Samuel Rappylee Bateman, 46, has been accused of marrying up to 20 women and girls as young as 9-years-old, according to an FBI affidavit.
An Arizona polygamist cult leader has been accused of marrying 20 women, most of whom are under the age of 15, as well as his daughter.
Agents looked for evidence of underage marriages or sexual relationships between adults and children, according to the Tribune.The Salt Lake Tribune via AP Bateman had once been among the trusted followers of FLDS leader Warren Jeffs , but Jeffs recently denounced Bateman from prison.Martin was provided audio recordings of a November 2021 conversation in which Bateman said “Heavenly Father” had instruction him to “give the most precious thing he has, his girls’ virtue,” to three of his adult male followers.
The majority of Bateman’s wives are daughters, sisters and mothers from two extended polygamous families.The affidavit was filed Friday in a federal court in Spokane, Washington, where eight girls were removed from Batemans home by the Arizona Department of Child Safety on Thursday.The girls had been placed in group homes in the suburbs of Phoenix, but disappeared on Sunday.
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