Samuel Bateman is serving a 50-year sentence in prison. But for many of his followers, he remains their prophet, reinforcing his control with daily calls from his cell. 

The documentary series Trust Me: The False Prophet chronicles Bateman’s rise to power within the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), a breakaway Mormon sect whose members practice polygamy. Almost a decade after FLDS leader Warren Jeffs was convicted of child sexual assault and sentenced to life in prison in 2011, Bateman proclaimed himself a prophet, announcing that Jeffs was now speaking through him. He gained followers and took multiple wives — including minors as young as 9 — and, as discussed in the documentary, subjected them to sexual abuse.

Directed by Emmy– and Peabody Award–winning filmmaker Rachel Dretzin (Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey), the four-part series is told largely through footage captured by cult psychology expert Christine Marie and her videographer husband, Tolga Katas, who moved to Short Creek, Utah, in 2016 to support the fractured FLDS community. When Bateman welcomed their cameras, believing they’d spread his message to the world, they secretly gathered evidence of his crimes instead.

The docuseries culminates in Bateman’s 2022 arrest and eventual sentencing — a hard-won victory for the filmmakers and the women inside his group who risked everything to bring him down. But it ends with a chilling warning: Many of his adult wives still believe he is their prophet.

According to Dretzin, Bateman has maintained an unsettling level of access, and is able to make many daily calls from prison. While he’s no longer abusing them, imprisonment has only strengthened his hold on his followers, who consider him to have been “martyred.” And he reinforces that status through daily calls with his wives. 

Christine agrees that Bateman’s access to his followers helps him maintain control. “That communication with him is like an IV of indoctrination,” she tells Tudum. “It’s like they’re getting fed certainty right into their veins — their belief that he is talking to God.”

After Bateman’s arrest, several of his wives — including Naomi “Nomz” Bistline and Moretta Johnson — were arrested and served prison time. Of his adult wives, only Nomz and Moretta later testified against him in court. 

For Nomz, the separation proved transformative. “As long as he was in contact, he still had control — and that’s how it is with them even now, which is really sad,” she tells Tudum, referring to Bateman’s remaining followers.

All nine of Bateman’s underage victims, by contrast, have left the sect — a shift Dretzin attributes to their forced separation from the group. “They were all removed from the community and put into foster care,” the director says. “Once they had the perspective of being outside of the group, they were able to see what had happened to them and speak out.” They all testified against Bateman in court.

Though Nomz is eager to leave Short Creek, she says she still occasionally crosses paths with Bateman’s followers. “I have so much sympathy and compassion for them because I was there once, and I know what they’re going through,” she says. 

Christine is convinced that freedom for these women begins with breaking contact with Bateman. “Once they break from him and from the other people who believe in him, then they can say, ‘Wait, maybe I’m not so certain. Maybe he did make all this up so that he could get money, power, and sex — like every other cult leader,’ ” she says. “Those women deserve a life of freedom. They deserve to find true love. They deserve to know what reality is. You can’t be free if you’re living in a world of fiction.”

Dretzin acknowledges the difficult position Bateman’s remaining followers are in, especially given the insular nature of Short Creek. But she’s optimistic change can take root now that their story is out in the world. “They’re all still living in the community — Christine, Tolga, Nomz, and all of Sam’s followers — and this community is tiny. So it’s a lot of pressure,” she says. “I’m hoping that the documentary will help create an environment in which some of them have the courage and the perspective to leave.”

Trust Me: The False Prophet is now streaming.