By Michelle McCaskill, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel

WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii – A Soldier who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a child was sentenced to four years and three months in prison during his court-martial at the Wheeler Army Airfield Courthouse on April 15.

Spc. Ace H. Villanueva, 27, a Cavalry Scout assigned to the 27th Infantry Regiment Wolfhounds, 2nd Light Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, was also sentenced by the military judge to reduction in rank to E-1 and a dishonorable discharge from the Army.

Villanueva was a frequent visitor to the home of relatives in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, from July through December 2022 when he sexually abused the victim, a minor family member, on numerous occasions.

The victim told her older brothers about the abuse and together the children informed their mother who notified the Honolulu Police Department and an investigation was initiated.

Investigators obtained screenshot messages that Villanueva sent to the victim from his Snapchat account and information extracted from his cell phone led to more evidence.

The case was transferred to the Army and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division continued the investigation.

The evidence presented in court in addition to the testimony from the victim compelled Villanueva to plead guilty to his crimes.

“Behind these acts of child sexual abuse and assault lies a shattered childhood and an unforgivable betrayal of the uniform. Such profound violations are fundamentally incompatible with military service, and today’s guilty plea ensures that no rank or leniency can shield predators from the uncompromising weight of military justice,” said Capt. Diamond Akers, prosecutor, Seventh Circuit, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.

“Abuse relies on silence, but trust within a family has the power to shatter it,” said Special Agent in Charge Ruben Santiago, Army CID’s Pacific Field Office. “This outcome is a direct result of the bravery shown by the entire family, whose commitment to the truth broke a cycle of abuse.”

Villanueva will serve his confinement at the Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.Upon release from prison, 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 the Honolulu Police Department and Army CID’s Pacific Field Office. It was prosecuted by Akers and Maj. Diana DeQuattro, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 25th Infantry Division.

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, click here.

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.