Guilty plea by leader of polygamous sect near Arizona-Utah border risks being thrown out

FÊNIX (AP) – A guilty by the leader of a polygamous sect near the Arizona-Utah border risks being expelled due to an unfulfilled condition of his plea deal that was contingent on other defendants in the case also pleading guilty.

Under Samuel Bateman’s plea deal, prosecutors can — but are not required to — withdraw his guilty plea, after two other men accused in the case rejected plea offers and are now going to trial.

Bateman, a self-proclaimed prophet who assumed more than 20 wivesincluding 10 girls under the age of 18, pleaded guilty this month to charges of kidnapping and conspiracy to transport underage girls across state lines in what authorities say was a years-long scheme to orchestrate sex acts involving children.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Phoenix declined Friday to say whether it will withdraw Bateman’s appeal.

“We haven’t seen that yet. It’s not on the agenda,” said Bateman’s attorney, Myles Schneider, when asked about the matter. He declined to comment further.

Hearings are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich on the offers that were rejected by Bateman’s co-defendants.

Bateman’s plea agreement recommends a prison sentence of 20 to 50 years, although one of his convictions carries a possible maximum sentence of life in prison.

In his plea, Bateman, 48, acknowledged accepting underage brides, engaging in sexual activity with them and organizing group sex, sometimes involving child brides.

Authorities say Bateman created a wide network spanning at least four states while trying to start a branch of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has historically been based in the neighboring communities of Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale. Utah.

He and his followers practice polygamy, a legacy of the early teachings of the mainline Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which abandoned the practice in 1890 and now strictly prohibits it. Bateman and his followers believe that polygamy brings exaltation in heaven.