Where are the survivors of ‘Trust Me: The False Prophet’ now?
Trust Me: The False Prophet on Netflix has really got netizens discussing, debating, and questioning blind faith, and it’s not without reason.
Released on April 7th, the Netflix documentary follows cult expert Christine Marie and her videographer husband, Tolga Katas, who relocated to Short Creek, Utah, hoping to support a fragmented community after the imprisonment of Warren Jeffs in 2011, the former leader of a breakaway sect called the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS).
FLDS members practised polygamy, and Jeffs was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of child sexual assault. While his imprisonment left the community fractured, a new self-proclaimed successor of Jeffs, Samuel Bateman, rose to power, taking in large numbers of followers and multiple wives, including minors.
Emmy-winning Rachel Dretzin directed the four-part documentary, Trust Me: The False Prophet, largely constructed from footage Marie and Katas captured while infiltrating the group. Assuming they were helping the word spread out positively through the documentary, Bateman welcomed the cameras, oblivious to the fact that Marie and Katas were secretly plotting to expose his crimes with evidence.
In December 2024, Bateman was sentenced to 50 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to commit transportation of a minor for criminal sexual activity and conspiracy to kidnap.
In addition to Bateman, many of his male followers are serving sentences. Many adult “wives” have allegedly dissociated from him, while some remain faithful (via Tudum).
Under Bateman’s leadership, the group comprised at least 20 wives, with nearly half of them being minors. After Bateman’s arrest, the underage wives were placed at the Utah Division of Child and Family Services, or DCS. However, the power dynamics didn’t dissolve immediately with the stronger girls “making the younger girls terrified of speaking to law enforcement.”
But things spiralled when Bateman orchestrated the kidnapping of eight minors from state custody in November 2022. After recovering them in Spokane, Washington, the girls were finally placed in separate foster homes. “All the minors have come out [against Bateman], and the reason for that is very simple: They were all removed from the community and from their other sister wives and put into foster care,” Dretzin says.
That said, the picture is far more complex for the adults involved. Despite the minors breaking free, many parents have not. However, three women broke free from the shackles of Bateman’s horrors – Julia Johnson, Moretta Johnson, and Naomi “Nomz” Bistline.
Julia Johnson’s involvement in the investigation was crucial, but it came with its fair share of risks. She was married to Moroni Johnson, an early Bateman follower who gave four of their daughters, two of them minors, to Bateman as wives. In 2022, she began secretly meeting with Marie, determined to break away from the cult.
Julia and Moroni are no longer with each other, and the latter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit trafficking of a minor for sexual purposes. His 25-year prison sentence began in May 2025. Marie and Julia still stay in contact.
As for Moretta Johnson and Bistline, they were the most dedicated wives to Bateman. Moretta is one of Julia’s daughters who was a minor when Bateman took her in as a wife. Nomz, on the other hand, was introduced into the sect by her guardian, LaDell Jay Bistline. Despite being his vocal advocates, they were the only two of his adult followers to testify against him.
Moretta and Bistline were arrested for their roles in the kidnapping scheme and sentenced to prison time. However, both have described their time in prison as crucial for their transformation. After their respective releases, Moretta has married and started a family, while Nomz lives in Short Creek, hoping to leave the place someday for good.
However, Nomz has taken an interest in the brighter sides of life, devoting herself to art, music, and fashion. Her experiences have also forced her to confront and reflect on faith.