SAN ANTONIO (AP) — An Air Force sergeant has been charged with raping three women, including a Lackland Air Force Base basic trainee, as long ago as 1992.

Master Sgt. Michael Silva serves in a base support unit at what is now called Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. He faces life imprisonment if convicted at court-martial of the charges. An evidentiary hearing is scheduled for Monday at Lackland.

More than 30 instructors at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland have been charged with sexual misconduct against trainees. Most of those tried so far have been convicted. However, the San Antonio Express-News reports none of those cases date earlier than 2008.

Silva's is the first case to be prosecuted in the military since Congress lifted a five-year statute of limitations on military sexual assault cases last year.

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