EL PASO, Texas (Tribune News Service) — A Northeast Texas man was sentenced to more than three decades in prison in connection with the sexual assault of a child on Fort Bliss.
Roy Gene Pratt Jr., of Quitman, Texas, was sentenced Monday to more than 33 years in prison in connection with a federal charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas officials said.
"This successful prosecution was made possible by the tenacious efforts of our law enforcement partners and the courageous victims for whom some measure of justice was delivered today," U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas Ashley C. Hoff said in a statement. "Safeguarding children, the most vulnerable members of our society, will always be a critical priority."
He was also sentenced to five years of supervised released after he serves his prison term.
Pratt, 40, pleaded guilty to the charge July 19. He has remained in law enforcement custody since his arrest in May 2020.
Law enforcement officials have identified six other children, ranging from six to 14 years of age, who were victims of Pratt, United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas officials said.
Pratt was the stepfather of two victims, according to a federal complaint affidavit filed in the Western District of Texas.
No information was released on the other alleged victims.
Court documents state the mother was in the U.S. Army, but do not state if Pratt was also in the military.
Fort Bliss officials could not immediately be reached regarding if Pratt was a soldier stationed at the post.
The investigation into Pratt began October 2017 at the U.S. Army's Fort Wainwright post in Fairbanks, Alaska, according to the affidavit.
The victims' mother reported the allegations against Pratt to U.S. Criminal Investigation Division special agents after her daughters told her about the incidents.
The girls, who were 10 and 7 years old when they came forward with the allegations, told their mother that Pratt had sexually assaulted them multiple times over several years, the affidavit states.
Some of the alleged sexual assaults occurred between November 2014 to December 2015 while the family was living on Fort Bliss.
One of the victims was uncomfortable saying Pratt’s name and referred to him as "you know who," during interviews with investigators, the affidavit states.
The victims alleged the sexual assaults happened at their home on Fort Bliss including the girl's bedroom, the mother and Pratt's bedroom and in the shower. They added the sexual assaults usually happened when the mother was out grocery shopping or at work, the affidavit states.
One of the girls said the assaults usually happened when she returned from school and her mother was still at work, according to the affidavit. The girl allegedly added that her sister would be at the home during the assaults but would be in another room playing.
Pratt is accused of telling the victims not to tell their mother about the sexual assaults.
He allegedly told the girls that if they got into trouble and performed sexual acts on him he would not punish them, the affidavits states.
One of the girls told investigators the sexual assault began before the family moved to Fort Bliss.
The other incidents happened at a hotel in Colorado prior to the mother entering the Army and later when she was in basic training, the affidavit states. Sexual assaults also happened at the family's home in the Carolinas, the affidavit states.
One of the girls told investigators she did not tell her mother about the abuse due to fear Pratt would abuse or hit her mother, the affidavit states.
The girl claimed Pratt had previously hit her mother with an electrified flyswatter and pulled her hair out.
Pratt also allegedly told the girls not to tell anyone of the sexual assaults because he would "go away," according to the affidavit.
"These crimes are gut-wrenching, and (Monday's) sentencing is a commitment from the FBI El Paso's Crimes Against Children/Human Trafficking task force that we will not allow the defendant to assault a child again," FBI El Paso Division Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey R. Downey said in a statement. "We will continue to aggressively pursue child sexual assault cases as we are committed to protecting all of our communities, helping victims, and ensuring that justice is served."
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A wooden gavel and block is seen inside the Senate Hart Building in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, March 3, 2015. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes)
