A Billings bail bondsman pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to paying a woman's jail bond in exchange for sex, according to acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot.
Louis Christopher Ikeda, 46, pleaded guilty to one charge of use of facility in interstate commerce in aid of racketeering. He faces five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
He was employed by Northwest Bail Bond during the time of the alleged crime at the end of 2024.
Federal prosecutors say that Ikeda started a text message exchange with the unidentified victim on Nov. 18, 2024. She was in jail in Yellowstone County on several criminal charges, and she needed a $10,000 bond for release, according to prosecutors.
Ikeda first told the woman he could not post her full bond but later began discussing different amounts, according to prosecutors. The messages were interlaced with sexually explicit language, according to prosecutors.
He eventually told the woman he would accept $300 to post her bail, which is the amount Northwest Bail Bond would owe its surety company.
Ikeda allegedly posted bail for the woman Dec. 2, picked her up from the jail, then allegedly had sex with her in his vehicle while parked near Yellowstone River, according to prosecutors. She later said he asked her to tell anyone who asked that their relationship was strictly professional.
The woman later said she felt pressured into sex in exchange for the reduced bond, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said that two other women in the Yellowstone County jail reported similar stories. Ikeda allegedly also paid their bonds, but they were able to evade him after release, according to prosecutors.
The guilty plea is the latest black eye for the bail-bonding industry in Billings. On March 4 in Missoula, four bail bondsmen working for another Billings-based bonding firm, Mr. Bail, were involved in the shooting death of Joshua Wykle, whom they were attempting serve with a warrant.
One bondsmen, Brandon Wakefield, was charged with deliberate homicide in connection with the shooting, and a second man, Austin Mistretta, with attempted assault with a weapon. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Related:
2 Billings bail bondsmen charged in connection with Missoula fatal shooting
State investigates Billings bail bond company after unlicensed agents involved in fatal shooting
