A former FBI agent was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of child sexual assault.

Christopher Bauer, 45, was sentenced to life in prison by the Alabama Circuit Court after being convicted in June on charges of “first-degree sodomy and sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years of age.”

Mongomery District Attorney Daryl Bailey said, “It is always extremely disappointing when someone who is supposed to enforce and uphold the law commits a crime against the people they have sworn to protect.”

“He is a bad apple – a depraved monster who abused his power to irreparably harm a vulnerable, innocent child,” added Bailey.

A former FBI agent was sentenced to life in prison for RAPING an 11-YEAR-OLD GIRL while serving as an Alabama state trooper

He was hired even after he was kicked out of the FBI amid earlier claims he RAPED a CO-WORKER at KNIFEPOINT#NotACrossDresserhttps://t.co/0uWCrQLZrU

— DA Just Asking (@DAJustAsking) August 2, 2024

A former FBI agent turned Alabama state trooper who was convicted of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl over several years was sentenced on Thursday to life plus 20 years in prison. He is also facing child sex abuse charges in Louisiana. https://t.co/FFWLbhuXS6

— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 2, 2024

Per USA Today:

A former FBI agent and Alabama state trooper convicted of child sexual assault was sentenced to life in prison Friday.

Christopher Bauer, 45, was sentenced in Alabama Circuit Court after a conviction in June on charges of first-degree sodomy and sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years of age.

“It is always extremely disappointing when someone who is supposed to enforce and uphold the law commits a crime against the people they have sworn to protect,” Mongomery District Attorney Daryl Bailey said in a news release. “He is a bad apple – a depraved monster who abused his power to irreparably harm a vulnerable, innocent child.”

An Associated Press investigation found that Bauer used a forged letter in his application to join the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to hide that he was kicked out of the FBI after repeated sexual assault allegations were levied against him when he worked at the FBI’s New Orleans field office.

The Bureau had no comment on the sentencing Thursday. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency did not respond to a request for comment.

Former FBI agent and Alabama trooper Christopher Bauer was sentenced to life in prison following his conviction on child sexual assault charges. https://t.co/iArCrf3ZhH

— Akron Beacon Journal (@beaconjournal) August 2, 2024

Here’s what AP reported:

A former FBI agent was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl while serving as an Alabama state trooper.

Alabama’s state police hired Christopher Bauer even after he was kicked out of the FBI amid earlier claims he raped a co-worker at knifepoint.

An Associated Press investigation showed Bauer, 45, moved from one law enforcement job to another with the help of a forged letter making it appear he was “eligible for rehire.”

The forgery prompted an FBI investigation but federal authorities held off charging Bauer as the state proceedings played out.

A jury convicted Bauer in June of first-degree sodomy and sexual abuse of a child under 12 following a weeklong trial in which defense attorneys claimed the girl made up the allegations.

Shackled and wearing an orange jail uniform, Bauer told Montgomery Circuit Judge Jimmy Pool that he never imagined he would end up on the prisoner side of a jail cell. He said juries don’t always get it right.

“It seems no matter what I say, no one wants to believe I’m innocent,” he told the judge. “All it took was an accusation to strip me of everything.”