Austin Michael Burak
Austin Michael Burak (born 1992) is an American former U.S. Army soldier who was convicted in federal court of multiple counts related to the sexual abuse of minors. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. As of 2025, his case is pending appeal.
Early Life and Background
Burak was born in 1993 and was raised in Big Bear Lake, California, and graduated Big Bear High School in 2011 after playing Varsity Basketball.[1] However, there is little public detail about his early life beyond this.
Military Service
Burak served in the United States Army and was stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia. During his service, Burak worked as a wheeled vehicle mechanic, deploying to Kuwait in 2016.[2][3] Burak reached the rank of sergeant (E5) in the regular Army before joining the Army reserves. Burak was court-martialed in April 2022.[3]
Criminal Investigation and Charges
Federal investigators began examining Burak's conduct following reports that he had sexually abused minors while on Fort Stewart, Georgia in 2017. An investigation by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation and Army Criminal Investigation Division revealed evidence used to convict Burak.[4]
Investigators uncovered several victims in the course of their investigation, though Burak was only charged with acts committed against two minor victims. Investigators also uncovered phone records indicating a timeline for when the criminal acts took place. Additionally, investigators listened to a phone call in which Burak did not deny his actions to the father of the minor victims, but instead apologized for his actions.[5]
Burak was arrested in Oak Harbor, Washington following the investigation before being extradited to the Southern District of Georgia to face trial.[6][7]
Trial and Conviction
Burak was tried in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, following investigation by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation and Army Criminal Investigation Division. A federal jury found him guilty on multiple felony counts, including aggravated sexual abuse of a child and abusive sexual contact of a child under 18 U.S.C. § 2241(c) and 18 U.S.C. § 2244(a)(5).[8]
During trial, multiple witnesses from the prosecution described sexual abuse at the hands of Burak over an extended period of time, though statute of limitations had passed for Burak to be convicted of those crimes.[4]
Following trial, Burak was sentenced to two concurrent life sentences in the United States Bureau of Prisons.[6] The United States Department of Justice released multiple press releases following Burak's conviction and sentencing and reflected the seriousness of the crimes and the harm caused to the victims.[8][4]
As of most recent reporting, Burak is currently being held in FCI Victorville Medium II.
Appeal
Following his conviction and sentencing, Burak filed a notice of appeal with the United States Court Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. As of the most recent reporting, the appeal remains pending.
References
- ↑ "Austin Burak's Big Bear High School Career Home". www.maxpreps.com. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
- ↑ "Federal judge sentences Oak Harbor man to life in prison for child sexual assault". South Whidbey Record. 2025-09-12. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 •. "Former soldier receives life in prison for sexual abuse of children while at Fort Stewart". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 www.justice.gov https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdga/pr/former-army-soldier-convicted-sexually-abusing-two-children
|url=missing title (help). Retrieved 2025-12-17. - ↑ Pacer Court Records
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Former Army soldier receives 2 life sentences for sexual abuse of children". WSAV-TV. 2025-09-09. Archived from the original on 2025-09-09. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
- ↑ Staff, WTOC (2025-09-09). "Former U.S. Army soldier gets life sentence for sexual assault of two young boys". https://www.walb.com. Retrieved 2025-12-17. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 www.justice.gov https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdga/pr/former-army-soldier-sentenced-concurrent-sentences-life-sexually-abusing-two-children
|url=missing title (help). Retrieved 2025-12-17.
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