A former Camp Pendleton Marine Sgt. was sentenced to 28 years in prison for sexually molesting a 3-year-old child, according to Marine Times.

Michael Hamby Jr., 31, pleaded guilty to engaging in the sexual act with the child, as another male suspect was also involved.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office discovered the former Marine Sgt. and his co-defendant, Elijah Alexander Vazquez, exchanged emails with each other about their sexual interest for children in 2016.

Phone messages and email exchanges between Hamby and Vasquez would persist, ultimately, leading the two child molesters to meet up and abuse the 3-year-old.

Child pornography was also found on both Hamby and Vasqueze’s hard drives that were looked into, according to Patch.com.

A former Camp Pendleton Marine, Hamby has been stationed at bases in Okinawa and California, according to documents. He joined the Marine Corps in 2009 at age 18.

The co-defendant Vasquez received 20 years in prison for the act.