A woman who was coerced into marrying a man twice her age and endured years of systematic abuse has courageously shared her traumatic experience of being threatened into obedience within a horrifying religious polygamy scheme. Naomi Bistline features prominently in the shocking new Netflix documentary Trust Me: The False Prophet, which meticulously examines the crimes of Sam Bateman, a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who spiritually 'wed' numerous child brides.
Documentary Captures Widespread Attention
Since its release on the streaming platform last week, the deeply disturbing documentary has rapidly ascended the most-watched charts, captivating audiences eager to hear the harrowing stories of the young women who suffered under Bateman's brutal regime. Produced by Rachel Dretzin, the film follows author and educator Christine Marie alongside her videographer husband Tolga Katas as they embed themselves within the community residing in Short Creek, Utah, an area once controlled by the infamous Warren Jeffs.
The Rise of a New Predator
Jeffs, the former leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints revered as a 'prophet' within the group, was convicted of sexually assaulting two young girls and is now serving a life sentence. Following his imprisonment, the 49-year-old Bateman attempted to seize control of the community by persuading vulnerable young women and girls that Jeffs was 'speaking through him' and that he had been anointed as the new 'prophet'.
He proceeded to 'marry' a significant number of young women and girls, including one as young as nine years old, and even distributed wives as 'gifts' to his male followers. Bateman claimed he had received divine instructions from the 'Heavenly Father' to have these women sleep with other men, further entrenching his control through religious manipulation.
An Insider's Mission to Expose Abuse
Former television star and cult expert Christine Marie relocated to the secluded Utah area in 2021 to assist the exploited young women, drawing from her own past experiences of being drawn into a religious organization and sexually abused by an older man claiming to be a 'prophet'. After immersing herself in the community and monitoring Bateman and his wives over a two-year period, Christine Marie successfully exposed how Bateman was sexually abusing his wives and engaging in sex trafficking, including the trafficking of young children.
She collaborated with the FBI, aided by a concerned FLDS mother whose five daughters had all been wed to Bateman, ultimately helping to bring down the predator. Bateman was later sentenced to 50 years in prison followed by lifetime supervised release.
Naomi's Harrowing Testimony
Now, one of Bateman's former wives, Naomi, has bravely opened up about the reality of being wed to him, revealing she was 'threatened' into obedience—a compliance that led to her and her sister wife Moretta being imprisoned for their involvement in his crimes. In the documentary, Naomi describes how she was coerced into marrying Bateman at age 23 by her family's caretaker and cousin, LaDell 'Lud' Jay Bistline Jr, one of Bateman's devoted followers.
She recounts in the second episode: '[Lud] was like "I feel impressed that you should come out and listen to Samuel", Father Samuel, he said, "Heavenly Father impressed me that you belong in my family". I went like, stone cold, like "No way, there goes my whole life, there goes everything". It was until the November then that I actually got married.'
Naomi reflects on her mindset at the time: 'But once I had committed, like submitted myself to it, was when the Heavenly Father gave me the courage and the strength. I was like, this has to be right. I've lived my entire life not knowing what the right thing is and I'd like to know. The only thing I regret is that I didn't go sooner, that's the only thing I regret in life.'
The Devastating Impact of Coercion
Her aunt adds in the documentary, highlighting the systemic grooming: 'She had been coerced and manipulated into it. We groomed our girls for this, we're not teaching them to question authority.' Speaking in a later episode, Naomi, now 26 and no longer a member of the FLDS after serving prison time, explains: 'Obedience was everything... and now here [I was] in prison for my perfect obedience. When I look back, I see that girl in third person. I thought I was in love with him but now looking back, I understand it was complete fear.'
She continues: 'The things that were going on inside were completely different to what showed. It's not me, it was an entirely different person. It's very disturbing, beyond what anybody could fathom.'
Detailed Accounts of Manipulation and Threats
Naomi further elaborates to Netflix's Tudum on Bateman's manipulation tactics: 'Every one of us really hated him at first, and then he would break us down and make us into what he wanted. It was a lot of abuse and coercion. There was one time that he sent me off to live in a trailer for three months, I didn’t get to see anyone or come into town. I just had to sit out there and repent because I dared question him about something, and that was one of the mild things.'
She reveals escalating threats: 'Toward the end, he got into this blood atonement stuff, and he would tell us if we weren’t perfectly obedient to him and [didn’t do] exactly what he said, then, “One day you’ll be crawling to me begging for me to take your life.” Then a few months before his arrest and the raid, he had me get a life insurance policy. And if I were to die, he would collect that money. At the time, I felt like the only way to survive was to get close to him.'
Broader Patterns of Control and Aftermath
Naomi notes that 'no one is exempt' from such coercion, recognizing how it 'starts small and builds up', especially for those raised in environments where questioning male authority was discouraged. She recalls Bateman gaining trust by 'using a lot of Warren Jeff's writings', whom many girls had been 'raised to believe was some kind of God'.
Having left the community, Naomi acknowledges feeling 'very alone' as she grew up knowing 'anyone outside' the FLDS Church. She maintains contact with some former sister wives who still support Bateman, hoping to guide them toward freedom despite facing 'passive-aggressive responses'.
Exposing the Myths and Legal Proceedings
Naomi criticizes the 'complete myth' she was taught as a child regarding Warren Jeffs' teachings, admitting she only learned the full extent of his crimes while reading about them in prison, which she found 'shocking, disturbing, and overwhelming'. The documentary delves into Bateman's proclamation as Jeffs' successor and his efforts to establish himself as the heir of the FLDS organization, examining his 'deeply disturbing account of manipulation, control and abuse'.
It highlights how Bateman exploited religious conviction to consolidate power, leading to criminal acts including sexual acts with minors and sex trafficking of young children. A Netflix synopsis describes the investigation as offering 'rare access to a secretive world, capturing hidden moments and conversations that reveal how such systems of control operate'.
Legal Charges and Sentencing
In December 2022, Bateman pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and tampering with evidence charges from a federal investigation into his community on the Utah-Arizona border. His arrest in August 2022 in Flagstaff, Arizona, occurred after he was caught towing three of his underage 'wives' in a box trailer during a traffic stop.
Bateman faced numerous state and federal charges, including child abuse, obstructing a federal investigation, aiding in kidnapping girls from state foster care, and tampering with evidence. Court records reveal he used religious teachings and ceremonies to justify abuse, employing fear of spiritual punishment to maintain control. Federal authorities reported he moved women and girls across Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and Nebraska to evade detection for years.
He later conspired with followers to kidnap his child wives from protective custody, with eight found hidden in Washington by law enforcement. Bateman was ultimately imprisoned for 50 years followed by lifetime supervised release. Trust Me: The False Prophet is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
