‘Trust Me: the False Prophet': Are Samuel Bateman's Wives Scripted?

The four-part series, Trust Me: the False Prophet, follows Christine Marie and Tolga Katas infiltrating Samuel Bateman's cult. He claimed to be a messenger for the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) prophet Warren Jeffs, who was in prison for sexually assaulting girls.

The couple gained Bateman's trust and some of his "spiritual" wives. Naomi Bistline talked about her experience in the Netflix documentary. She explained why viewers can't trust what Bateman's wives said.

Naomi Bistline Says Samuel Bateman Punished Her for ‘Trust Me: The False Prophet' Filming

Marie asked the wives about their lives with Bateman. They often talked about being happy and feeling "famous" for being close to a prophet. It took time for Marie to overhear a conversation between Bateman and his supporter about child sex abuse. Bistline explained how the women and girls were prepared to be interviewed.

"He was very egoistic, and we were all on script, even when he would leave. We were saying whatever he wanted us to say, and so a lot of the real bad things were not on camera," she told Entertainment Weekly. Bistline told Bateman she didn't believe Marie and Katas were honest about their intentions in filming their family.

"But, for me, it was very suspicious, and I did mention it to Sam one time and he really got after me and raised his voice," she said. "I didn't dare bring it up after that. He was like, "God told me to trust these people," and then we just went along with it. We didn't have any other choice."

She said all the women and girls hated Bateman, but were worn down into complying. Bistline said she was punished for questioning Bateman's judgment and was sent to live in a trailer for three months. She is no longer a follower of the FLDS and speaks about her experience to raise awareness.

Trust Me: the False Prophet is now available to stream on Netflix.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available 24 hours a day through RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.

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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 6:31 PM.