Timothy J. Racicot Acting United States Attorney for the District of Montana | Wikipedia
A Hardin resident, William Serges Joseph, has been sentenced to 36 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. This comes after he pleaded guilty to using a phone to promote prostitution with a minor. U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme confirmed the sentencing, which was overseen by U.S. District Judge Susan Watters.
Court documents indicate that in March 2023, the victim, referred to as Jane Doe, informed law enforcement about interactions with Joseph beginning around September 2022. Jane Doe, a juvenile, revealed that she had been in communication with Joseph via Facebook, and was aware he knew she was underage. She reported that she allowed Joseph to touch her in return for alcohol, and he solicited naked pictures from her.
Further interviews with Jane Doe in June 2023 uncovered that Joseph continued to proposition her and offered $50 for sexual contact. It was noted that her cell phone contained incriminating messages, including one with a picture of male genitalia sent by Joseph in February 2023. In a February 2024 interview, Joseph confessed to providing alcohol to Jane Doe in return for images of her breasts.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and investigated by the FBI. It falls under Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse, which began in May 2006. Further details about the project can be found at Justice.gov/PSC.
