Evidence Christine Marie and Tolga Katas collected while filming 'Trust Me: False Prophet' led to Samuel Bateman's arrest for child sexual abuse and kidnapping
Credit: NETFLIX
NEED TO KNOW
- In 2021, Christine Marie and Tolga Katas began filming Samuel Bateman’s polygamist sect for a documentary
- The couple uncovered evidence that he and other leaders in the group were sexually abusing underage girls
- Their work as FBI informants led to Bateman’s 50-year sentence for child sex abuse crimes
It's been four years since Christine Marie and Tolga Katas infiltrated Samuel Bateman's polygamist sect while working on a documentary — a daring move that would eventually lead to his conviction.
The couple secretly gathered evidence for the FBI that the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) offshoot had taken at least 10 "spiritual" underage wives, per A&E.
Bateman was arrested with several of his followers in 2022 and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and transport a minor for sexual activity two years later. He was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison.
"My false prophet was never held accountable for what he did to me," Marie, an expert in cult psychology, said in the 2026 Netflix docuseries Trust Me: The False Prophet. "So, with these young ladies, I was driven to make sure that it would be different for them."
So, where are Christine Marie and Tolga Katas now? Here's everything to know about the documentary filmmakers-turned-FBI informants' lives four years after they exposed Samuel Bateman's child sex abuse ring.
Marie and Katas started befriending FLDS members in 2015
Credit: NETFLIX
Over a decade before Trust Me: The False Prophet was released, the couple moved to Short Creek, a secluded FLDS community on the border of Arizona and Utah. Marie was supporting FLDS members through her nonprofit Voices for Dignity, and Katas was working on a documentary about the community.
At the time, the group was still reeling from the 2011 conviction of their leader, Warren Jeffs, which left a leadership void — one eventually filled by Bateman, who claimed to be a prophet.
"We heard how dangerous this town was," Marie said in Trust Me: The False Prophet. "We heard it was the most reclusive, isolated town in America. But I felt drawn to come here to help these people."
Though the community rejected them as outsiders, Marie and Katas eventually gained their trust.
They became FBI informants after uncovering a child sex abuse ring
Credit: NETFLIX
In 2021, the couple began filming Bateman and his interactions with his over 20 wives.
Though Marie had heard that some of them were minors as young as 9, it wasn't until she secretly recorded him admitting to facilitating the sexual abuse of underage girls — during a car ride with the victims in the back seat — that the full scope of his crimes became clear.
Bateman described an "Atonement" ceremony in the November 2021 recording, in which he ordered his followers to have sex with three of his underage wives while he watched.
"While he's telling this story, he's trying to describe all the pain and suffering that he had to go through," Marie explained in Trust Me: The False Prophet. "In the meantime, these pure, FLDS young women and child are incredibly humiliated."
Marie and Katas’ documented evidence led to Bateman’s arrest
Credit: NETFLIX
Marie gave the recording to local law enforcement, which, in turn, sent it to federal authorities.
For months, the couple worked with the FBI as informants, with Katas even staging a raid by arranging a meeting with Bateman under the guise of filming.
On Sept. 13, 2022, he was arrested by FBI agents, and later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport a minor for criminal sexual activity and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
In December 2024, he was sentenced to 50 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
"I'll never forget how I felt as I was walking the younger girls out," Marie recalled in Trust Me: The False Prophet. "Feeling like, they don't know this, but I'm walking them to their freedom."
Where are Christine Marie and Tolga Katas now?
Credit: NETFLIX
The couple remained in Short Creek after Bateman's arrest and conviction, continuing to support the FLDS community. They celebrated over 20 years together in 2025.
"I love being married to this man @tolgakatas," Marie wrote on Instagram in April 2025. "After over 20 years together, my heart still flutters when he walks into the room."
Katas has remained active as a music producer and cinematographer, per his website, and Marie still works as a speaker and advocate, raising money for those who survived Bateman's abuse, per her website.
She told Tudum in April 2026 that she hoped Trust Me: The False Prophet would shine a light on the systems that allow "predatorial power dynamics" to "flourish."
"This isn't just applicable in this community," Marie explained. "Every city, every organization, every state, every country has groups where there was or is some sort of power-hungry leader that you can't question, who then takes advantage of people."
Of the lesson she's learned from it all, Marie said, "Be the strong one to stand up, even if people hate you and judge you. Save yourself first — then you can save the rest.”
Read the full article here