U.S. Army Soldier Sentenced to Life in Prison for Aggravated Sexual Assault

A U.S. Army soldier was sentenced today to life in prison for aggravated sexual assault of a minor, Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Robert J. Higdon Jr. of the Eastern District of North Carolina announced. 

Daniel Kemp Sr., 51, of Cameron, North Carolina, pleaded guilty on Dec. 11, 2019, to one count of aggravated sexual assault of a minor before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Terrence W. Boyle of the Eastern District of North Carolina, who sentenced Kemp Sr. earlier today and remanded him to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

According to facts presented in the guilty plea hearings, Kemp Sr. was employed by the U.S. Army as an active duty member when he forcibly raped a minor victim.  After an investigation into the sexual assault was underway, his wife, Shanynn Kemp, intentionally harassed and dissuaded a witness from disclosing to law enforcement information about the sexual offense.

The investigation of the case was conducted by U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command and the FBI.  This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Kaylynn Foulon of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

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

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.