Trial begins against two involved in polygamist child sex abuse case 

PHOENIX (CN) — Federal prosecutors Tuesday began presenting their case on the first day of the trial against two Arizona men accused of aiding and participating in a child sex abuse ring involving 10 girls as young as 9 years old.

Brothers LaDell and Torrance Bistline are members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an offshoot of the Mormon Church that still practices polygamy, and, according to the government, followers of its leader Samuel Rappylee Bateman, who in April admitted to having regular sex with his ten child brides and at least 12 other spiritual wives.

Before 15 jurors in a Phoenix courtroom Tuesday afternoon, attorney Kathy Henry called Bateman “evil” and “a monster,” but insisted that her client, Torrance Bistline, had no knowledge of, let alone involvement in, Bateman’s sexual crimes.

“He’s raped nobody,” Henry said. “He’s exploited no children. He didn’t even hang out with Bateman. He was too busy perfecting his business.”

Torrance Bistline began making large profits off his company VelociWrapper, which sells an automatic cable wrapping machine for solar and wind farms, around the same time Bateman rose to power in the FLDS community. Henry said Bateman and another FLDS member named Moroni Johnson, who worked with Torrance Bistline, took advantage of him and took control over his profits, using the money to buy Bentley cars and other extravagant purchases.

Johnson also admitted to having sex with children, and will be called to testify in the trial.

“This case is nothing more than Moroni Johnson trying to take down Torrance Bistline and his company,” Henry said.

Jacob Faussette, representing LaDell Bistline Jr., painted Bateman and Johnson as the villains of the narrative, taking advantage of those around them. He asked the jury to pay attention to three key elements of the case while they listen over the next several weeks: “Power, sex and money.”

He didn’t deny LaDell Bistline’s participation in the child sex abuse ring.

Samuel Bateman rose to power in the FLDS community, located mostly in Colorado City, Arizona, in 2019, eight years after the arrest and life imprisonment of Warren Jeffs left a power vacuum. From 2019 to 2022, Bateman amassed at least two dozen wives, 10 of whom were children when he married and first had sex with them.

Federal prosecutor Ryan Powell said LaDell was a key contributor to Bateman’s rise to power giving his own two daughters, who were 9 and 11 at the time, to Bateman in 2020.

“This is a case about power and control,” Powell told the jury. “These girls were simply traded like property. These men wrapped this child sex abuse ring in a shroud of religion. They claimed to be doing God’s will.”

Powell said LaDell gave two other girls for whom he was responsible to Bateman, and traveled to Colorado to find more. Torrance, according to the government, bankrolled the operation with proceeds from his company. Powell said the two Bentleys were gifts from Torrance to Bateman to acknowledge Bateman’s power.

He said LaDell regularly participated in group sex with Bateman and his child brides for three years, and that Torrance anally raped a 14-year-old in what Bateman called an “atonement ceremony.”

He also accused the defendants of interfering with the FBI’s investigation by deleting messages to and from Bateman and trying to hide digital and physical evidence.

Powell displayed 10 photos on a screen for the jury, each one depicting one of Bateman’s child brides around the time they were married to Bateman, ranging in age from 9 to 17. He then displayed a group photo of 23 of Bateman’s wives. The youngest stood on a box to be at eye level with the rest.

One juror silently cried throughout his roughly 45-minute presentation, repeatedly wiping her eyes. Faussette took issue with that, asking U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich if he could ask the juror again whether she has the ability to stay impartial.

In the questionnaire sent to her along with her summons, she wrote that the “FLDS is disgusting,” and that she is “already outraged at the defendants,” but didn’t raise her hand Tuesday morning when the jury pool was asked whether they can’t be impartial.

Brnovich said Faussette had his chance to ensure her impartiality during jury selection Tuesday morning.

The jury is made up of nine women and six men.

LaDell Bistline is indicted on two counts of using interstate commerce to entice a minor into sexual conduct, four counts of transporting a minor for sexual activity and one count of transferring obscene materials to minors. Torrance Bistline is indicted on two counts of destruction of evidence, one count of using interstate commerce to entice a minor, conspiracy to destroy evidence, conspiracy to tamper with an official proceeding, and tampering with an official proceeding.

Seven of Bateman’s adult wives have pleaded guilty to similar charges, and some have already been sentenced to prison.

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