Spc. Jovaughn Stewart, 26, was recently sentenced to 50 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to a spate of child sex crime charges during his court-martial at Fort Bragg, N.C. (Joshua Magbanua/U.S. Air Force)
An Army specialist who authorities say likely preyed on hundreds of children across the United States has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for sexual assault, child pornography and other crimes involving minors.
Jovaughn Stewart, 26, a former petroleum supply specialist stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., pleaded guilty to over two dozen charges during a recent court-martial on the base, the Army said in a statement Tuesday.
Stewart is said to have approached his victims online between 2021 and 2024, while posing as a teenage boy on multiple social media platforms and persuading those he contacted to send him pornographic photos and videos.
His youngest known victim was 7 years old, the statement said.
“Stewart demonstrated an obsessive and sophisticated understanding of technology and social media and engaged in multiple types of grooming behavior,” according to the statement by the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.
On at least two occasions, Stewart assaulted underage girls after persuading them to meet him in person, the statement said, adding that he also traded child pornography online.
Investigators have linked the soldier to 30 confirmed victims, although they believe that in total, his victims “are likely to number in the hundreds,” the Army said.
Investigators learned of Stewart’s interactions with minors when a parent in Iowa contacted police.
Law enforcement agencies across the country assisted with the investigation, which was conducted by the Office of Special Trial Counsel at Fort Bragg and the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s internet crimes against children team at the Army post.
Capt. Gabrielle Lucero, a prosecutor with the Army OSTC’s Fort Bragg field office, commended the bravery of the young victims who helped with the investigation.
“By standing up to Stewart in the investigation and in court, they undoubtedly aided in securing the 50-year sentence that will protect an untold number of children from future harm,” Lucero said in the Army statement.
The prison sentence handed down on June 18 was the maximum allowed under Stewart’s plea deal. He faced a minimum of 20 years of confinement.
The military judge also sentenced him to a dishonorable discharge, total forfeiture of pay and allowances, and reduction in pay grade to E-1.
Stewart, who had been assigned to the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, will serve his prison sentence at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., the Army said. Upon release, he’ll be required to register as a sex offender.
