A Kipnuk man charged with abuse to minors has been sentenced to 263 years in prison.
David Paul, who is 37, was convicted of 17 counts of sexual assault and sexual abuse of six minors between 2006 and 2013. He is not eligible for parole.
Paul’s sentence is among the longest given for sexual assault and sexual abuse in the state’s history, according to a statement from the Alaska Department of Law.
An investigation into Paul began after a survivor came forward in May 2021 as an adult. Over the course of a months-long investigation, several survivors were identified. Many of them gave impact statements at Paul’s sentencing, expressing the lifelong impact of his abuse and how difficult it was to speak out, afraid no one would believe them.
Paul was arrested and charged with 58 counts of sexual abuse and sexual assault of minors later that year. In August 2025, a Bethel jury found him guilty of six counts of first-degree sexual assault and six counts of second-degree sexual assault. Paul was also charged with five counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor and 11 counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor.
In a statement, the Alaska Department of Law thanked the Tundra Women’s Coalition for the organization's support and advocacy for the victims throughout the case, and thanked Alaska State Trooper Coby Sutton for his investigative help.
