Former Sect Member Moroni Johnson Sentenced to 25 Years for Trafficking Daughters to Religious Leader

Moroni Johnson is currently in prison for trafficking his daughters to cult leader Samuel Bateman. Details on his sentence and the federal investigation.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 11, 2026, 10:06 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from People

A Federal Conviction for Religious Exploitation

Moroni Johnson, a long-time resident of Hildale, Utah, is currently incarcerated following a federal investigation into a predatory religious offshoot. Johnson was sentenced to 25 years in prison after admitting to conspiracy to commit transportation of a minor for criminal sexual activity. His conviction marks a significant development in the dismantling of a sect led by Samuel Bateman, a former member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Johnson’s legal downfall followed a decade of documentation by undercover filmmakers who tracked the group’s transition into a high-control environment characterized by the systemic abuse of minors.

The Transition from Established Faith to Radical Offshoot

Before his criminal involvement, Johnson was a member of the FLDS community and worked in metal fabrication for three decades. Following the life imprisonment of FLDS leader Warren Jeffs, a power vacuum emerged, leading Johnson to align himself with Bateman in early 2019. According to court testimony from his former wife, Julia Johnson, Moroni became a primary advocate for Bateman’s claims of prophethood. This shift in allegiance facilitated the creation of a closed society where Bateman claimed authority over nearly two dozen women and children as spiritual wives, a move that Julia Johnson described during court proceedings as a devastating departure from their previous life.

Systemic Abuse Framed as Spiritual Marriage

The core of the criminal case against Johnson centered on the surrender of his four daughters, aged 10, 14, 17, and an undisclosed age, to Bateman. These minors were purportedly married to the sect leader without ceremonies or legal consent, leading to documented sexual abuse. Julia Johnson testified that she vehemently opposed the arrangement, describing the emotional toll and mental breakdowns she suffered while her husband remained committed to the group’s ideology. The internal conflict culminated in Julia providing critical information to cult psychology experts, which eventually assisted federal authorities in building a case against the sect's leadership.