MARQUETTE — U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney sentenced Clifford Sutter of Pickford to 87 months in prison for sexual abuse of a minor, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten announced on Monday.

Maloney imposed the sentence after commenting that defendant’s conduct was “horrendous,” noting that Sutter had repeatedly sexually abused the victim over a significant number of years. Maloney also ordered Sutter to spend 15 years on supervised release after his confinement.

“Protecting our most vulnerable citizens is a duty my office takes very seriously,” Totten said in a statement. “We are committed to holding child sexual predators accountable as evidenced by the serious sentence imposed in this case.

“I commend the investigative work of our federal, state and tribal law enforcement partners.”

The sexual exploitation of children is among the most disturbing crimes the FBI investigates, said Devin J. Kowalski, acting special agent in charge of the FBI in Michigan, in a statement.

“I would like to thank the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office and the Portage Department of Public Safety whose partnership with our office helps ensure anyone who exploits vulnerable children will be brought to justice,” Kowalski said.

The investigation identified a minor victim who Sutter had repeatedly sexually abused from when she was 10 years old until Sutter’s arrest. As part of his plea, Sutter admitted to sexually abusing the minor victim when she was 12 years old.

The FBI, Sault Tribal Police Department and Michigan State Police investigated the case.