FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. – After more than nine years evading authorities, a soldier pleaded guilty to numerous crimes during his court-martial Feb. 19 at the Fort Leonard Wood Courtroom.

Army Staff Sgt. Ulises Moore-Ramirez, 48, a construction engineer assigned to the 1st Engineer Brigade, pleaded guilty to 12 specifications of sexual abuse of a child, seven specifications of extortion, five specifications of the production of child pornography, one specification of the possession of child pornography, one specification of attempt to commit sexual abuse of a child, and desertion.

The military judge sentenced him to 31 years of confinement, a dishonorable discharge, total forfeiture of pay and allowances, and reduction in rank to E-1.

Moore-Ramirez’s crimes were committed during 2013-2014 while was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood and involved 19 victims, all who were minors residing at various locations across the country.

To commit his crimes, Moore-Ramirez approached his victims online posing as a teenager and using graphic language to convince them to send pornographic photos.

A parent in Sioux City, Iowa, reported these interactions to their local law enforcement who notified the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division once Moore-Ramirez was identified as an active-duty service member. Numerous law enforcement agencies across the country supported the investigation by interviewing victims and obtaining evidence.

During their investigation, Army CID seized various digital devices, conducted numerous interviews with victims, worked with social media companies to obtain records of communications, and interviewed Moore-Ramirez multiple times where he admitted to various offenses.

Moore-Ramirez was scheduled to be arraigned in court for his crimes in April 2015 when he deserted. For the next nine and a half years, he remained in deserter status and was placed on the Army’s most-wanted list.

In July 2024, Moore-Ramirez was apprehended at the Mexican border and returned to military control.

“For nearly 10 years, the accused fled justice and responsibility for his actions. With tremendous support from across the Army, and with the support of state and federal partners, we were able to bring justice to survivors across the country,” said Cpt. Matt Fine, prosecutor, Fort Leonard Wood Field Office, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.

“The extraordinary strength and resilience of the survivors in this case meant that although justice was delayed because of the accused’s desertion, it was not denied.”

Moore-Ramirez will serve his prison sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Upon release from prison he will be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements.

While Army CID at Fort Leonard Wood was the lead agency, the investigation and Moore-Ramirez’s eventual apprehension was a law enforcement collaboration at the international, federal, state and local level.

“This conviction emphasizes the commitment of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the U.S. Army Office of Special Trial Counsel to vigorously investigate and prosecute those who abuse vulnerable children. In addition, the U.S. Marshall’s Service and Homeland Security Investigations/Immigration and Customs Enforcement were instrumental in returning Staff Sgt. Moore-Ramirez to Army custody,” said Special Agent in Charge John McCabe, Army CID Mid-Central Field Office. “CID takes all allegations of sexual abuse seriously and will not stop pursing evidence to hold offenders accountable.”

The case was prosecuted by Fine and Lt. Col. John Haberland, chief, Fourth Circuit, Army OSTC, and Cpt. Corey Lesser, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood.

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.