This 2026 Netflix docuseries follows a cult expert and her filmmaker husband as they go undercover in a vulnerable FLDS community in Utah to expose Samuel Bateman, who claims to be the successor to imprisoned prophet Warren Jeffs. What is this true-crime documentary called?

The Netflix docuseries described, which follows a cult expert and her filmmaker husband as they go undercover in a vulnerable FLDS community to expose Samuel Bateman, is indeed titled "Trust Me: The False Prophet." This four-episode true-crime series premiered in April 2026 and quickly became a top-viewed program on Netflix. It provides an unprecedented look into the insular world of a polygamous splinter sect of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) in Short Creek, Utah, and Arizona.

The series highlights the courageous efforts of cult psychology expert Christine Marie and her videographer husband, Tolga Katas. They moved to Short Creek in 2016 to support the FLDS community, which was left fractured after the imprisonment of its former leader, Warren Jeffs. Samuel Bateman, who saw a power vacuum, proclaimed himself a new prophet and successor to Jeffs, claiming Jeffs was speaking through him. Bateman, born around 1976, quickly amassed a following and took more than 20 "spiritual wives," at least ten of whom were minors, with some as young as nine years old. The filmmakers gained Bateman's trust, as he believed they would help spread his message, allowing them to secretly gather incriminating evidence for the FBI.

The documentary meticulously chronicles Bateman's rise and the horrific child sexual abuse he orchestrated, which spanned multiple states. Marie and Katas's footage, along with the witnesses they helped discreetly turn, proved crucial to the FBI's case against Bateman. In April 2024, Bateman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport a minor for criminal sexual activity and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, receiving a 50-year federal prison sentence in December 2024. Despite his incarceration, the docuseries reveals that Bateman continues to exert control over many of his adult wives through daily phone calls from prison, as they still believe him to be their prophet. This ongoing influence underscores the complex and deeply ingrained nature of cult indoctrination.