Former soldier convicted of physically and sexually assaulting minors while serving abroad

ATLANTA - Following a four-day trial, a federal jury in the Northern District of Georgia convicted an Atlanta man of sexually and physically abusing two minors while he was stationed overseas with the U.S. Army.

"When he should have been honorably defending our country with the utmost integrity, Schlueter instead spent years terrorizing his young victims through physical and sexual abuse," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "Thankfully, federal law allowed my office and our partners in Washington to seek justice for the children Schlueter battered and molested abroad. Excellent work by the prosecutors and investigators assigned to this case will ensure that Schlueter is suitably punished for his wickedness."

"The defendant exploited a position of trust to carry out horrific abuse against vulnerable children," said Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. "The FBI is committed to protecting children wherever these crimes occur and to ensuring those who commit such acts are held fully accountable. We are grateful to the victims for their courage in coming forward and to our partners who helped bring this case to justice."

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Adam Schlueter was stationed in Grafenwöhr, Germany from 2009 until 2013, while enlisted in the U.S. Army. In Germany, he physically, emotionally, and sexually abused two minor victims. At trial, both minors described being choked and beaten by Schlueter. One minor also testified that Schleuter pushed him through a second-story window and dangled him above the ground when he was eight years old.

Schlueter sexually assaulted both minors when they were under the age of 10. To prevent his victims and others from reporting the abuse to authorities, Schleuter threatened to harm and even kill witnesses.

On April 17, 2026, a jury convicted Adam Schlueter, 39, of Atlanta, of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 12 and two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Sentencing has been set for July 9, 2026. Schleuter faces a mandatory minimum of 30 years of imprisonment for each of the aggravated sexual abuse convictions and may be sentenced to life imprisonment.

The FBI is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Leanne Marek for the Northern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Justice Department's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Annalise Peters assisted with the prosecution of this case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney's Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.