- Polygamous sect leader Samuel Bateman has been sentenced to an additional 24 years in prison after being convicted of state child abuse charges in Arizona.
- The 50-year-old self-proclaimed prophet is already serving a 50-year federal term for child sexual abuse offences and plotting to kidnap young girls.
- Judge Joshua Steinlage ordered the new sentence to be served consecutively after Bateman transported three girls aged 11 to 14 inside a hot, unventilated trailer in August 2022.
- Bateman previously led an offshoot of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and claimed to have more than 20 spiritual wives, including children.
- Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker said the ruling holds Bateman accountable and ensures he will never be able to harm a child again.
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