James Kirby King, Multiple Sex Crimes, Montana 2023
A federal district judge in Great Falls has found a Billings man, 58-year-old James Kirby King, guilty of multiple sex crimes, including child molestation and attempted sex trafficking.
The verdict comes after a three-day bench trial that began on September 9. King was found guilty on 17 counts of a 25-count superseding indictment that alleged various sexual assault and child molestation crimes against six separate victims.
The court found King not guilty on eight counts. U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said, “The years-long horror of sexual abuse and trauma King inflicted on his victims, most of whom were children when he started his assaults, is unimaginable. King unconscionably sought out vulnerable children for exploitation to satisfy his own desires and caused a lifetime of pain for them.”
The government alleged in court documents and at trial that King was a prolific sex offender who preyed on the most vulnerable and marginalized Native Americans in Montana for decades by molesting, sexually assaulting, drugging, trafficking, and exploiting any defenseless person without regard to their sex, age, or biological relationship.
The charged conduct began as early as approximately 1992 and continued until King's arrest in 2023. King faces a maximum of life in prison, a $250,000 fine, and five years to a lifetime of supervised release, along with a mandatory minimum of 15 years to life in prison for the crimes of sexual exploitation of children.
The court found King guilty of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, incest, sexual exploitation of children, aggravated sexual abuse by rendering unconscious or drugging the victim, sexual abuse, attempted aggravated sexual abuse by rendering unconscious or drugging the victim, attempted sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a minor, aggravated sexual abuse by force, attempted possession with the intent to sell child pornography in Indian Country, possession of child pornography in Indian Country, and attempted sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion.
King's crimes spanned approximately 30 years on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and in Billings. The victims included Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2, Jane Doe 3, Jane Doe 4, and Jane Doe 10, among others. Some of the victims were under the age of 12 at the time, some were under the age of 16, and some were adults.
The case was investigated by the FBI, Fort Belknap Law Enforcement, and the Great Falls Police Department. U.S. Attorney Laslovich commended the prosecution team, law enforcement agencies, and the victims for their bravery and cooperation in bringing King to justice.
King is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. The maximum sentence he faces is life in prison, a $250,000 fine, and five years to a lifetime of supervised release.
Defendant: James Kirby King
Criminal Charges: Aggravated sexual abuse of a child, incest, sexual exploitation of children, aggravated sexual abuse by rendering unconscious or drugging the victim, sexual abuse, attempted aggravated sexual abuse by rendering unconscious or drugging the victim, attempted sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a minor, aggravated sexual abuse by force, attempted possession with the intent to sell child pornography in Indian Country, possession of child pornography in Indian Country, and attempted sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion
City and State: Billings, Montana
Date: September 9, 2023
Sentence: Life in prison, $250,000 fine, and five years to a lifetime of supervised release
Key Facts
- State: Montana
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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