BOISE, Idaho — A Boise man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for lewd conduct with a minor child.
Ada County District Judge Patrick Miller handed down the sentence for 62-year-old Byron Ely on Tuesday. He must serve at least 15 years in prison before being eligible for parole. The judge also issued a no contact order with the victim for the duration of his sentence.
Ada County prosecutors sought a fixed life sentence for Ely due to the severity of his crimes and criminal history, which include convictions for drug trafficking, forgery and battery of a family member.
In March, a jury found Ely guilty of lewd conduct with a minor under 16 from an incident that occurred in March of 2019 during which he has sexual contact with a 7-year-old girl.
Prosecutors say Ely later attempted to hire two persons to kidnap and/or kill the victim. Both people said Ely offered to provide them with a gun and payment in exchanges for the crimes. They reported the criminal solicitations to police and they began an investigation.
"I want to commend the young victim for her bravery and courage in coming forward and throughout the case," said Jan Bennetts, Ada County Prosecutor. "Thank you also to the Boise Police Department for their thorough investigations and hard work on these cases."
In April 2021, a jury found Ely guilty of criminal solicitation to kidnap and/or murder the victim. Sentencing is set for July 7, 2021. Prosecutors say the maximum penalty for that charge is 12.5 years in prison.
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