Gary M. Restaino, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona
LaDell Jay Bistline, Jr., a 46-year-old resident of Colorado City, has been sentenced to life imprisonment. The sentence was delivered by United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich on Wednesday following Bistline's conviction by a jury on October 2, 2024. He faced charges including receipt of child pornography, transfer of obscene material to a minor, persuading or coercing travel to engage in sexual activity, using interstate commerce for similar purposes, and transportation of a minor for criminal sexual activity.
Bistline was involved in a prolonged child sexual abuse conspiracy that affected at least ten children across multiple states. His co-defendant Samuel Rappylee Bateman, who led a religious sect in Colorado City, along with ten followers had previously pleaded guilty to related charges and were not part of Bistline's trial.
Evidence from the trial revealed that Bistline delivered his daughters as young as nine and eleven years old to Bateman as child "brides" for sexual abuse. The victims were transported across Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona for this purpose. Additionally, Bistline engaged in group sexual activities involving minors and monitored such acts via video livestream.
The investigation was conducted by the Phoenix Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), while prosecution was managed by the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Arizona. The office expressed gratitude towards several agencies including the Arizona Department of Child Safety for their roles in rescuing and protecting affected children. Other assisting agencies included the Colorado City Police Department, Iron County Sheriff's Office in Utah, U.S. Marshals Service, and St. George Resident Agency of the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office.
