ALEXANDRIA, La. (KLFY) – A former soldier stationed at Fort Polk has been sentenced for abusive sexual contact with a minor.

Gjamale Demonte Kaver, 37, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release on charges of abusive sexual contact with a minor under the age of 12, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Western District of Louisiana.

In March 2022, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Kaver with abusive sexual contact with a minor under the age of 12. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that he then pled guilty to the charge on Aug. 18.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Kaver was enlisted in the United States Army and stationed at the Fort Polk Military Reservation. While stationed there in 2007 and continuing through his return to Fort Polk in 2009, Kaver engaged in abusive sexual misconduct with a minor victim who was under 12 years old.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana has jurisdiction over federal crimes that occur at Fort Polk Military Reservation,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “Abusive sexual conduct with children is an intolerable crime and we will continue to prosecute those who commit these crimes to the fullest extent that the law will allow.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and it was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel J. McCoy and J. Luke Walker.