Matthew Valkinburg, a 35-year-old former soldier from Pueblo, Colorado, has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material. Valkinburg was stationed at Fort Jackson in South Carolina when the offense occurred.
Investigators found that Valkinburg began uploading child sexual abuse material to his Discord account in 2023 while he was still stationed in Colorado. Local authorities linked several accounts to him and identified them as sources of the illegal content. After his transfer to Fort Jackson, Army investigators executed a search warrant at his residence there and discovered child sexual abuse material on multiple electronic devices, including his cell phone.
United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie sentenced Valkinburg to 87 months in prison. Following his release, he will be subject to 25 years of court-ordered supervision. He must also pay $124,000 in restitution and register as a sex offender for life. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the U.S. Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse by bringing together federal, state, and local resources. More information about this initiative can be found at http://www.justice.gov/psc.
The Army Criminal Investigation Division led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Matthews and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Beckham are prosecuting the case.
###
