Air Force Captain Convicted for Child Exploitation Offenses

TRENTON, N.J. - A Burlington County, New Jersey, man was convicted by a jury on July 17, 2026, for offenses arising from his illicit communications and conduct with an individual he believed to be a 14-year-old girl, United States Attorney Robert Frazer announced.

Gabriel Perez, 31, of Eastampton, New Jersey, was convicted of attempted enticement and coercion of a minor and attempted transfer of obscene materials to a minor following a five-day jury trial that began on July 13, 2026 before United States District Judge Christine P. O'Hearn in Camden federal court. Sentencing is scheduled for December 9, 2026.

According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:

In mid-August 2024, Perez, then a 29-year-old captain in the United States Air Force, communicated on an online social media platform with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 14-year-old girl. Within approximately 24 hours of learning the purported girl's age, Perez expressed his interest in meeting her for sex. On August 28, 2024, Perez sent an obscene photograph of himself to the purported girl and arranged to meet her the next day to engage in unlawful sexual activity. On August 29, 2024, Perez drove to the pre-arranged meeting location with condoms in his pocket and was arrested by law enforcement.

Perez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for his conviction for attempted enticement and coercion of a minor. He also faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for his conviction for attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. Each offense carries a maximum fine of $250,000.

United States Attorney Frazer credited law enforcement members with the Air Force Office of Special Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ryan Gribble, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office and the Eastampton Police Department for their assistance with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant United States Attorneys Matt Belgiovine and Richard Shephard of the Criminal Division in Trenton.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department's Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/pscLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

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Defense counsel: Ray Mateo, Esq.