A former U.S. Army soldier has been sentenced to two concurrent life terms after being convicted of sexually abusing two boys at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Austin Michael Burak, 32, from Oak Harbor, Washington, was found guilty of abusive sexual contact of a child and aggravated sexual abuse of a child for crimes committed in August 2017.
The sentencing took place on September 4 in federal court. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia, Burak assaulted the boys—aged 9 and 13—while they were sleeping in their beds on the military base.
“There are appropriately severe consequences for sexually assaulting children. … The community is safer now that a sexual predator will spend the rest of his life imprisoned,” said U.S. Attorney Meg E. Heap.
Court documents indicate that Burak gave alcohol-laced juice to the 13-year-old before assaulting him. Prosecutors stated that Burak was intoxicated during the incident and later returned to apologize to the teen, asking him not to disclose what happened because his wife was pregnant at the time.
Nearly three years after the assaults, the boys’ stepfather confronted Burak over the phone while working with Army Criminal Investigation Division agents. During this call, Burak apologized but claimed he had no memory of that night and did not dispute the victims’ accounts when asked directly.
During trial proceedings, three additional witnesses testified about separate incidents of sexual abuse by Burak. One witness described ongoing abuse from first grade until age 14; another reported being assaulted between ages 7 and 9 during a game similar to hide and seek; a third said she was assaulted at age 17 while staying in the same house as Burak.
After his conviction, Burak requested a new trial but was denied just two days before sentencing.
“This sentence ensures that Austin Burak will never again have the opportunity to harm another child,” said Paul Brown, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta.
The investigation involved both FBI Atlanta and Army Criminal Investigation Division personnel at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.
Reports or suspicions regarding child sexual exploitation can be submitted through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline online or by calling 1-800-843-5678.
