A former FBI agent turned Alabama state trooper who was convicted of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl over several years was sentenced Thursday to life plus 20 years in prison.
The former agent, Christopher Bauer, 45, was hired by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency as a trooper in 2019 after he forged a letter to make it look as if he had a clean record despite having been forced out of the FBI after claims surfaced that he raped a co-worker at knife point, The Associated Press reported.
Bauer is also facing child sex abuse charges in Louisiana, and the state police there plan to extradite him, according to the AP.
Daryl D. Bailey, the Montgomery County district attorney, said in an interview that Bauer would never be eligible for parole because of the nature of the charges on which he was convicted.
The prosecutor said that the Alabama case dates to April 2021, when the victim confided in a friend that Bauer had been sexually abusing her since she was 5 years old.
A few days later, the friend told an adult, who reported the abuse to school officials, prompting an investigation. Bauer was arrested that same day and remained in custody throughout the case, Bailey said.
In June, Bauer was convicted by a Montgomery County jury on charges of first-degree sodomy and sexual abuse of a child under 12. Judge Jimmy Pool of the 15th Judicial Circuit Court in Montgomery County sentenced Bauer to life in prison for the first charge and a consecutive 20 years for the second.
Bailey called Bauer a "depraved monster who abused his power to irreparably harm this vulnerable, innocent child."
The district attorney said he had prosecuted law enforcement officers for sexual abuse before, but this case stands out as "profoundly disgusting" in his 30-year career.
He declined to explain the relationship between Bauer and the victim to protect the victim's identity.
According to court records, Bauer's lawyers argued for leniency in his sentencing because of the abusive childhood he endured, noting that he had been taken from his parents when he was 5 years old and "lived in various foster homes and orphanages until age 10."
Bauer's lawyers did not immediately comment but said they would provide a statement by the end of Friday.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said in a statement that it had conducted a "full and thorough background investigation" of Bauer before hiring him and that "no derogatory comments were uncovered by former employers during the investigation."
The FBI declined to comment on the case.
Bailey, the district attorney, said that it was his understanding that Bauer had been fired from the FBI because of sexual misconduct claims. Pointing to published news reports, Bailey said that the forged letter Bauer provided to the state police indicated that he had a "stellar record."
"You would think they would check things out a little bit more in detail," he said. "But obviously somebody dropped the ball on that and hired a sexual predator."
In a news release, Bailey praised the victim "for having the courage to speak up about what was happening to her."
"She was so brave throughout her testimony, which was undoubtedly difficult for her," he said. "I hope she and her family take solace in knowing Christopher Bauer will never harm her nor anyone else ever again."