Ex-Ft. Stewart soldier sentenced for sexually abusing 2 young boys

SAVANNAH, Ga. — A former Army soldier was sentenced to life imprisonment for sexually abusing two children at Fort Stewart Military Reservation in Georgia.

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The sentencing took place on Sept. 4, after Austin Michael Burak, 32, of Oak Harbor, Wash., was convicted of abusive sexual contact and aggravated sexual abuse of a child by a jury in the Southern District of Georgia.

“There are appropriately severe consequences for sexually assaulting children,” said Meg E. Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “We will continue to aggressively prosecute those who prey on the most innocent among us.”

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According to court documents, the abuse occurred in August 2017, when Burak assaulted a nine-year-old boy and an a 13-year-old while they slept in their beds. During the trial, three more witnesses testified that Burak had sexually assaulted them when they were minors, with one witness recounting years of abuse.

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