Gabriel Perez, a 31-year-old resident of Eastampton, New Jersey, was indicted on Mar. 27 for multiple child exploitation offenses, according to U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer.
Perez faces charges including attempted enticement and coercion of a minor and attempted transfer of obscene materials to a minor. These charges stem from an incident beginning in mid-August 2024 when Perez, then an officer in the United States Air Force, communicated online with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl but who was actually an undercover law enforcement officer.
According to court documents and statements made in court, over two weeks Perez expressed interest in meeting the purported minor for sex. On August 28, he allegedly sent an obscene photograph of himself and arranged to meet her the following day. Law enforcement arrested him at the agreed location with condoms in his pocket.
If convicted on Count One of the Superseding Indictment (attempted enticement and coercion), Perez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment and up to life imprisonment; Count Two (attempted transfer of obscene materials) carries up to ten years’ imprisonment. Both counts also carry maximum fines of $250,000 each.
Frazer credited members of the Air Force Office of Special Investigation under Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Bates with leading the investigation. He also thanked both the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and Eastampton Police Department for their assistance.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood—a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006—to combat child sexual exploitation nationwide by coordinating federal, state, and local resources. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/pscLinks.
Authorities emphasize that all charges are accusations at this stage; Perez is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
