{
  "id": 3387123,
  "title": "Polygamous sect leader serving 50 years for child sex abuse gets another 24 years",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/polygamous-sect-leader-serving-50-years-for-child-sex-abuse-gets",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-26T00:33:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Guardian US",
    "slug": "the-guardian-us",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/25/polygamous-sect-leader-conviction-child-abuse"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Samuel Bateman, a 50-year-old leader of a polygamous sect, has been sentenced to an additional 24 years in prison for three state child abuse convictions related to the sexual exploitation of children. This comes after a previous federal conviction for orchestrating similar acts involving minors. On August 2022, Bateman was arrested in Flagstaff, Arizona, when a traffic stop led to the discovery of three girls, aged between 11 and 14, inside a trailer that lacked basic amenities such as air conditioning, seat belts, and a proper toilet. The trailer had been tipped off to authorities by a passerby who noticed small fingers reaching through gaps in the doors.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}