Man sentenced to 55 more years for sex crimes

A Bigfork man already facing extensive time in federal prison for sex crimes has been sentenced to an additional 55 years at Montana State Prison for molesting a young girl.

Ralph Leon Fox, 50, will complete his state sentence before being transferred to a federal facility to serve out the remainder of a concurrent 110-year federal prison term.

"I would like to reiterate that I am a pedophile. I'm an admitted pedophile and I know that this is something that needs to be curbed," Fox told Flathead County District Court Judge Katherine R. Curtis during his sentencing hearing Thursday afternoon.

Fox, who told a federal judge the only sure way to stop him from abusing young girls was to execute him, asked Curtis for a lenient sentence so he could more quickly be transferred to federal prison and attend a treatment program there.

"This court's not the least bit interested in what treatment might or might not do for you, Mr. Fox," Curtis said.

Flathead County prosecutors are convinced Fox inappropriately touched a 6-year-old girl and her 10-year-old sister between June 2005 and December 2006.

Fox, who said Thursday the molestation occurred over a four-month period while the girls were in his care, also took pictures of them in various states of undress, according to court records.

"The damage this man has obviously inflicted on my family still has a ripple effect in everyday life," the girls' mother wrote in a letter to the court and read from Thursday.

One of the girls, who also submitted a letter, called Fox the "sickest man [she had] ever met."

"I do not know how long he should suffer, but I want him to suffer," her letter read.

A letter from the other victim expressed that girl's wish that Fox "rot in a jail cell."

"Mr. Fox did everything he could to control my mind," she wrote to the court. "Everything I've said has been true, so don't fall for his stupid mind games."

The officer who filed Fox's pre-sentence report - which serves judges as an independent sentencing recommendation - identified him as a "high risk" for recidivism and noted he was clinically classified as a "psychopath."

Fox told the officer he had molested five young girls a total of 222 times, the court heard.

In June, Fox pleaded guilty in Flathead County District Court to felony sexual assault and failure to register as a sex offender. He also pleaded guilty by way of Alford to a second count of felony sexual assault.

An Alford plea allows a defendant to maintain his innocence while conceding enough evidence may exist for a conviction.

Fox had moved to dismiss the Flathead County charges on grounds that he was punished for the same acts in both state and federal court, a violation of his right to avoid double jeopardy, but Curtis ruled against him because sexual assault isn't a crime in the federal system.

But in October, and following precedent set by a recent Montana Supreme Court decision, Curtis revisited the ruling and ended up dismissing one of the sexual assault allegations because the sex act the state was prosecuting was used to obtain a sentencing enhancement in federal court.

The remaining sexual assault allegation is the one to which Fox pleaded guilty by way of Alford and he maintains his innocence on that charge.

Because Curtis' decision to dismiss one of the sexual assault charges came after he entered his guilty pleas, Fox is seeking to overturn the conviction.

Defense attorney Carolyn S. Gill believes Fox, who this week filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea, will likely appeal.

He already is appealing his sex crimes conviction in federal court, according to testimony.

Fox was convicted in March 2008 of sexual exploitation of children, receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography after a one-day bench trial in front of U.S. District Court Judge Donald W. Molloy.

According to federal records, Fox took pornographic pictures of the same 6-year-old girl Flathead County prosecutors convicted him of molesting.

When investigators searched Fox's computer, they found images of the girl and other minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Authorities also seized a second computer tower, digital camera and video camera.

Forensic analysis of the computer equipment revealed thousands of pornographic pictures and movies.

Fox, who has been convicted of 11 felonies, had been required to register as a sexual offender after a 1984 conviction for lewd and lascivious acts with a 7-year-old girl in Redding, Calif.

He later violated terms of his parole and had it revoked twice, once fleeing the state.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com