In a scandal that has unravelled the dark underbelly of a polygamous sect, businessman Moroni Johnson made a court admission on Tuesday, saying he conspired with a polygamous sect leader to orchestrate the transport of underage girls for illegal sexual acts, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.
The 53-year-old Johnson, now facing a sentence that could range from 10 years to life in prison, was involved in a three-year conspiracy with Samuel Bateman, the head of the group splintered from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints which itself had disavowed polygamy since 1890, but Bateman's faction maintained the practice asserting it assured heavenly exaltation even though, Bateman also took minor girls as wives, and now faces accusations of child sex trafficking and obstruction of justice as highlighted in an NBC News report.
Federal authorities have described Bateman's operation as an extensive network stretching across at least four states, where Bateman, professing to act on divine command, purportedly married over 20 individuals, including minors, and engaged in sex with them, some instances of which were recorded and shared using electronic devices across state lines.
Allegations against Bateman also include instructing his followers to admit their wrongdoings in an open setting—these confessions were then widely disseminated, and punishments, which could involve public shaming or the mandate of sexual deeds, were claimed to be divine directives; such allegations have come to light after the FBI exposed a trailer containing girls aged between 11 and 14 in Flagstaff, the children subjected to deplorable conditions such as lacking proper ventilation and basic amenities, this resulted in Bateman being re-arrested and charged with additional federal crimes related to child trafficking according to FOX 10 Phoenix.
Further complicating the narrative are four adult women, identified as wives of Bateman, pleading guilty earlier this year to the conspiracy to tamper with an official proceeding; they confessed to having witnessed Bateman's illegal sexual interactions with children and assisting in the kidnap of eight minors from state custody—an acknowledgment disclosed by NBC News. As the case develops, Bateman has entered a plea of not guilty to all state and federal charges brought against him; his trial is currently set for September 10, while he remains in custody pending the trial's outcome.
