Press Release
David Paul of Kipnuk Sentenced to 263 Years to Serve for Sexual Abuse of 6 Children
December 24, 2025
(Bethel, AK) – Yesterday, Bethel Superior Court Judge William Montgomery sentenced 37-year-old David Paul, of Kipnuk, to a composite sentence of 263 years to serve for 17 counts of sexual assault and sexual abuse of six children between 2006 and 2013. The court further ordered that Paul was not eligible for discretionary parole. This sentence appears to be the longest sentence handed down for sexual assault and sexual abuse in the history of the State of Alaska.
Paul was convicted of 28 counts following a three-week jury trial held in Bethel in August 2025. At the sentencing, the convictions merged into 17 counts: five counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the First Degree, six counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the Second Degree, four counts of Sexual Assault in the First Degree, and two counts of Sexual Assault in the Second Degree. At the trial, the jury found that three aggravating factors applied to the case: that five of the six victims qualified as vulnerable victims, that Paul was more than 10 years older than three of his victims, and that Paul had engaged in other sexually assaultive or abusive behavior. Judge Montgomery found that Paul constituted a “worst offender” under the law.
In May of 2021, one of the victims came forward as an adult to report Paul’s prior abuse committed against her. She also reported that she observed Paul sexually abusing a separate victim. During a several-month-long investigation, additional victims were identified and interviewed. These additional victims disclosed that Paul also sexually abused them when they were children. During the trial, the jury heard emotional testimony from all six victims, who explained that they initially did not report the abuse as children because they were scared and did not think anyone would believe them.
Several of the victims gave impact statements at sentencing. They expressed to the court the lifelong impact Paul’s crimes have had on them. Each expressed that Paul stole their childhood. One victim told the court “I have spent years thinking it was my fault for not protecting my brother. I blamed myself for not knowing how to tell my mom at such a young age. I did not ask for this. Today I no longer blame myself, because what happened in the dark has come to the light.”
Assistant Attorney General Bailey Woolfstead emphasized the number of victims, the length and continued nature of the sexual assaults and abuse, and Paul’s manipulative and predatory behavior. She argued that his actions required the court to permanently remove Paul from the community to ensure that he never harmed another child.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Montgomery stated that his intent in issuing the sentence was to ensure that Paul was never released from prison. “The amount of damage that his been inflicted is unspeakable … I see no potential for rehabilitation for Mr. Paul. If Mr. Paul is out and about in the community he poses among the most severe threats to the community in the YK Delta, his behavior and criminal history has demonstrated such.”
Assistant Attorney General Bailey Woolfstead of the Office of Special Prosecutions’ Rural Prosecution Unit prosecuted the case along with Assistant District Attorney Chanel Simon and Paralegal Bethany Kaiser of the Bethel District Attorney’s Office. The Department of Law thanks Alaska State Trooper Coby Sutton for his stellar and dedicated investigation, and Tundra Women’s Coalition for providing advocacy support for the victims throughout the case.
CONTACT: Assistant Attorney General Bailey Woolfstead, at (907) 465-3924 or bailey.woolfstead@alaska.gov.
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Department Media Contacts: Communications Director Patty Sullivan at patty.sullivan@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6368. Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.