July 18, 2014

Former Fort Polk Soldier Sentenced to 210 Months in Prison for Sexually Abusing Minor

LAKE CHARLES, LA—A former Fort Polk soldier was sentenced Thursday to 210 months in prison and five years of supervised release for sexually abusing a minor under the age of nine, U.S. Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today.

Emil Roland Rath, 39, of Mena, Ark., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi for one count of abusive sexual contact with a minor under the age of 12. As a part of his sentencing, he is also required to register as a sex offender. According to the evidence presented at the guilty plea on February 20, 2014, Rath admitted that he knowingly engaged in sexual contact with a child under the age of nine on the Fort Polk military base in November of 2003. The defendant, who was in the U.S. Army at the time, was watching an animated movie with the child at the victim’s residence when the abusive contact occurred. In determining the sentence, the court also considered prior convictions and prior conduct involving abuse of other minors by Rath.

“Unfortunately, when these acts occur, the impact is long term and affects the entire family,” Finley stated. “This defendant took advantage of the family’s trust and the child’s innocence to commit this horrendous crime. Children’s safety is a primary concern and a priority of this office. We will continue to prosecute those who abuse minors to the fullest extent of the law.”

The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command and the FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Myers Namie and Daniel J. McCoy prosecuted the case.