Indiana man pleads guilty to sex trafficking underage Montana girl

MISSOULA - An Indiana man who traveled to Montana to have sex with a minor, and had explicit images of her on his phone, admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Brandon Cole Stoliby, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and one count of transportation of child pornography. On the first charge, Stoliby faces 30 years in prison, five years to life of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, a $5,000 special assessment, and an additional $100 special assessment. On the second charge, Stoliby faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years in prison, five years to life of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, a $35,000 special assessment, a $5,000 special assessment, and an additional $100 special assessment.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided at the change of plea and sentencing was set for Nov. 3, 2026. U.S. District Judge Donald W. Malloy will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Stoliby remained in custody pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that Stoliby met a 15-year-old Montana girl through Snapchat, exchanged sexually explicit messages and photos with her, and then traveled from Indiana to Missoula with his wife and children to pick up the girl and take her back to his home in Indiana.

The incident began in March 2025 when Stoliby and the girl met over Snapchat. She presented herself as 18 and Stoliby quickly showed sexual interest in her, sending her explicit messages and persuading her to send him explicit images. Those images were later found on Stoliby's phone when he was eventually arrested in Montana.

By April 2025, the two had made plans for Stoliby to travel to Montana to pick her up and move her back to Indiana. While traveling with his family, Stoliby and the girl made plans for her to sell explicit images of herself to help cover the costs of the trip and the move. He arrived in Missoula County on April 6, 2025, picked the girl up from her home and took her to Butte, where the two engaged in sexual intercourse.

From there, they headed to Rapid City, South Dakota, where they were located by law enforcement and the girl was removed from Stoliby's custody. Authorities also told Stoliby that the girl was 15. After contact with law enforcement, Stoliby again met up with the girl a day later and they resumed their trip to Indiana. This time, the girl's guardians texted the girl and demanded she return.

Stoliby drove back to Montana and stayed the night in Billings, where he and his wife attempted to engage the girl in sexual activity. The next day they returned the girl to her guardians, who traveled back to Missoula County with her. However, Stolibly returned to Missoula County to pick her up again that night, without the knowledge of her guardians. They again left for Indiana but were stopped this time in Powder River County. The girl was once again returned to her guardians. Stoliby was later arrested and admitted in interviews with law enforcement to exchanging sexually explicit images with the girl, engaging in a sexual relationship with her, and keeping explicit photos she had sent him.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney is prosecuting the case. The Missoula County Sheriff's Department conducted the investigation.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.