Samuel Rappylee Bateman accused of offering daughter, 14, a bag of Doritos and $50 for marriage

The leader of an Arizona-based polygamist cult attempted to bribe his own 14-year-old daughter into marrying him with potato chips, $50 and airplane tickets. Former followers of the FLDS told the Salt Lake City Tribune in December that following Warren Jeffs' conviction in 2011, Bateman seized upon the power vacuum and became the group's leader. Women and girls are seen during an August 28 traffic stop in northern Arizona, where police say Bateman was hauling three girls, between the ages of 11 and 14, in a box trailer behind his SUV An evidence photo shows the trailer Bateman allegedly used to transport underage girls The squalid trailer was furnished with a couch, camper chairs, and a toilet made from a bucket The recent affidavit states that Bateman has since gathered 'approximately 50 followers and more than 20 wives, many of whom are minors, mostly under the age of 15.' Bateman is apparently so extreme that he has been denounced even by former FLDS leader Warren Jeffs, a convicted child rapist The affidavit further alleges that in late 2020, Bateman drove to the Colorado City couple's home 'in a large SUV packed with women and girls,' where he 'introduced everyone as his wives.' He pleaded not guilty in U.S. Magistrate Court in Flagstaff Federal prosecutor Patrick Schneider said in September that the state child welfare agency had removed children from Bateman's home in Colorado City, where the FBI had recently served a search warrant.