How dose the Army view the current charges against Maj. Erik J. Burris

A former U.S. Army prosecutor who oversaw sexual assault cases has been found guilty on rape and other charges following a six-day court-martial at Fort Bragg, military officials said Monday.

Maj. Erik J. Burris was found guilty on two charges of rape, a charge of forcible sodomy, four charges of assault and a charge of disobeying an order, the Army said in a five-sentence statement. Burris was sentenced to 20 years in prison, dismissed from the service, and ordered to forfeit all pay, the statement said.

Burris, 39, had pleaded not guilty to the charges. He could not be reached for comment, and the name of the lawyer representing him was not provided.

At the time he was charged, Burris was the chief of military justice for the 82nd Airborne — a position in which he supervised other military prosecutors handling criminal cases within the famed paratrooper division.

The military has been under intense scrutiny in recent years over its handling of sexual assault allegations. A trial was held at Fort Bragg last year for the man believed to be the highest-ranking U.S. military officer ever court-martialed on sexual assault charges.