Andrew West James Convicted of Seven Counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor

May 29, 2026

(Anchorage, AK) –On May 26, 2026, an Anchorage jury convicted 45-year-old Andrew West James of two counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the First Degree and five counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the Second Degree.

In 2022, family members reported that James sexually assaulted them between 2015 and 2018.  They also reported that James hid cameras in lights and electrical outlets and secretly recorded his family members while they were naked in the shower and in their bedrooms.  After one family member attempted to report the sexual assaults in 2018, the family moved to Cambodia, Guatemala, Italy and eventually settled in Louisiana. 

In July 2022, the Anchorage Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested the defendant in Slidell, Louisiana.  James was extradited from Louisiana back to Alaska. 

Anchorage Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson presided over the trial and will sentence James on Oct. 5, 2026. James faces a sentencing range of 25 to 35 years on one count of sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree, 20 to 30 years for the second count of sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree and 5 to 15 years for each of the remaining convictions for sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Erin E. White of the Anchorage District Attorney’s Office, with assistance from Paralegal Amelia Rhule and Law Office Assistant Olivia Stronach. The case was investigated by Detective Steve Czajkowski from the Anchorage Police Department’s Special Victims Unit (SVU), with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The victims had the support of advocates from Standing Together Against Rape (STAR).

CONTACT: Anchorage Assistant District Attorney Erin E. White at (907) 269-6300 or erin.white@alaska.gov.

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Department Media Contact: Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.

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