On April 8, 2026, the first episode of a true-crime documentary called Trust Me: The False Prophet became available to watch on Netflix.
According to TikToker Lola Blanc (@oohlalola), the documentary is about her mom, who went undercover to take down a cult.
The cult’s leader was named Sam Rappylee Bateman. He was the self-proclaimed religious prophet of this polygamous Mormon sect.
The people in the cult were members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in a community called Short Creek.
The documentary is a four-part series that showcases how Bateman established control over the members and reveals how he was running a child abuse conspiracy across multiple states.
Lola is proud of her mom and the other women/girls who helped take Bateman down. Her mom, Christine Marie, is a cult psychology expert. She moved to Short Creek, Utah, to document what was going on in the community.
In 2011, the leader of the sect, Warren Jeffs, was convicted of child abuse and was sentenced to life in prison. Without a leader, the members of the cult were lost. Soon enough, Sam Bateman stepped in and began to gain followers and take multiple wives, including underage girls.
Bateman welcomed Christine and the cameras because he believed she was making a documentary that would help spread his message to the rest of the world. Little did he know that she was actually gathering evidence of his crimes.
Bateman had at least 20 wives, with half of them being minors as young as age nine. Christine heard rumors that he was married to children, but it was hard to get solid proof because she was not allowed to be alone with the underage girls.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
She finally captured an audio recording of Bateman admitting to his crimes in November 2021.
The docuseries ended with an FBI raid on Bateman’s compound and his arrest. He also tried to orchestrate a kidnapping plot from behind bars.
Eight minors vanished from state custody, and once police found them in Spokane, Washington, they were placed in separate foster homes.
In December 2024, he was sentenced to 50 years in prison for conspiracy to commit transportation of a minor for criminal activity and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
Many of his male followers are serving time in prison as well. Some of his adult wives no longer associate with him, while others are still loyal to him.
All his underage victims testified against him in court. They were able to understand what had happened to them and speak out once they were outside of the religious group.
Many TikTok users sang praises to Lola’s mother in the comments section for the incredible work she has done. Others described their own experiences with cults to highlight the importance of her mother’s work.
“Your mom is an amazing individual!!!! The way she turned her trauma into not only something positive, but faced her trauma head-on and helped those in similar situations! Your mom is a literal angel,” exclaimed one user.
“For me, the show really emphasized how impactful it can be when someone takes the time to care and put others first. Without your mother stepping in and doing what she did, those girls might still be experiencing abuse today. Your mother is truly amazing,” commented another.
“I grew up under the influence of a cult that my parents were in, and this is the first time I’ve seen a genuinely compassionate documentary on the subject. You and your mother are amazing. I’m completely in awe of what your mom did. I watch a lot of documentaries, and I’ve never seen anything like it ever,” added a third.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
