FORT STEWART, Ga. – A soldier pleaded guilty to multiple sexual crimes against a child during his court-martial July 21 at the Fort Stewart Courtroom.
Spc. Francis J. Maguire, 33, a cannon crewmember assigned to 9th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division Artillery, 3rd Infantry Division, pleaded guilty to two specifications of sexual assault of a child and one specification of sexual abuse of a child.
The military judge sentenced him to 20 years of confinement, reduction in rank to E-1 and a dishonorable discharge.
The victim, a family member of Maguire’s under the age of 16, was sexually assaulted on over 20 occasions between June 1, 2022, and Nov. 20, 2023, in Maguire’s home on Fort Stewart.
Originally, the victim stayed silent about the crimes. While Maguire was on deployment to Lithuania, she developed anxiety about his return and told Maguire’s wife.
The wife called and confronted Maguire and he originally denied the accusations, however when the victim got on the phone and confronted him, he admitted to the sexual assault.
The wife confronted him a second time after he returned from Lithuania and recorded a conversation in which Maguire again admitted to sexually assaulting the victim.
She did not report him to the police; however, she told other family members about the abuse and one of them notified the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
While being questioned by Army CID agents, Maguire again admitted to the abuse.
“Spc. Maguire targeted his own family member, a young girl who looked to him for protection, and used his influence to pressure her into staying silent. This sentence properly holds Spc. Maguire accountable, protects society from future harm, and provides closure for his family,” said Capt. Jacqueline Dieguez, prosecutor, Second Circuit, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.
“This case underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting those who cannot protect themselves,” said Special Agent in Charge Ryan O’Connor, Army CID’s Southeast Field Office. “The bravery of the victim and her family in bringing this abuse to light is commendable. We remain steadfast in our commitment to thoroughly investigate all allegations of criminal activity and provide unwavering support to victims.”
“The admirable strength of the young victim in this case should be an inspiration to all who would suffer in silence, that their voices can stop the cycle of abuse and that hard working military investigators and prosecutors like Special Agent Christopher Dowling and Capt. Dieguez stand ready to hold offenders accountable,” said Lt. Col. Kristen Fricchione, Chief Second Circuit, Army OSTC.
Maguire will serve his prison sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Upon release he will be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements.
This case was investigated by Army CID’s Fort Stewart Resident Agency and was prosecuted by Dieguez and Capt. Douglas Johnston, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 3rd Infantry Division.
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: | 07.30.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.30.2025 14:31 |
| Story ID: | 544283 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 49 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Fort Stewart soldier pleads guilty to multiple sexual crimes against a child, by Michelle McCaskill, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
