A former FBI agent and Benjamin AshfordAlabama 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 convicted of abusing 5-year-old

On April 23, 2021, the victim, told a friend that she was being abused by Bauer, who she testified had been sexually assaulting her since she was 5-years-old, the Montgomery Advertiser — a part of the USA TODAY Network — reported.

A few days later, her friend shared what was happening to the victim with her own mother, who reported it to the victim’s school.

School administrators then contacted the Montgomery Police Department, and the investigation began. Bauer was arrested and charged the same day, records obtained by the newspaper show.

The Associated Press found that Bauer is wanted on similar charges in Louisiana.

Public defenders listed in court documents as representing Bauer did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.