A polygamous leader in Arizona had more than 20 "wives," including girls, according to the FBI

By Antonio Planas -

A "self-proclaimed prophet" had more than 20 wives, including minors, and said it was "heavenly father's will" that he engage in sexual acts with them, according to an FBI affidavit.

Samuel Rappylee Bateman, of Colorado City, Ariz., claimed it was God's will to encourage his followers, "including underage children, to engage in sexual acts," according to the affidavit filed Friday in federal court for the Eastern District. of washington.

Bateman was the leader of a branch of the fundamentalist Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Church, according to court documents.

The affidavit came a day after authorities located eight girls — who had been in Bateman's care but were taken into state custody in Arizona — at an Airbnb in Washington state.

The girls had run away from their group homes in Arizona.

Family and supporters of Samuel Bateman gather around him as he calls from police custody following his arrest in Colorado City, Ariz., on Sept. 13, 2022. Trent Nelson / The Salt Lake Tribune via AP

On September 14, nine girls were taken into the custody of the Arizona Department of Children's Services, according to the affidavit.

None of them "disclosed having been sexually abused by Bateman, but

Eight of the nine girls fled on Nov. 27 from the group homes where they were held in state custody, according to authorities.

On Thursday, a Spokane County Sheriff's Office sergeant located a vehicle driven by one of Bateman's wives that contained the eight missing girls.

The affidavit named Bateman's wife as a defendant in the ongoing criminal case for kidnapping and obstruction.

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Bateman has not been charged with sex crimes, although court documents state

that was transported between Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Nebraska in 2020 and 2021.

Bateman's attorneys could not immediately be reached Tuesday.

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A defendant named in the affidavit became one of Bateman's wives when she was under the age of 18.

She gave birth seven months after her 18th birthday, according to the affidavit.

She is charged with kidnapping and obstruction along with two other women.

In 2019, Bateman began to proclaim that he was a prophet of Warren Jeffs, who Bateman and his followers referred to as 'Uncle Warren'.

In 2019, Bateman was married to a woman and had a daughter who was born in 2005. The woman left Bateman and that's when he began accumulating wives, according to the affidavit.

Some of the information provided to an FBI agent came from two people, a woman who Bateman believed was trying to help members of his group, and her husband, who was filming a documentary.

In December 2020, Bateman drove to the couple's Colorado City home "in a big SUV packed with women and girls."

Bateman introduced all of her as her wives,” the affidavit reads.

The youngest of the girls was born in 2011, according to authorities.

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A minor related to Bateman was interviewed on video in December 2020, according to the affidavit.

A review of the video determined that Bateman asked the girl if she had prayed about who she was going to marry.

The minor replied that she had not done it because she was too young.

Bateman then told her that she "felt that she was his wife."

The girl also told investigators that Bateman had hugged and kissed her and that one of the kisses was a "disgusting kiss" that she described as "slimy."

The affidavit records that investigators had also obtained other evidence in the form of journals from some of Bateman's wives, according to the FBI agent who wrote the affidavit.

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"I have reviewed several of the journals seized during the search warrants, and there are details reported by several of the girls about sleeping with Bateman, kissing him, and touching him," the affidavit read.

Bateman was 46 years old in September when he was arrested on a separate indictment on charges of destroying records in a federal investigation.

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The federal charges concern the destruction or attempted destruction of documents in an official proceeding;

tampering or attempted tampering with an official proceeding;

and destruction of documents in a federal investigation, according to authorities.

According to the indictment, on August 28, Bateman destroyed or attempted to destroy records by deleting electronic communications associated with Signal accounts, or aiding and abetting others to delete them.

Signal is an encrypted messaging app.

The indictment also alleged that Bateman did so to obstruct, influence, and impede an investigation and prosecution in federal court.

According to the prosecution, Bateman used Signal to communicate with his wives and followers.