Former JBLM Soldier Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Raping Two-Year-Old Child

          A former enlisted soldier at Joint Base Lewis McChord was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 20 years in prison and lifetime supervised release for production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. LUIS ALBERTO MORALES, 42, was arrested in August 2016 after his estranged wife found images on his cell phone of MORALES raping a 2-year-old autistic child. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Robert J. Bryan ordered Morales to be on lifetime supervised release and register as a sex offender following his prison term.

          “This is a horrific crime – words are inadequate to describe the harm done by this defendant,” said U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. “I commend the dedicated law enforcement officers from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command and the FBI who moved quickly to protect the victim and worked closely with our office to ensure the defendant was locked up and held to account.”

          According to records filed in the case, MORALES’ estranged wife discovered videos showing the rape of the two-year-old and contacted Army Military Police. The rape occurred on JBLM giving federal authorities jurisdiction. MORALES was taken into federal custody August 9, 2016, and indicted for aggravated sexual abuse of a minor and production of child pornography. MORALES has been in federal custody since his arrest. In May 2017, MORALES pleaded guilty to production of child pornography which carries a mandatory minimum term of 15-years in prison.

          The case was investigated by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (Army CID) and the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Grady Leupold and Matthew Hampton.