A Billings man was arraigned Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, in federal court in Great Falls on 20 sex abuse charges, including child victims, dating back three decades on the Fort Belknap Reservation in northern Montana, and authorities are seeking help finding other potential victims.
James Kirby King, 57, who previously lived in Hays on the Reservation, pleaded not guilty to all charges, which allegedly took place from about 1992 to 2018 on the reservation, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich.
Federal prosecutors identified the victims in the indictment as two minor girls, a victim both as a minor girl and a female adult, a female adult and one minor boy. Some of the victims were under the age of 12 at the time, some were under the age of 16 and some were adults.
U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston presided. King was detained pending further proceedings.
The indictment charged King with:
- Aggravated sexual abuse of a child, three counts.
- Incest, four counts.
- Sexual exploitation of children, three counts.
- Aggravated sexual abuse—rendering unconscious and drugging victim, two counts.
- Sexual abuse, two counts.
- Attempted aggravated sexual abuse—rendering unconscious and drugging victim, one count.
- Attempted sexual abuse, one count.
- Sexual abuse of a minor, one count.
- Aggravated sexual abuse, one count.
- Attempted possession with the intent to sell child pornography in Indian Country, one count.
- Possession of child pornography in Indian Country, one count.
If you believe you were a victim of King's or know someone who might have been, contact the FBI’s Havre Resident Agency: (406) 265-7181, option 20, and leave a message for the case agent, or visit https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/james-kirby-king-investigation [fbi.gov].
If convicted of the most serious crime, King faces a maximum of life of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and five years to a lifetime of supervised release.
