentence; families follow him.
- AUGUST 2022 A passer-by in FLAGSTAFF, Arizona, sees SMALL FINGERS poking through the slats of a closed trailer towed by Bateman's pickup. Police stop it and find THREE GIRLS AGED 11 TO 14 inside, with a makeshift toilet, a sofa and camping chairs, and no air conditioning or seat belts.
- SEPTEMBER 2022 Arrested by the FBI. Children are taken into Arizona state custody; several later go missing from it, allegedly removed by his followers.
- 1 APRIL 2024 Pleads guilty to conspiracy to transport a minor for criminal sexual activity and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
- 9 DECEMBER 2024 SENTENCED TO 50 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON, with lifetime supervised release.
- 28 APRIL 2025 TORRANCE BISTLINE, convicted by a jury, is sentenced to 35 years, the last follower to be sentenced. Prosecutors say the conspiracy victimised at least ten children.
- 8 APRIL 2026 Netflix releases Trust Me: The False Prophet, a documentary series on the group.
- JUNE 2026 Bateman is convicted on three state child abuse counts arising from the trailer.
- 25 AUGUST 2026 SENTENCED TO A FURTHER 24 YEARS on the state convictions, on top of the federal term.
### Its people
### Samuel Bateman
—
Self-proclaimed prophet, FLDS splinter group · born c.1976 · active c.2019–2022
Before the law. PLEADED GUILTY in federal court; sentenced 9 December 2024 to 50 YEARS. Convicted on three state child abuse counts in June 2026 and sentenced to a further 24 years on 25 August 2026. Wikipedia counts eleven followers convicted.
Where things stand. Incarcerated, serving 50 federal years plus 24 state years.
- c.2019 Declares himself a prophet as the FLDS fragments; families follow him.
- AUGUST 2022 Stopped in Flagstaff after a passer-by sees children's fingers through the slats of a towed trailer.
- September 2022 Arrested by the FBI; children are taken into Arizona state custody — several later go missing from foster care, allegedly removed by his followers.
- 1 APRIL 2024 Pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit transportation of a minor for criminal sexual activity and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
- 9 DECEMBER 2024 SENTENCED TO 50 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON. The judge told him he had made the girls into sex slaves and raped them regularly.
- 28 APRIL 2025 Torrance Bistline, convicted by a jury, sentenced to 35 years, the last follower sentenced.
- 8 APRIL 2026 Netflix releases Trust Me: The False Prophet, a documentary series on the group.
- JUNE 2026 CONVICTED AGAIN on three state child abuse counts.
- 25 AUGUST 2026 SENTENCED TO A FURTHER 24 YEARS on the state counts.
Checked 2026-09-16 · living: health details are kept at home
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