Salon - March 5, 2011
Inside a troubled fundamentalist Mormon sect
As Warren Jeffs sends a bizarre doomsday warning to Obama from jail, we look at the continuing strife of the FLDS
BY CAROL MCKINLEY
These are tough times for America's most infamous polygamous sect. Their prophet, Warren Jeffs, has been slinging orders to his people like lightning bolts -- from a pay phone in his jail cell. Followers have been told to rebaptize, to regulate their sex lives and to build, build, build as he prepares them for Zion and the end of the world. Three years after the raid that brought his fundamentalist Mormon sect to national attention, Jeffs is suffering the consequences of incendiary evidence seized by authorities, but it's his followers who are suffering the wrath. As Isaac Wyler, one of the church's most vocal apostates, says: "He's a madman."
As Jeffs awaits trial on child sexual assault and bigamy charges in West Texas, members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or FLDS, are struggling to pay his thousands of dollars in attorney fees. They live in poverty and suffer his condemnation but don't ask questions because they believe Jeffs holds the key to Zion. A rambling 900-page warning recently sent from Jeffs to President Obama may signal his desperation.
The bizarre proclamation landed on the desks of at least 600 heads of state two Fridays ago. It's titled "A Warning to the Nation" and in it, Jeffs, a self-proclaimed prophet, challenges the U.S. government. He says God has planned a holocaust of judgment for America worse than any WMD. "Let my people go," he threatens ... or else. He also wants to be let out of jail so that he can plan for the end of the world. The letter, which weighs three pounds, was signed by thousands of church members, including children as young as 8 years old. In it, Jeffs promises God will destroy the "wicked" with a devastating earthquake -- a "shaking of the earth in a place in thy land not known as a usual place of violent shaking unto the loss of many lives." That place? President Obama's home state of Illinois. When? Soon. To add intrigue, Jeffs, who claims he prophesied Hurricane Katrina, says that if the earthquake doesn't work, God will send "a great storm to thy land crippling thy nation again."
Jeffs may think he has superpowers, but the Texas justice system is his kryptonite. This summer, he goes on trial on charges of sexual assault on a child and bigamy. He's told his followers that if he's convicted the jail walls will crumble. But for now, Jeffs spends much of his time on a pay phone nailed to his solitary cell, using calling cards bought in the prison commissary.
He's a "paranoid schizophrenic," said a Texas Ranger investigating the case, who asked not to be named. "And he's freaking out about losing control of his people." In just a few weeks, Jeffs has gone on a rampage, kicking out at least 40 of his most pious men. One of those faithful is Merril Jessop, a 70-year-old FLDS bishop. Another is Wendell Nielson, the first counselor in the Quorum of the First Presidency. Still another is Willie Jessop, a man who has been described by followers as Jeffs' "bodyguard."
I began looking into Jeffs and his latest antics while reporting on a recent story for HDNet's television magazine show "World Report." Since then, I haven't stopped. The plight of these people gets under your skin -- and their saga keeps getting stranger. My conversations with Texas Rangers and ex-FLDSers convinced me that some of those still inside the religion are petrified to leave. (None will speak on the record, though I have spoken in passing with them many times.) They tell family members on the outside that recent Sundays have been agonizing. Their stories paint a picture of hundreds of FLDS faithful bunched around speakers to hear their president and prophet preach to them from his jail cell telephone. He's been known to make them wait hours for his voice. Insiders say they sit silently in worship, hands twisting. Since their prophet can't be with them, pictures have been made up of Warren Jeffs dressed in prison garb with a phone in his hand. My producer saw it on a wall in an FLDS construction company office. They only let her in because she had to use the restroom.
The FLDS are certainly unaccustomed to such interaction with strangers. Nearly 100 years ago, the FLDS scattered to the border of Utah and Arizona, and established an enclave called Short Creek. Here, they lived for decades, unbothered and under the radar from state laws banning polygamy. Jeffs announced he was the prophet after his father, Rulon, died in 2002. It didn't take long after that for Jeffs to reveal that he and God were talking. In 2004, Jeffs told his people the Lord wanted him to lead a migration of believers from their home in Short Creek to an isolated acreage in West Texas, now known as the Yearning for Zion ranch. It was to be the country club of the FLDS, reserved only for the most righteous. Here, the holiest of men could raise their families of multiple wives and scores of children. "This is a testing ground for the saints," Jeffs told them seven years ago. "The Lord wants us to conquer this ground to prepare ... because soon, the wicked will be swept off the land."
But the FLDS has struggled since the YFZ ranch was raided by Texas authorities on a long April night three years ago. That raid introduced the world to women in prairie dresses, crying as their children were removed from the compound by the hundreds. Jeffs mentions the incident in his latest revelation, admonishing Texas lawmen for their part in it: "You carried away my innocent children from among my people in a raid that was unjust." (Indeed, the raid did come under scrutiny, since the call that prompted it proved to be a hoax.) The investigation that resulted from that raid, however, was fruitful for Texas authorities. On the grounds of the 1,700-acre ranch, they discovered a mother lode of evidence that would be used against the Saints. They found wedding pictures in the homes of older men with their underage brides. There were medical records that indicated babies were being born to these girls, and DNA provided the surefire proof. Seven of 12 men arrested as a result of that evidence have been convicted of either sexual assault on a child or bigamy. But Jeffs is the big fish Texas wants to net.
Originally on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list and on the run for his part in arranging child bride marriages, Jeffs was picked up by the Nevada State Patrol just outside Las Vegas on a routine traffic stop and convicted in Utah. That sentence was overturned last summer by the Utah Supreme Court. But this December, he was extradited to Texas for marrying the girls himself. The pictures that law enforcement procured from the YFZ ranch are startling: In one, a smiling couple anticipates a life together just like any newlyweds, except the man is old enough to be the bride's grandfather. The 50-year-old Jeffs, at 6 foot 4, leans lovingly, his long arms encircling a tiny, freckled redhead in a lavender frock. Law enforcement sources say the girl had just turned 12 when she and Jeffs were "sealed" in celestial marriage. One of Jeffs' best-known dictations shows up in Texas court records. On July 27, Jeffs discusses giving his young daughter and a friend's daughter to another friend's two grown sons in exchange for the young redhead. Of his tender prize, he says: "I explained that the Lord wanted this young lady to be sealed to me to carry on in her training, even to witness great things in the Lord ... and there was sealed M____ Jessop to Warren Steed Jeffs. That's me!"
To Texas prosecutors, Jeffs is nothing more than a pedophile who uses God's word as an excuse to do whatever he wants. To his people, he is hope. "He is everything," said a young man working on a roof. The man looked like a young Ricky Schroeder with flyaway blond hair. Later, I discovered he was one of Warren Jeffs' sons, Rulon, named after his grandfather.
There may be as many as 10,000 FLDS in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Short Creek is still their hub, and it is, at first glance, not a bad place to raise a child. Outside influences like Sponge Bob and rock music are forbidden here. I watched FLDS children ride horses to get where they're going. They eat homemade bread, hang upside down from trees and laugh in the fresh air. The bigger ones lead the little ones by the hand, and there are so many brothers and sisters there's no room for whining for more of this or that. But beyond this bucolic scene, is a troubling tale of a life that is not so easy. Isaac Wyler, who left FLDS seven years ago, says these perfect children are being raised for a life of servitude: the boys to work hard labor and the girls to be child-bearers. Wyler says he was once one of them. "I started work repairing roofs when I was 8 years old," he says. "I was so little, my hammer dragged the ground!"
Outside the general store, exhausted women walk three at a time up the sidewalk carrying bags of rice and flour. They pad about in their tennis shoes, drive minivans, and pull out their cell phones to talk and text, just like any suburban housewife. But unlike the rest of us, they are convinced that this mundane life is short, for Jeffs is leading them to an exalted place where we will never go: Zion. A detective close to the case tells me special storage units have been built around town to house huge wheels, mountains of rebar and planks of wood to be turned into roads for the day the earth is destroyed. In Jeffs' "Warning to the Nation," he tells President Obama "Repent ye! Repent ye! My day of judgments upon all the earth is at hand."
As Jeffs threatens the president and cleans house, and as the laws of celestial marriage bump against the laws of the land, it's possible this might signal a new chapter in the lives of the Saints. You have to wonder, what will his followers do when they realize God is not letting Jeffs out of jail ... and the earth keeps turning without interruption?
Carol McKinley has been a national correspondent in the Rocky Mountain region for 15 years. She currently reports and produces mini-documentaries for HDNet's World Report.
This article was found at:
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Flora Jessop speaks to womens group
ReplyDeleteBy JAYNE HANSON Havasu News-Herald | March 12, 2013
Reporter’s note: Flora Jessop spoke to the Lake Havasu Republican Women’s group about House Bill 2648, which could ultimately dismantle the Marshal’s Office in Colorado City. The bill, although altered from its initial presentation, recently passed 52-to-7 in the Arizona House of Representatives. One opposing vote included this district’s Representative Doris Goodale, R-Kingman. Next, the initiative is to be reviewed in the Arizona Senate. A similar bill failed in Arizona during its last legislative session.
Former polygamist sect member Flora Jessop, who recently helped her sister and her sister’s six children escape the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Colorado City, in January, spoke to Lake Havasu Republican Women’s group Monday at Quality Inn.
During the meeting, Jessop provided an update of her sister Ruby’s progress, and the children’s experiences in discovering a new world outside the sect.
To date, the family has been living with Jessop in the Phoenix area and quickly adapting to school and other new experiences.
“They are excited to come home from school because they got to learn something new today,” Jessop said. “It’s so amazing to watch. They came out as silent soldiers, and they are now children.”
Jessop said it was about one year ago an edict was implemented in the polygamist community, by leader Warren Jeffs, that centered on no more sexual conduct between men and women other than a handshake that could last no more than three seconds. At that same time, another edict was implemented that required all FLDS children in that sect to be bathed one at a time, and only the fathers were allowed to bathe them.
Jeffs currently is incarcerated at a Texas prison for abuse of an underage child bride, however it is believed he continues running the sect through code conveyed during the daily telephone calls he is allowed, as are all other prisoners. Jeffs remains in protective custody because he is considered a high profile inmate.
With Ruby’s children, ages 10, 8, 7, 6, 4, and 2 years old, bath time since escaping the sect has been challenging.
“It took 20 minutes to get into the bath together with bubbles and toys,” Jessop said.
“Two of us would have to hold them down to rinse soap out. It was full blown panic, terror.”
The youngest child has experienced waterboard-type torture at the hands of the FLDS, according to Jessop.
“It’s taken us two months to be able to wash her face with a wet rag,” she said.
The children also have experienced nightmares that lead them to vomit.
“When a 6-year-old boy, on hearing his father’s voice, his bowels let go, instantly, something is very, very wrong,” Jessop said.
Ruby was forced to marry at 14 years old. Today, she is 26 years old with six children — all results of what Flora Jessop calls rape.
“She’s never experienced pleasure in her marriage bed, that’s disgusting to me,” Jessop said of Ruby. “She doesn’t know the best things in life. She has no education and is unable to support her children.”
Sunday, a church in Phoenix hosted a birthday party for the six children because they’ve never had one before.
In the past few months, the children have discovered ice cream and McDonald’s; have expressed their delight with new backpacks and supplies for school even though they thought the crayons were candy at first.
“They’re so happy to be free,” Jessop said. “They’ve not stopped smiling since they’ve come to my house. It’s amazing to watch the transformation.”
Jessop said she would gladly take any legislator to Colorado City to observe for themselves the abuse to women and children. And she urged the group to support HB 2648.
http://www.havasunews.com/news/flora-jessop-speaks-to-women-s-group/article_0df83ada-8ad5-11e2-a148-0019bb2963f4.html
Beware of FLDS enforcers, Texas told
ReplyDeleteDeseret News - June 11, 2008
"... you can never underestimate what a religious fanatic is capable of"
by Leigh Dethman
Texas police have been standing guard outside the home of the Texas judge who ordered the removal of all the FLDS children from the YFZ Ranch.
The heightened security was ordered after authorities from Utah and Arizona warned them to be on the lookout for FLDS "enforcers," the Deseret News has learned.
Every officer guarding Judge Barbara Walther's San Angelo house was provided dossiers and photos of 16 FLDS men and women whom Utah police deemed a threat. However, e-mails obtained by the Deseret News from the Washington County Sheriff's Office warned Texas authorities to be suspicious of everybody, not just those on the list.
"There are many individuals who are willing to give up their life for the cause and you can never underestimate what a religious fanatic is capable of," according to the e-mails, which were obtained through Texas' public records law.
Police were also keeping close tabs on witnesses, as the "enforcers" might try to "intimidate kids and other witnesses, watch foster homes where kids may be placed, bribe witnesses, appear at court hearings, and make attempts to contact FLDS kids," according to an e-mail from an investigator with the Tom Green County District Attorney's Office.
Law enforcement in Texas has been on alert since a Fundamentalist LDS Church-related Web site published Walther's home address and work and home telephone numbers.
Walther signed the original order to remove all of the FLDS children from the YFZ Ranch in April and place them in state custody.
An attorney for the FLDS Church said its followers are peaceful people and that law enforcement has nothing to worry about.
"Have they ever seen an act of intimidation or violence against law enforcement from the FLDS community at all, ever?" Rod Parker told the Deseret News. "Before they start spreading those kinds of rumors, they ought to be able to ID an example of them ever doing that in the past."
As for the threat to "pay Ms. Walther's home a visit," on the site www.flds.ws, Parker said the site is not sanctioned by the FLDS Church. The site is run by Bill Medvecky, a Fort Myers, Fla., man who has donated to the fund for captive FLDS children, Parker said.
Once Parker told church leaders that the post could be construed as a threat, they contacted Medvecky and had him remove the judge's address, he said.
However, Walther's work and phone numbers are still listed on the Web site. The site calls Walther the "leader of the Gestapo," and includes a link to a petition to impeach the judge.
Medvecky doesn't see the harm in publishing Walther's address on the Internet. After all, it's in the phone book, he said.
"They are not confrontational whatsoever. I am," Medvecky told the Deseret News. "They are not me, and they have nothing to do with the site. We support them 100 percent."
Texas law enforcement wasn't aware of the threat until early June, but the dossiers "regarding any FLDS members who may engage in acts of intimidation or violence against law enforcement and/or potential witnesses" started circulating April 16.
The dossiers track individuals in FLDS leader Warren Jeffs' circle of trust, as well as a few "wild cards" that make Utah authorities "uncomfortable."
The list includes Willie Jessop, who has acted as one of the main spokesmen for the FLDS Church after the April 3 raid on the Yearning For Zion Ranch. The dossier calls him — William Roy Jessop — "the most serious threat associated with the FLDS religion."
continued below
Others included on the list are Lyle Steed Jeffs, Warren Jeffs' brother; and Lindsay Hammon Barlow, who witnesses described as Warren Jeffs' "muscle," among others.
ReplyDelete"It is very obvious that Washington County officials do not let the facts get in the way of a good story," Willie Jessop said. "These are the types of paranoid allegations that can hurt a lot of innocent people if they are allowed to go unchecked.
"I don't know what the remedy is, but it should alarm everyone when an investigator does not even bother to fact check what he is supposed to be investigating."
The dossiers include the persons of interests' last known address and possible vehicles.
Washington County sheriff's deputies compiled the dossiers by tracking individuals during Warren Jeffs' 2007 trial, where he was convicted of rape as an accomplice after performing a marriage between a 14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old cousin. He was sentenced to a pair of five-to-life prison terms.
Police believe Jessop, also known as "Willie the Thug" or "King Willie" in the dossiers, is the primary FLDS "enforcer" and has a passion for violence, weapons (legal and illegal) and explosives.
On the third day of Warren Jeffs' trial, Jessop was banned from the courthouse after "it was determined he was attempting to intimidate the witnesses, after he was observed numerous (times) staring menacingly at the witnesses," according to the dossiers.
Jessop said he and other FLDS men and women who attended Jeffs' highly publicized trial were there as observers, nothing more.
"The fact that we would show up in court and then to have them turn that around on us shows how biased these public officials are," Jessop said. "There are no facts, no history of violence, not a shred of evidence to support these irresponsible allegations. Not one bit of it is true and these officials know it."
Other FLDS members showed up on the dossiers for a variety of things, from staring down and intimidating witnesses, being an active member of Warren Jeffs' security team, or holding a high rank in the FLDS Church's hierarchy.
Utah police also warned Texas officials of so-called "wild cards" or "religious fanatics," including Ruth Cooke, a woman police said is "blindly devoted to Warren and the FLDS religion," according to the dossiers.
"She is just the kind of person who may be capable of doing something crazy but justified in her head," the dossiers state.
Dee Yeates Jessop is another "intimidating enforcer" who police described as a fanatic who blindly follows Jeffs. Witnesses told police Dee Yeates Jessop is "relatively unimportant" in the church's command structure.
"His social status makes all the more dangerous. What would he do to improve his standing?" according to the dossiers.
continued below
Several other high-ranking church officials show up in the dossiers, like William E. Jessop, a high-ranking elder in the FLDS Church, and David Allred, who is involved in the church's finances and is "fairly high in the FLDS pecking order." However, the dossiers said the men were unlikely to be considered a threat, but could be involved in the decision-making process because of their positions of power.
ReplyDeleteBoth Willie Jessop and Parker, who has also acted as a spokesman for the church, discounted the dossiers.
"If they are going to malign people's character like that, they ought to have something better than someone staring at somebody or looking at them funny," Parker said. "This is the same kind of rumor-mongering that I've been complaining about for a long time. These rumors tend to feed on themselves."
Contributing: Nancy Perkins.
Washington County sends dossiers of select FLDS members to Texas officials
Deseret News - June 11, 2008
The Washington (Utah) County Sheriff's Office sent Texas authorities dossiers of several FLDS members "who may engage in acts of intimidation or violence again law enforcement and/or potential witnesses."
The information, obtained by the Deseret News through Texas public records laws, includes intelligence compiled during Warren Jeffs' 2007 trial in St. George for performing an underage marriage.
William Roy Jessop
• AKA "Willie the Thug" or "King Willie"
• The most serious threat affiliated with the FLDS religion.
• Reportedly has a passion for violence, weapons (legal and illegal) and explosives.
• Accused of intimidating witnesses at Warren Jeffs' trial in 2007.
• "If anything remotely resembling violence or intimidation occurs, you can be fairly certain that William had a hand in it."
• Has acted as a spokesman for the FLDS Church after the raid on the YFZ Ranch.
• Lives in Hildale, Utah.
Ruth Cooke
• A "wild card" who is "blindly devoted to Warren and the FLDS religion."
• "We reviewed countless letters she had sent to Warren that confirmed her unstable behavior, as she talked of disturbing visions she had received and breaking down the prison walls in the name of the prophet."
• "She is just the kind of person who may be capable of doing something crazy, but justified in her head."
Lindsay Hammon Barlow
• Several witnesses describe him as Warren Jeffs' "muscle."
• Barlow was "clearly in charge of the group's security."
• During Warren Jeffs' trial, Barlow "attempted to seat individuals who could intimidate the witnesses in their direct line of sight."
• Lives in Hildale, Utah.
William E. Jessop
• "Respected as a bishop in the FLDS religion."
• "He is a very powerful man in the community, but I have never received any information that would indicate that he is involved in anything of a violent nature."
• "Could be involved in the decision-making processes due to his position of power."
• Lives in Hildale, Utah.
continued below
Lyle Steed Jeffs
ReplyDelete• Brother to FLDS leader Warren Jeffs.
• Acted as wedding security during illegal marriages conducted in Nevada.
• "Minimal information to suggest that Lyle would be considered a threat to commit acts of violence or witness intimidation."
David S. Allred
• Involved in the financial areas of the FLDS Church.
• "Fairly high in the FLDS pecking order."
• "I do not have any specific information that would label David as a threat, nor do I have any that would discount him as a threat."
Nephi Steed Jeffs
• Brother and personal assistant to FLDS leader Warren Jeffs.
• "To the best of my knowledge, he is not involved in any FLDS security and has no known history of violence or intimidation."
Wendell Loy Nielson
• One of the presiding elders in the FLDS religion.
• "He is not likely at this time to be involved directly in any acts of violence or intimidation, but may still be involved in their development, planning and approval stages."
Rodney Hans Holm
• Convicted of unlawful sex with a minor in Utah in 2006
• "Known to have significant disdain for law enforcement."
• "Rodney also was under the close watch of our court security staff during the trial, as he appeared at times to be attempting to intimidate witnesses from his seat."
Rulon Daniel Barlow
• "Rulon seemed to be extremely focused on the routines of our court staff and repeatedly seemed to be staring down the prosecuting attorneys and their witnesses."
Dee Yeates Jessop
• "Appears to be another intimidating enforcer for the FLDS religion."
• Was more interested in intimidating witnesses with "menacing" stares during Warren Jeffs' trial than the trial itself.
• "He has been described as a fanatic, who is blindly devoted to Warren Jeffs."
Samuel Rapylee Bateman
• "Showed an unnatural interest in the security procedures and routines of our staff during the trial."
Donovan J. Stubbs
• "Seemed to be taking mental notes of the security staff present."
• "Donovan carried himself well and seemed to be respected by the other members of the FLDS group. When he spoke, others listened."
Guy Curtis Bauer
• "Seemed to "make it a point to be noticed by the prosecution's victim and witnesses whenever possible."
• "Seemed to be there for the purpose of intimidation.
Guy E. Nielson
• "Appeared to make several discreet attempts at intimidating the victim and members of her (Alissa Wall's) family."
Nathan Mead Jessop
• "Multiple witnesses confirm Nathan Jessop is a member of the FLDS security team."
• One of three men who came to a woman's home and informed her she was no longer a worthy member of the community, a task generally reserved for Warren Jeffs' security staff.
These two articles were found at:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/
1,5143,700233685,00.html
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/
1,5143,700233581,00.html
Note by Perry Bulwer: the following article concerns the trial of Samuel Bateman who created a break-away cult from the FLDS. See the comment above where Bateman is listed as one of the FLDS enforcers.
ReplyDelete***
Witness list for FLDS cult trial includes Warren Jeffs, Secret Service
By Briana Whitney, AZ Family August 16, 2024
FLAGSTAFF, AZ (AZFamily) — An extensive witness list for the upcoming Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints polygamy trial has been released and it includes the infamous self-proclaimed prophet Warren Jeffs.
Jeffs is imprisoned for life in Texas for sexually assaulting his child brides.
Two followers of self-proclaimed prophet Samuel Bateman are facing a slew of charges, including child sex abuse and child pornography.
For just two defendants, there are nearly 170 potential witnesses.
For perspective, an average trial of this magnitude has maybe 30 total witnesses.
In August of 2022, there was a dramatic traffic stop in Flagstaff and a trailer full of underage girls that would uncover years of sexual abuse of minors allegedly at the hands of Bateman under the guise of religion and God’s word.
Body-camera video shows the moments Bateman is placed into handcuffs after refusing to give his full identity to authorities.
“Sam, put your hands behind your back. Put your hands behind your back. Put your hands behind your back! Put your hands behind your back!” you hear the officer yelling as Bateman refrains from arrest.
“I just got here. Explain to me what’s going on,” the officer tells Bateman.
“Calm down first,” Bateman replies with a snark.
“I am calm,” the officer said.
Bateman took a plea deal for transporting girls for sex acts and conspiring to kidnap them from state custody after they were rescued.
Many of his adult wives took plea deals for their roles, too.
But two of his male followers, Ladell Bistline Jr. and Torrance Bistline, are getting ready to stand trial.
Ladell faces charges involving child pornography, sex trafficking of two young girls, and recruiting victims for Bateman, while Torrance faces charges of sexual abuse and hiding and destroying evidence.
The extensive trial witness list was released this week with some surprising standout witnesses.
Along with Jeffs, nearly 50 FBI agents were named, prepared to possibly testify, and even a member of the United States Secret Service.
Authorities said many of Bateman’s underage wives, as young as 9 years old, were taken across the country as part of this human trafficking scheme, with law enforcement from Arizona, Utah, Nebraska, Washington, and California all set to testify about the abuse and manipulative attempt to cover it up.
As for evidence we can expect to be presented, we know Bateman kept journals of the abuse and sexual activity that documented what was happening.
We also know they communicated with the encrypted messaging app Signal and tried to delete messages so the FBI could not see them.
Based on the witness list, it appears we’ll hear from credit card companies, hotels, Airbnb, multiple banks, and luxury car dealerships, too, which should help us piece this all together.
As of now, this trial is set to begin on Sept. 10.
Meanwhile, Bateman still awaits sentencing for his plea deal, which is set for Aug. 30.
to see the links and video embedded in this article go to:
https://www.azfamily.com/2024/08/17/witness-list-flds-cult-trial-includes-warren-jeffs-secret-service/
Wife of polygamist Mormon leader gets 15 years for child sex abuse
ReplyDeleteJosephine Bistline admitted to sexually abusing young girls and recruiting them to marry Samuel Bateman, spiritual leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
by Joe Duhownik, Courthouse News Service August 30, 2024
PHOENIX (CN) — The fifth of eight women indicted in an Arizona child sex abuse ring was sentenced to 15 years in prison Friday for her role in recruiting young girls into illegitimate polygamous marriages with the religious leader of a disgraced Mormon sect.
Josephine Bistline helped Samuel Bateman, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, marry and sexually abuse at least nine underage girls between 2019 and 2022. The victims were as young as nine years old, and two were Bistline’s own daughters.
Bistline admitted to engaging in sexual activity with two of the child brides, sleeping naked with them and sexually abusing at least one. She also helped plan a 2022 kidnapping of eight child brides from the Arizona Department of Child Services.
Bistline, indicted on 14 counts ranging from transporting a minor for sexual activity to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, pleaded guilty in April to two counts of persuading or coercing travel to engage in sexual activity, a class C felony.
Her attorney Mark Anderson painted Bateman as a master manipulator.
“No one actually thinks Josephine Bistline is some kind of pedophile,” he told U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich, a Donald Trump appointee. “At the very worst, she was doing these things at the behest of Samuel Bateman.”
And yet the sexual conduct to which Bistline admitted happened in Arizona while Bateman was traveling in Nebraska.
“That’s not something Bateman forced her to do,” federal prosecutor Ryan Powell said.
Bistline told Brnovich she took full responsibility for her actions. Nonetheless, she showed little remorse for them.
“I haven’t been coerced by Samuel Bateman or anyone else,” Bistline said.
Prosecutors described Bistline as “by far the most culpable of any of the women involved.”
Many of Bateman’s wives were raised in a community in Colorado City, Arizona, without any access to the outside world. There, they were taught that complete obedience to the men in power, even when asked to perform immoral acts, was the only way to find salvation in the afterlife.
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Federal prosecutor Ryan Powell said Bistline’s mother, Josephine Barlow, warned her against joining the community or marrying Bateman. At one point, Barlow even called police in an attempt to stop her granddaughters from entering Bateman’s world.
ReplyDelete“She was involved with her own daughters being given away to terrible sexual abuse,” Powell said. “She fetched girls [and] brought them in knowing what would happen to them."
"She was there, she watched, and she participated," Powell continued — "and she didn’t do anything to stop it.”
Addressing the court, Josephine Barlow asked for mercy for her daughter.
“Before all this happened, she was very protected from all the evils that were out there,” Barlow said. “So, she was open to somebody who was evil."
“Deep down inside her heart, she knows good,” Barlow continued. “And the Lord does love her. She just needs to know that.”
Bistline’s father, Maroni Bistline, said outside the courtroom that Bateman punished Bistline in front of the others for reading a book about sexual predators. He said his daughter thought “this might be happening to us” but was stopped from learning more.
“Sam used mesmerism and hypnotism on her,” he said. “Sam knew what he was doing, and she didn’t.”
Any such punishment was not referenced in court documents or during the sentencing hearing Friday afternoon.
Siding with prosecutors, Brnovich found Bistline played a pivotal role in recruiting wives for Bateman. She found Bistline had shown little to no remorse for the crimes.
With that, she sentenced Bistline to 15 years in prison, followed by lifetime probation. Bistline will have to register as a sex offender and will be required to participate in parenting classes and a sex offender treatment program.
Bateman, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit transportation of a minor for criminal sexual activity and conspiracy to commit kidnapping in April, was scheduled to be sentenced Friday, but a last minute change pushed the date back to Oct. 28.
He was indicted on 52 felonies, but the rest will be dropped as part of his deal. The agreement recommends 20 to 50 years in prison.
After fellow defendant Naomi Bistline’s guilty plea on Wednesday, only three other defendants — one wife and two male followers — remain headed to trial, which is scheduled for Sept. 10.
In July, Brnovich sentenced three other wives of Bateman. Marona Johnson and Leia Bistline were each given two years in prison and three years of probation, while Brenda Barlow was given three years in prison because she helped plan the kidnapping. Earlier in August, Brnovich also sentenced Donnae Barlow to probation.
https://www.courthousenews.com/wife-of-polygamist-mormon-leader-gets-15-years-for-child-sex-abuse/