Lt. Col. Rene Gamara, 45, who is assigned to Fort Gordon, Ga., was sentenced July 22, 2025, to three years at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and dismissal from the Army after being convicted of attempting to sexually assault a minor, according to military officials. (U.S. Army)

An officer at Fort Gordon, Ga., was convicted of attempting to sexually assault a child after local police caught him talking to an undercover agent he believed to be a 14-year-old girl as part of a sting operation aimed at child predators, the Army said.

Lt. Col. Rene Gamara, 45, was sentenced July 22 to three years at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and dismissal from the Army, according to the Office of Special Trial Counsel, which prosecuted the case. He will have to register as a sex offender upon release.

Gamara served as an Army Reserve cyber officer on active duty with Cyber Command when the Hall County Sheriff’s Office arrested him in February 2024. He was among more than a dozen people arrested in the sting operation, according to the sheriff’s office.

Gamara communicated with the undercover agent online and then drove more than two hours northwest from the town of Martinez, near Fort Gordon, to Braselton to meet the girl, according to prosecutors. When he arrived at the agreed upon location, police arrested him and found he was carrying condoms.

“As a lieutenant colonel, Rene Gamara held a position of significant trust and responsibility. His actions represented a grave violation of the standards expected of officers in the U.S. Army,” said Maj. Steven Poland, prosecutor for the court-martial. “This verdict ensures accountability, removes his opportunity to receive retirement benefits, and sends a clear message that those who seek to exploit children will be brought to justice.”

Col. Alexander Pickands served as judge for the court-martial and found the officer not guilty of a second charge of attempting to sexually abuse a child by indecent communication.