Air Force officer faces 10 years to life after conviction on child exploitation offenses

An Air Force officer from New Jersey faces anywhere from 10 years to life in prison and $500,000 in fines following his conviction last week in federal court for offenses related to child exploitation.

Capt. Gabriel Perez, 31, was convicted Friday of attempted enticement and coercion of a minor and attempted transfer of obscene materials to a minor after a five-day jury trial in Camden, a Justice Department statement said Monday.

The charges stemmed from online communications he had with an undercover agent posing as a 14-year-old girl, the statement said. Perez is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 9.

Perez began communicating on Reddit in August 2024 with someone he knew as Ashley. Within 24 hours of being told her age, he expressed an interest in meeting for sex, authorities said.

He later sent an obscene photograph of himself and arranged a meeting to engage in sexual activity, the statement said. He was arrested on Aug. 29, 2024, at a prearranged meeting location with condoms in his pocket.

Perez faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment for his conviction on the attempted enticement and coercion of a minor charge, the statement said.

He also faces a 10-year maximum sentence for attempting to transfer obscene material to a minor.