On the witness list for the FLDS cult trial is Warren Jeffs, Secret Service

FLAGSTAFF, AZ (AZFamily) – An extensive witness list for the upcoming polygamy trial of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been released and includes the infamous self-proclaimed prophet Warren Jeffs.

Jeffs is serving a life sentence in Texas for sexually abusing his child brides.

Two followers of the self-proclaimed prophet Samuel Bateman face numerous charges, including child sexual abuse and child pornography.

For two defendants alone, there are almost 170 potential witnesses.

By comparison, in an average trial of this size, there are perhaps 30 witnesses present.

In August 2022, a dramatic traffic stop and a trailer full of underage girls occurred in Flagstaff, revealing years of sexual abuse of minors that Bateman allegedly committed under the guise of religion and the Word of God.

Body camera video shows Bateman being handcuffed after he refused to give authorities his full identity.

“Sam, put your hands behind your back. Put your hands behind your back. Put your hands behind your back!” the police officer is heard shouting as Bateman refrains from making an arrest.

“I just got here. Explain to me what's going on,” the officer tells Bateman.

“First, calm down,” Bateman replies with a snide smile.

“I am calm,” said the officer.

Bateman took a plea deal for transporting girls for sex acts and conspiring to kidnap them after rescuing them from federal custody.

Many of his adult wives also made deals for their roles.

But two of his male followers, Ladell Bistline Jr. and Torrance Bistline, are preparing for trial.

Ladell is accused of child pornography, sex trafficking of two young girls and recruiting victims for Bateman, while Torrance is accused of sexual abuse and embezzlement and destruction of evidence.

The trial's extensive witness list was released this week and includes some surprisingly outstanding witnesses.

In addition to Jeffs, nearly 50 FBI agents were named as potential testifiers, and even a member of the U.S. Secret Service.

Authorities said many of Bateman's underage wives – some as young as nine – were trafficked across the country as part of the trafficking scheme. Law enforcement officials from Arizona, Utah, Nebraska, Washington and California will testify about the abuse and manipulative cover-ups.

As for the evidence we can expect, we know that Bateman kept a diary of the abuse and sexual activities documenting what happened.

We also know that they communicated using the encrypted messaging app Signal and tried to delete messages so the FBI couldn't see them.

According to the witness list, we are also expected to hear testimony from credit card companies, hotels, Airbnb, several banks and luxury car dealers, which should help us make sense of the situation.

The trial is expected to begin on September 10.

Meanwhile, Bateman is still awaiting sentencing for his guilty plea, which is scheduled for August 30.

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