Former American Idol Contestant Ron Bultongez Takes Plea Deal for Child Sexual Assault Charge

A singer and musician from Plano who competed during the 16th season of the music reality show American Idol accepted a plea deal on a sexual assault charge.

Ronald Kombo Bultongez originally faced four second-degree felony counts of sexual assault of a child stemming from incidents involving a minor in Grapevine but a deal deal filed Friday in the 485th District Court of Tarrant County knocked it down to one count, according to court records obtained from the Tarrant County District Clerk's office.

Bultongez received a sentence of eight years' probation for the remaining felony count.

Police in 2021 charged Bultongez for the sexual assault of a teenage girl on multiple occasions between December 2020 and February 2021. He turned himself in to authorities a day later and was released on a $50,000 bond.

Bultongez took to social media after his release to lambast the coverage of his case, calling it “interesting to say the least.”

“Hundreds of people and a few press outlets have wanted to interview me; understandably,” he wrote in 2021. “I declined because I do not trust the media and their false narratives.”

According to the criminal affidavit filed with Bultongez's case, his accuser reported the abuse two months before police filed criminal charges, claiming the two had sex several times in different cities around the state when she was 16 years old. The unidentified teenager also said Bultongez did not wear a condom and brought Plan B pills for her.

Bultongez, a resident of Plano who was born in Kinshasa, Congo, competed on ABC's American Idol in 2018 and made it into the top 24 for the show's 16th season. He made an impression on the show's judges, including singer Lionel Richie, who changed his vote to advance Bultongez in subsequent auditions and put him on national television.

Bultongez was eliminated in the second group of contestants, but his hometown of Plano still celebrated his victory and he continued to pursue a music career. He's released several singles and EPs on Apple Music, Soundcloud and other music platforms, including 2018's "Learning to Love," which peaked at No. 26 on the Apple Music charts. He told the Dallas Observer in 2020 that he was not able to release a full album in the two years following his appearances on the show because of label issues with the reality TV show and brief contracts he had with Hollywood Records and Sony RCA UK. He released a single and his first music video for "Get Back Up" a year before his legal troubles started.

Bultongez's attorney, Christy Jack, a partner at the Fort Worth law film Varghese Summersett, confirmed that her client accepted the plea deal and probation sentence.

"After lengthy negotiations with prosecutors, our legal team reached an agreement where our client received eight years probation," Jack said in a statement. "During the hearing on Friday, the complainant was given the opportunity to say her piece. We believe our client to be a man of character and this agreement avoided a trial and gave closure to everyone involved."

We attempted to reach Tarrant County Assistant Criminal District Attorney Lindy Borchardt, who prosecuted the case, for comment on Friday but were unsuccessful.