51 felonies: Polygamist leader Samuel Bateman now charged with sexually abusing girls he’d claimed as wives

The new counts against the imprisoned leader come in an updated indictment filed this week that details new allegations about Bateman’s conduct heading an offshoot of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Underage followers of Samuel Bateman are taken into protective custody following his arrest in Colorado City, Ariz., on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Bateman was charged in May 2023 with counts including sexual abuse of minors he'd claimed as wives.