The Buffalo Soldier Gate entrance at Fort Bliss, Texas. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes)
A Fort Bliss soldier and his wife will not serve any time in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to neglecting a child for nearly five years, causing imminent danger of death or injury.
Sgt. Coreydon Stepaniak, 36, and his wife Cecilia, 35, were arrested by the FBI in June 2024 for allegations they had neglected and abused a child under the age of 15 at Fort Bliss in west Texas, according to court documents.
The indictment described Cecilia Stepaniak as the legal guardian for the girl and stated the couple “dangerously” restricted the child’s food intake, causing her to suffer malnutrition. Cecilia Stepaniak was also accused of holding a kitchen knife to the child’s throat, hitting her with a cellphone charging cable, kicking her while she was on the ground and locking her in a closet, according to court documents.
In pleading guilty Thursday to one count of endangerment, the couple will spend the next five years on probation. The maximum sentence for the charge was 20 years, according to a Justice Department news release about the couple’s arrest.
Prosecutors and the FBI did not respond to a request to comment on the sentence. Attorneys for the soldier and his wife also did not respond.
Judge David C Guaderrama oversaw the case in the Western District of Texas.
Though only one child is referenced in the federal court records, five children are listed in an El Paso County family court lawsuit opened the same month of the couple’s arrest. That case remains pending in court.
A family court lawsuit over custody of a sixth child was filed in El Paso County in December 2024.
Coreydon Stepaniak is a wheeled vehicle mechanic assigned to the 1st Armored Division, according to his service record from Fort Bliss. He enlisted in April 2011 and has been at Fort Bliss since 2018.
Division officials confirmed his separation from the Army was forthcoming, but that additional actions were being assessed based on the court’s sentencing decision.
The other charges the Stepaniaks faced included conspiracy to commit injury to a child, injury to a child and child abandonment.
