Former Soldier Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Matthew Valkinburg, 35, of Pueblo, Colorado, has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material. Valkinburg was a solider at Fort Jackson at the time of the crime.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Valkinburg began uploading child sexual abuse material to his Discord account in 2023 when he was stationed in Colorado. Local authorities in Colorado determined that accounts tied to Valkinburg were responsible for the child sexual abuse material. After Valkinburg transferred from Colorado to Fort Jackson, Army investigators obtained a search warrant for Valkinburg's home at Fort Jackson. Upon executing the warrant, investigators discovered child sexual abuse material on multiple electronic devices within Valkinburg's home, including his cell phone.

United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie sentenced Valkinburg to 87 months imprisonment, to be followed by a 25-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. He is also required to pay $124,000 in restitution and register as a sex offender for life.

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

This case was investigated by the Army Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Matthews and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Beckham are prosecuting the case.

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