SHREVEPORT (AP) — A former Air Force sergeant who pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting a child has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Federal prosecutors say 31-year-old John P. Nichols pleaded guilty in December to a charge he coerced a girl, under the age of 18, into engaging in sexually explicit conduct so he could produce ‘‘visual depictions’’ of the conduct.

U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. also sentenced Nichols on Wednesday to 15 years of supervised release following his prison term.

Nichols worked at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City and had an off-base home in Haughton. He was discharged from the Air Force in February.