WICHITA FALLS, Texas—An Air Force colonel was sentenced to nine years in prison Thursday and kicked out of the military for assaulting a woman, misusing his government travel card and other crimes at Sheppard Air Force Base.

Col. Samuel Lofton III faced 140 years in prison after being convicted of 34 counts, including indecent assault, larceny, being absent without leave and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.

“The system has worked and will continue to work in this case,” said Capt. Brett Landry, the lead prosecutor.

The 49-year-old former training commander “systematically abused his power, position and authority to the detriment of the Air Force and to the detriment of those around him,” Capt. John Montgomery, another prosecutor, said during closing arguments in the sentencing phase Thursday. “The Air Force will recover, and the stains will fade over time. But (the assault victim) will have memories of this for the rest of her life.”

Lofton did not comment as he walked, without handcuffs, with his attorneys out of the courthouse. He was accompanied by base security guards and will be held at the base several days before being transferred elsewhere.

Lofton was convicted Wednesday of assaulting one woman but acquitted of rape and two other assault charges involving another. He was convicted of bad conduct charges involving a third woman.

“We are obviously incredibly disappointed in the jury’s verdict and in their sentence,” lead defense attorney Maj. Mark Etheridge said, adding that he will aggressively pursue all appeals.

Lofton also racked up $26,000 in personal expenses on his government travel card and was reimbursed $14,000 for trips he never took. He pleaded guilty to those charges last week.

“He had the Air Force at his fingertips, was on his way to the top and was one of the most powerful men at Sheppard Air Force Base,” Montgomery told the military jury. “He doesn’t let the rules stand in his way. Once about every other day he faces a simple decision between right and wrong: to swipe the card or not. ... It really calls into question his integrity and sense of entitlement.”