Ex-Georgia soldier sentenced to 15 years in prison for child pornography
FORT STEWART, Ga. - A former Fort Stewart soldier will serve over a decade in federal prison after admitting he produced child pornography with a 13-year-old victim.
A federal judge sentenced 28-year-old Aaron D. Sutherland formerly of Fort Stewart, Georgia to 180 months in prison without parole followed by 25 years of supervised release.
According to documents presented in court, Sutherland admitted to investigators that he started talking with his 13-year-old victim while on active duty with the U.S. Army in February 2021.
Officials say Sutherland convinced his victim to send him multiple nude images and sexual videos and asked to meet with the girl to have sex.
An investigation began into Sutherland in April 2021 after the girl's mother discovered her daughter was talking to Sutherland when she noticed the girl acting strangely and took her phone.
Sutherland was arrested in May 2021 and officials say he provided investigators with his secret image vault where he had saved the images and video.
"Cases like this underscore the need to be careful when our kids use the internet or social media; Sutherland used the internet to assist him in exploiting an innocent child. Thankfully, he was caught and will no longer be able to hurt children," said Special Agent in Charge Katrina Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama.
Along with the jail time, Sutherland will have to register as a sex offender and pay $200,000 in restitution.