Current:Home > FinanceGuilty plea by leader of polygamous sect near the Arizona-Utah border is at risk of being thrown out -×
Guilty plea by leader of polygamous sect near the Arizona-Utah border is at risk of being thrown out
View
Date:2025-04-15 08:49:03
PHOENIX (AP) — A guilty plea by the leader of an offshoot polygamous sect near the Arizona-Utah border is at risk of being thrown out due to an unmet condition of his deal that hinged on whether others charged in the case also would plead guilty.
Under the terms of Samuel Bateman’s deal, prosecutors can — but aren’t required to — withdraw his guilty plea, after two other men charged in the case rejected plea offers and are now headed to trial.
Bateman, a self-proclaimed prophet who took more than 20 wives, including 10 girls under age 18, pleaded guilty this month to charges of kidnapping and conspiring to transport underage girls across state lines in what authorities say was a yearslong scheme to orchestrate sexual acts involving children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Phoenix declined on Friday to say whether it will withdraw Bateman’s plea.
“We have yet to see it. It’s not on the docket,” Bateman’s attorney, Myles Schneider, said when asked about the matter. He declined to comment further.
Hearings are scheduled Monday and Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich over the offers that were rejected by Bateman’s co-defendants.
Bateman’s plea agreement recommends a prison sentence of 20 to 50 years, though one of his convictions carries a possible maximum sentence of life.
In his plea, Bateman, 48, acknowledged taking underage brides, having sex activity with them and arranging group sex, sometimes involving child brides.
Authorities say Bateman created a sprawling network spanning at least four states as he tried to start an offshoot of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which historically has 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 mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which abandoned the practice in 1890 and now strictly prohibits it. Bateman and his followers believe polygamy brings exaltation in heaven.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- Floods kill at least 31 in Somalia. UN warns of a flood event likely to happen once in 100 years
- Hamas-run health ministry releases video inside Al-Shifa hospital as Israeli forces encircle northern Gaza
- Floods kill at least 31 in Somalia. UN warns of a flood event likely to happen once in 100 years
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- Long walk to school: 30 years into freedom, many kids in South Africa still walk miles to class
- Happy Veteran's Day! Watch this Vietnam vet get a salute runway in honor of her service
- Mac Jones benched after critical late interception in Patriots' loss to Colts
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Florida pauses plan to disband pro-Palestinian student groups
Ranking
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- What's shocking about Texas A&M paying Jimbo Fisher $77M to go away? How normal it seems
- Christian McCaffrey's record-tying TD streak ends at 17 games as 49ers rout Jaguars
- Macron urges France to rise up against ‘unbearable resurgence of antisemitism’ before Paris march
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Las Vegas hotel and casino workers reach tentative deals to avoid strike
- Humane societies probe transfer of 250 small animals that may have later been fed to reptiles
- Does shaving make hair thicker? Experts weigh in on the common misconception.
Recommendation
Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
There’s another wildfire burning in Hawaii. This one is destroying irreplaceable rainforest on Oahu
Pennsylvania man arrested in fire that killed more than two dozen horses at New York racetrack
Hezbollah says it is introducing new weapons in ongoing battles with Israeli troops
The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
Dubai air chiefs summit, sponsored by Israeli firm, avoids discussing strikes as Hamas war rages
'Fellow Travelers' is a queer love story with highs, lows, tops, and bottoms
Fire closes major highway in Los Angeles