A Burlington County man serving in the U.S. Air Force has been indicted on federal child exploitation charges after prosecutors say he tried to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old girl he met on Reddit. A federal grand jury handed up the indictment this week, and authorities say he was arrested last August when he drove to the planned meetup spot.
Undercover Reddit Sting
Federal prosecutors identified the defendant as 31-year-old Gabriel Perez of Burlington County and say the grand jury returned the indictment on April 1. According to charging documents, Perez communicated on Reddit with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 14-year-old girl. Over roughly two weeks in August 2024, he allegedly exchanged sexually explicit messages, sent an obscene picture on August 28, and arranged to meet the next day.
When Perez drove to the designated meeting location on August 29, 2024, he was taken into custody, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.
Federal Prosecutions Step Up Near Joint Base
The case lands in the middle of a broader federal push against online exploitation involving service members at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and elsewhere. In February, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Trenton announced that another Air Force airman pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography after prosecutors said he used chat apps and social media to solicit minors. That case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, the long-running federal initiative targeting crimes against children, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey.
Charges and Penalties
The indictment charges Perez with attempted transfer of obscene materials to a minor and attempted enticement and coercion of a minor. Prosecutors told NBC10 Philadelphia that the enticement charge carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life. The obscene-materials count carries a maximum of 10 years, and each offense can bring fines of up to $250,000.
What’s Next
The indictment was unsealed this week, and the case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. That office is now led by U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer, who was appointed earlier this month, as reported by the AP.
Court records in the case state that Perez was 29 years old at the time of the alleged conduct in August 2024. The matter remains pending in federal court, and no sentencing date has been set.
