By Michelle McCaskill, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel

CAMP HUMPHREYS, Korea – A Soldier who pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography was sentenced to 22 months in prison during his court-martial Dec. 19 at the Camp Humphreys courtroom.

Pvt. Angel G. Vazquez, 20, an AH-64 Attack Helicopter Repairer, assigned to D Company, 4th Aerial Recon Battalion (Attack), 2nd Aviation Regiment, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, was also sentenced by the military judge to a bad conduct discharge.

Per the terms of the plea agreement, the government dismissed two charges of distributing child pornography.

In November 2024 while Vazquez was living in Pyeongtaek, Republic of Korea, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children generated a cyber-tip indicating that an email account associated with a service member had been flagged for activity involving the possession, production, and distribution of child sexual abuse material. That report was forwarded to the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Far East Field Office and an investigation was initiated.

Agents with Army CID obtained a lawful search authorization to seize Vazquez’s cellular phone for digital forensic examination which revealed he possessed more than 100 image and video files containing CSAM. The examination also confirmed that his device was registered to the same primary iCloud account originally identified in the cyber-tip.

Investigators also recovered chat records showing file transfers and conversation that explicitly discussed child pornography.

In addition to the digital evidence, Army CID agents interviewed Vazquez where he admitted to viewing CSAM and sending files to others. The combination of third-party reporting, corroborating digital forensic evidence, and Vazquez’s own admissions ultimately established the basis for the charged offense and the subsequent guilty plea.

“Crimes involving child sexual abuse material do not disappear into the internet. They have no place in our ranks and no tolerance in our society,” said Capt. Kristofher Beralo, prosecutor, Seventh Circuit, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel. “We will prosecute to the full extent of the law.”

“What this case demonstrates is simple: this is not a quiet crime, not an anonymous one, and not a crime without consequences,” said Capt. Kit Althaea Hammes, prosecutor, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade.

Vazquez will serve his prison sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Upon release he will be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements.

This case was investigated by Army CID’s Far East Field Office, Camp Humphreys Resident Unit and prosecuted by Beralo and Hammes.

The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel is comprised of specially trained military lawyers, legal professionals and support staff responsible for the expert and independent prosecution of murder, sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, kidnapping and other serious criminal offenses. Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va., OSTC has eight regional headquarters that oversee 28 field offices located across the country to include Europe and Korea. For more information visit [https://www.army.mil/ostc](https://www.army.mil/ostc).

If you would like to report a crime, have information about a crime, or have been the subject or survivor of a crime, you can submit anonymous tips to Army CID at www.p3tips.com/armycid