VILSECK, Germany – A soldier who pleaded guilty to the possession, viewing and distribution of child sexual abuse material will spend 20 years in prison for his crimes.
Spc. Benjamin Noah Shelby, 29, a cannon crew member with the 4th Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, was also sentenced by the miliary judge to a dishonorable discharge during his court-martial April 22 at the Rose Barracks Courtroom.
On Oct. 5, 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children notified German authorities of Shelby’s online use of CSAM. This tip was ultimately forwarded to the Kriminalpolizei (Criminal Police) in Weiden, Germany, who notified the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division on Nov. 21, 2023.
Army CID working with German law enforcement found hundreds of pictures and videos of CSAM that Shelby stored on two separate phones. Investigators also found messages from Shelby on the social media platform Discord where he was distributing CSAM and also requesting that others send him more CSAM.
“The accused had collected hundreds of images and videos of child pornographic material and even shared some of them with other people. With tremendous support from the command, Army CID, the Weiden Criminal Police and Bayreuth Polizei we were able to achieve justice in this case,” said Maj. Michael R. Yosua, prosecutor, Eighth Circuit, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.
“Army CID remains committed to protecting the vulnerable and achieving justice for victims worldwide,” said Army CID Special Agent in Charge Ryan Hall. “We are grateful for the strong partnership with German law enforcement, which was instrumental in achieving this positive outcome and upholding our shared commitment to justice.”
While Shelby was also charged with the rape and sexual abuse of a child, he chose not to plead guilty to these charges in exchange for the 20 year prison sentence.
Shelby is currently incarcerated at the U.S. Army Regional Correctional Facility-Europe in Sembach, Germany. He will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements.
The case was investigated by Army CID’s Grafenwohr Resident Agency, the Bayreuth Polizei and the Kriminalpolizei (Criminal Police) in Weiden, Germany. It was prosecuted by Yosua, Capt. Noah Stochl, Eighth Circuit, Army OSTC and Capt. Kristyn P. Dial, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 7th Army Training Command.
The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel is comprised of specially trained military lawyers, legal professionals and support staff responsible for the expert and independent prosecution of murder, sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, kidnapping and other serious criminal offenses. Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va., OSTC has eight regional headquarters that oversee 28 field offices located across the country to include Europe and Korea. For more information visit https://www.army.mil/ostc.
If you would like to report a crime, have information about a crime, or have been the subject or survivor of a crime, you can submit anonymous tips to Army CID at https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=325
| Date Taken: | 05.08.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.08.2025 14:56 |
| Story ID: | 497429 |
| Location: | VILSECK, DE |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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