Fort Belknap man sentenced to 22 years for sexually abusing girl

GREAT FALLS—A Fort Belknap man convicted of sexually abusing a girl on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation was sentenced this week to 22 years in prison and 15 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said today.

James Edward Snell, Jr., 42, pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual abuse.

U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided at the Oct. 22 sentencing hearing.

Prosecutors said in court records that an investigation of Snell, and defendant Geneva Marie Nadeau, found photographs and videos of them in 2015 sexually abusing a girl, who was under the age of 12. Nadeau confirmed that Snell was in a photograph of a sex act involving the victim. Nadeau was sentenced in February to 22 years in prison and 15 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to aggravated sexual abuse.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Weldon and Jared Cobell prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Fort Belknap law enforcement.

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