By: Jeff Sommes
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.
Federal officials said 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.