Former Soldier Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for Physically and Sexually Assaulting Minors While Serving Abroad

Adam Schlueter, a former enlisted member of the United States Army, was sentenced today to life in federal prison for physically and sexually assaulting two minors under the age of ten, following his conviction at trial.

“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 S. 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.”

“Adam Schlueter betrayed the honor and duty that comes with serving in the U.S. military,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. “There is nothing honorable about subjecting the most vulnerable in our community to violence and sexual exploitation. We are grateful for the strength and courage of the survivors in this case who came forward to end this man’s reign of terror.”

“Schlueter’s horrific abuse inflicted lasting trauma on children who should have been protected from harm,” said Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI will continue to pursue those who prey upon children and hold them accountable for their crimes, no matter how much time has passed. We hope today’s sentence brings a measure of justice to the victims and reinforces that we will never stop fighting to protect children.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: From 2009 until 2013, while stationed in Grafenwöhr, Germany, Schlueter physically, emotionally, and sexually abused two minor victims. Schlueter choked and physically beat both minors repeatedly. When one victim was just eight years old, Schlueter pushed her through a second-story window and let her dangle dangerously above the ground. Schlueter sexually assaulted both children when they were under the age of 10. Schlueter used threats of pain and death to dissuade his victims and witnesses from disclosing the abuse to authorities.

In 2014, after discovering Schlueter’s physical abuse of the children, the U.S. Army discharged Schlueter under Other Than Honorable conditions. In 2021, the Army’s Criminal Investigations Division learned that Schlueter had also sexually assaulted the child. In 2023, a grand jury returned an indictment against Schlueter pursuant to the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (“MEJA”), which is a federal statute that allows the government to prosecute former servicemembers who committed certain crimes outside the United States while serving in the Armed Forces.

Today, Adam Schlueter, 40, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to life in prison. On April 17, 2026, a jury convicted Schlueter of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance provided by the Department of the Army – Criminal Investigations Division.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leanne Marek and Matthew R. LaGrone, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Annalise Peters, and Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) prosecuted the case. CEOS Trial Attorney Kaylynn Foulon provided valuable assistance in the investigation.