Transvestite Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing 13-Year-Old on Fort Belknap Reservation

GREAT FALLS — A Harlem man who posed as a woman online to lure a 13-year-old boy faces up to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing the child on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation.

Ivan Daniel Raining Bird, 35, admitted in federal court Tuesday to one count of sexual abuse of a minor. The case involved months of abuse that began when Raining Bird, working as a transvestite, deceived the victim through social media.

According to court documents, the victim was about 13 years old when he received a Facebook message from a user called “Ivey” who appeared to be a woman. The profile belonged to Raining Bird, who was in his late twenties at the time.

After exchanging messages, Raining Bird invited the boy to his house. When the victim arrived, he discovered that “Ivey” was actually Raining Bird dressed as a woman.

“Doe and Raining Bird shared substances and Raining Bird performed oral sex on Doe,” court documents state. “For several months, Raining Bird committed similar assaults on Doe.”

The FBI investigated after the victim disclosed the abuse. During questioning, Raining Bird admitted to sharing drugs with teenagers in the past and specifically acknowledged he knew the victim was a minor when he sexually assaulted him on multiple occasions.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided over Tuesday’s plea hearing at the Great Falls Federal District Court. Sentencing is scheduled for January 29, 2025.

Raining Bird faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and at least five years of supervised release. He remains detained pending sentencing.

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana. The FBI and Fort Belknap Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation.

The Fort Belknap Indian Reservation is home to the Assiniboine and Gros Ventre tribes in north-central Montana. Federal authorities have jurisdiction over major crimes committed on tribal lands under the Major Crimes Act.

“The defendant, Ivan Daniel Raining Bird, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual abuse of a minor,” U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said in announcing the plea.