Yellowstone Human Trafficking Task Force

Please join us one week from today for YHTTF’s 2026 2nd Quarter General Session on Tuesday, June 30th from 10:30 a.m. to Noon in the Community Room at the Billings Public Library.

We are honored to welcome Jenna McKaye as our special guest speaker. Jenna is an award-winning author, survivor leader, and nationally recognized advocate whose work has helped shape anti-trafficking training, survivor advocacy, and legislation across the country. Through her extraordinary story of survival, resilience, and leadership, Jenna delivers a powerful message of hope, healing, and action that has impacted audiences from frontline professionals to the United Nations.

Following the General Session, Jenna will be reading from her award-winning memoir, Grit and Grace: An Unforgettable Memoir of the Human Spirit, and signing copies at a special event hosted by The Worthy Ranch at Quill - House of Ink. All are welcome.

The agenda for this General Session is jam-packed! We hope you will join us for what promises to be an impactful, inspiring, and informative gathering.

Helena man sentenced for human trafficking

By: John Riley
Posted 7:04 PM, Mar 11, 2026
and last updated 7:04 PM, Mar 11, 2026

HELENA — A 72-year-old man who operated an illicit massage parlor in Helena with his wife has been sentenced for human trafficking.

On Wednesday, Judge Abbott sentenced Steven Kyle Miller to 10 years imprisonment, with five suspended. He also ordered a $5,000 fine.

According to court documents, Miller and his wife Jinbao Yu operated Oasis Massage on Cedar Street in 2023 and 2024. Investigators say the business was a front for prostitution activity.

A local tip from TSA at the Helena Regional Airport said Miller was seen numerous times picking up and dropping off young asian women at the airport. Miller would speak for the women and appeared overly controlling. The women were also found to be traveling with thousands of dollars in cash.

On Oct 25, 2023, Helena TSA reported Yu was trying to fly to New York with $50,000 in cash. Miller was trying to go through security with Yu, but didn’t have a ticket. When interviewed, Miller claimed to work for a government agency and had conflicting info on why she was traveling with the money.

Through their investigation, law enforcement found the phone number posted on the sign for Oasis Massage was connected to known es**rt websites.

When a search warrant was conducted at the establishment, law enforcement found several women who couldn’t speak English living in the business. They also found hidden caches of items used for s*x, like condoms and lingerie.

Court documents also outlined Yu’s connections to Flushing, New York, an area where federal law enforcement has alleged organized Chinese criminal operations have a presence.

In October 2025, Miller agreed to plead guilty to one count of felony human trafficking. By accepting the deal, prosecutors agreed to drop the other charges.

In his sentencing, Abbott said Miller likely got a favorable plea deal with the case regarding imprisonment. The judge noted one of the reasons he followed the recommended sentencing from the plea deal was because of Miller’s advanced age, and recognized the difficulty in contacting victims for testimony at trial.

Yu is scheduled to be sentenced in June. Miller and Yu are currently filing for divorce.

Helena man sentenced for human trafficking A 72-year-old man who operated an illicit massage parlor in Helena with his wife has been sentenced for human trafficking.

Helena massage parlor operator sentenced to prison for s*x trafficking
MIKAYLA MELO [email protected]
Jun 15, 2026

A Helena woman was sentenced to four years in the Montana Women’s Prison for her involvement in a Cedar Street massage parlor that recruited Asian women from around the country to give massages and also provide s*xual favors to clients.

On Friday, Jinbao Yu, 58, was sentenced by Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Christopher Abbott for one count of felony s*x trafficking after she pleaded guilty in February. Yu owned Oasis Massage with her husband, Steven Kyle Miller.

Her defense argued that Yu herself was a victim of s*x trafficking, and she was manipulated by Miller. Yu met Miller working at Sunshine Sky Massage in Helena where she provided s*xual favors to him, according to her defense attorney.

At the sentencing, Abbott said that while he believes Miller exploited several vulnerabilities of her situation, Yu was motivated by money and had agency to make her own decisions.

“Although I recognize it might have seemed difficult, I do not agree that Ms. Yu had no choice but to work in one of these businesses or run one of these businesses,” Abbott said.

As part of a plea agreement, Yu entered an Alford plea, in which a defendant does not need to acknowledge their guilt. However, Yu admitted she was aware that Oasis Massage was a house of prostitution between June 2023 and June 2024, and that if a trial were held, she would likely be found guilty.

The investigation into the business began in spring 2023 when the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation’s Human Trafficking Unit and a Homeland Security Investigations Task Force officer noticed a new massage parlor had opened, according to documents and statements at the plea hearing.

The parlor, which was located on the 1500 block of Cedar Street, shared a phone number with a massage parlor that was previously shut down after DCI served warrants on it.

That September, the DCI agent received reports from Helena Regional Airport’s TSA director that the same older, white male — later identified as Miller — was seen picking up and dropping off several young Asian women. Each time, the women had thousands of dollars with them as they left.

About a month later, Miller got into an altercation with a TSA agent as he and Yu were attempting to fly to New York with $50,000 in cash. He later gave conflicting statements about the money’s origins and purpose, according to the affidavit.

Helena police received several reports over the next few months from patrons of the massage parlor that they were offered, and sometimes received, s*xual favors from various Asian women.

Over the course of several searches, agents found used condoms, bedding and cleaning wipes in the business’s trash can, as well as suppositories, condoms and lingerie hidden inside the parlor. After searching Miller’s home, agents seized $36,000 in cash that seemed to be for transportation, according to the affidavit.

In interviews with investigators, Miller claimed that the women just worked for him and Yu, and that he provided them with rides, food and other toiletries, but had no knowledge of any s*xual activity inside the parlor.

Yu’s sister also worked at the parlor, according to court documents. In interviews with investigators, she said she moved to Montana from New York and engaged in s*xual acts with men for money.

According to her, the first half of the money earned for each service went to the business, and Yu charged employees, including the sister, $40 a day to live there. Another employee said she would make $20 on each $80 massage.

Yu told investigators that she owned the business but said she was unaware of any s*xual activity occurring there. She said she sometimes lived with Miller, but often stayed at the massage parlor.

Lewis and Clark County Attorney Kevin Downs said evidence showed there were people coming to the massage parlor at all hours of the day to receive s*xual favors.

Miller, 72, was sentenced to 10 years in the Montana State Prison with five years suspended for felony s*x trafficking. The sentence, delivered by Abbott in March, also included a $5,000 fine.

“It’s particularly aggravating that the women that are caught up in this are economically and socially vulnerable,” Abbott said at the sentencing. “People in positions of power in these businesses exploit their questionable legal status in this country to coerce them into essentially a form of slavery.”

Mikayla Melo covers education and the criminal justice system for the Helena Independent Record.

Originally published on helenair.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

Helena massage parlor operator sentenced to prison for s*x trafficking A Helena woman who co-owned and operated a Cedar Street massage parlor was sentenced to prison for s*x trafficking.

Prosecutors in Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s office have charged a Sheridan County man with 25 felony counts of s*xual assault and drug related charges for his abuse of five juvenile girls. Ivan Greenwell faces up to 2,200 years in prison and a $1.13 million dollar fine if convicted on all counts.

Thinking about a career with the FBI but not sure where to start? Join us for an in-person recruiting event on July 8 at 6pm in Billings. Meet FBI professionals and explore career paths. You can register now by emailing your full name and DOB to [email protected].

Congratulations, Supervisory Agent Yedinak! Well deserved recognition!

Congratulations to the Montana Department of Justice's Human Trafficking Unit Supervisory Agent Andrew Yedinak, who was recognized by Congressman Troy Downing for his impactful work for the state and victims of human trafficking as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Supervisory Agent Yedinak is a law enforcement professional with over two decades of experience and has worked at the Montana DOJ since 2017, making strides to put an end to human and labor trafficking.

Former physician sentenced for s*xual assault in Missoula
By: MTN News
Posted 7:12 PM, Jun 09, 2026
and last updated 10:58 PM, Jun 09, 2026

Tyler James Hurst, a former physician in Missoula who pleaded guilty last year to several s*xual assault charges last year, was sentenced on Tuesday.

Missoula District Judge Shane Vannatta sentenced Hurst to 40 years in prison for two charges of felony in*******se without consent and three charges of s*xual assault.

Hurst was accused of s*xually assaulting more than a dozen women while they were patients at the Community Medical Center, where he was an emergency physician.

Emotions ran high during testimony on Tuesday as victims addressed Hurst, telling him how his actions impacted their lives.

In December 2025, Hurst pleaded guilty to several s*xual assault charges. He was accused of s*xually 15 women while they were patients at the center.

Former physician sentenced for s*xual assault in Missoula Tyler James Hurst, a former physician in Missoula who pleaded guilty last year to several s*xual assault charges last year, was sentenced on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.

Pryor man pleads guilty to receiving child p**n
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Montana

BILLINGS – A Pryor man who had a video on his phone with s*xually explicit material of a minor admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

The defendant, Melvin Lee Stops, Jr., 23, pleaded guilty to one count of receiving child p**nography. Stops faces five to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, at least a $35,000 special assessment, a separate $5,000 special assessment, five years to lifetime of supervised release, and an additional $100 special assessment.

U.S. District Judge Watters will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing will be set by the court. Stops was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that s*xually explicit material of a minor was discovered on Stops’s cell phone in 2022.

Stops was at a house party in June 2022 where he left his phone after leaving the party. One of the partygoers found his phone and on it discovered “videos of underage girls.” She called law enforcement to report what she found. In December 2025, law enforcement served a search warrant on the phone and found the video.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.

Pryor man pleads guilty to receiving child p**n A Pryor man who had a video on his phone with s*xually explicit material of a minor admitted to charges today.

Wyola man pleads guilty to s*x offense
Wednesday, May 13, 2026

U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Montana
BILLINGS - A Wyola man who sent inappropriate text messages, photos, and videos to a minor admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.

The defendant, Truman Frank Jefferson, Jr., 50, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted coercion and enticement. Jefferson faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 5 years to a lifetime of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for September 29, 2026. Jefferson remained detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that in June 2024 law enforcement responded to a home in Lodge Grass for a trespass complaint regarding Jefferson. There, 16-year-old Jane Doe disclosed Jefferson had been s*xually harassing her for years. Jane Doe reported she began receiving inappropriate text messages, photos, and videos from him years earlier.

Doe described multiple instances when Jefferson messaged her to come see him and then requested she touch his exposed p***s. Jane Doe said one of those incidents occurred when she was 14 or 15 years old in Bozeman when Jefferson sent her a text message instructing her to come outside to his vehicle because he had a present for her. Once she was close to him, Jane Doe observed his exposed p***s and he told her to “touch it.”

Investigators recovered messages from Jefferson to Jane Doe. One of the recovered conversations was from Jefferson’s cell phone and contained his request to perform oral s*x on Jane Doe. Jefferson, in his 40s when he was messaging Jane Doe, knew she was under 18 years old.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Hendricks is prosecuting the case. The FBI and BIA conducted the investigation.
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Please save the date for YHTTF’s 2026 2nd Quarter General Session on Tuesday, June 30th from 10:30 a.m. to Noon in the Community Room at the Billings Public Library.

We are honored to welcome Jenna McKaye as our special guest speaker. Jenna is an award-winning author, survivor leader, and nationally recognized advocate whose work has helped shape anti-trafficking training, survivor advocacy, and legislation across the country. Through her extraordinary story of survival, resilience, and leadership, Jenna delivers a powerful message of hope, healing, and action that has impacted audiences from frontline professionals to the United Nations.

Following the General Session, Jenna will be reading from her award-winning memoir, Grit and Grace: An Unforgettable Memoir of the Human Spirit, and signing copies at a special event hosted by The Worthy Ranch at Quill - House of Ink. All are welcome.

The agenda for this jam-packed General Session will be shared closer to the event date. We hope you will join us for what promises to be an impactful and inspiring gathering.