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Atlanta man sentenced to life in prison for abusing children while in Army

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — An Atlanta man was sentenced to life in federal prison Thursday for sexually abusing two children while stationed overseas as a member of the United States Army, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia said.

Adam Schlueter, now 40, physically and sexually abused two children between 2009 and 2013 while stationed in Grafenwöhr, Germany. Both victims were under the age of 10 at the time.

At the trial, the victims also described being choked and beaten by Schlueter.

One victim testified that Schlueter “pushed him through a second-story window and dangled him above the ground” when he was 8 years old.

Schlueter “threatened to harm and even kill witnesses” to prevent his victims and others from reporting the abuse to authorities, according to prosecutors.

He received an other than honorable discharge and was charged with the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which allows the federal government to prosecute former service members for certain crimes committed while stationed overseas.

Jurors found him guilty of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 12 and two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

“Through his years of sickening abuse, Schlueter betrayed the uniform of the United States Army and inflicted unimaginable harm on defenseless children,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg. “Today’s sentence underscores that we always stand ready—even years later and on the other side of an ocean—to vindicate the victims of such crimes and ensure justice is served.”