An Oak Harbor man who sexually abused two children while he was in the Army was sentenced to two concurrent life sentences, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Georgia.

A jury convicted 32-year-old Austin M. Burak of abusive sexual contact of a child and aggravated sexual abuse of a child following a trial in Georgia earlier this year.

On Sept. 4, U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker sentenced Burak to lifetime imprisonment for each of the two minor victims. The sentence means that Burak will serve a minimum of 30 years in a federal prison.

The government’s trial brief states that the crimes occurred in Georgia in August 2017. The documents states that Burak was drunk when he entered the young boys’ bedroom at night. He molested a 9-year-old boy and raped a 13-year-old boy after giving him alcohol and telling him to “calm down” because it would hurt less, the document states.

The older child was scared to fight back because Burak was drunk. Later, Burak returned to the room and apologized, crying and begging the children not to tell anyone because his wife was pregnant, the document states.

Records in Island County Superior Court state that Burak’s family on Whidbey knew nothing about the allegations and didn’t know he was wanted on a warrant until the FBI arrested him in Oak Harbor on Jan. 26, 2024. Following that, he lived under house arrest at his parents’ house in California until the trial took place.

Court documents show that the sexual assaults occurred at the Fort Stewart Military Reservation in Georgia, but the crimes were first investigated by the Army Criminal Investigative Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington and later the FBI. Burak was originally prosecuted though a military court martial procedure, but the case was moved to federal court.

During the trial, three women testified that Burak sexually abused them when they were children, according to the government’s brief. One of the victims testified that he abused her frequently over many years.

“The sentencing of Austin Burak represents a significant outcome in the pursuit of justice for the victims in this horrific case,” said Special Agent in Charge Michele Starostka of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Western Field Office. “Army CID worked diligently alongside our partners at the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in this case, and we remain steadfast in our dedication to protecting our communities.”