A U.S. Air Force captain was convicted by a federal jury in New Jersey of attempting to entice a minor for sex and sending obscene material to someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl.

Gabriel Perez, 31, of Eastampton, was found guilty July 17, 2026, of attempted enticement and coercion of a minor and attempted transfer of obscene materials to a minor, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.

According to trial evidence, Perez, then a 29-year-old Air Force captain, began communicating in mid-August 2024 on a social media platform with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 14-year-old girl. Within about 24 hours of learning the purported age, he expressed interest in meeting her for sex.

On Aug. 28, 2024, Perez sent an obscene photograph of himself and arranged to meet the next day for illegal sexual activity. He drove to the prearranged location on Aug. 29 with condoms and was arrested, authorities said.

Perez faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life for the enticement conviction. The obscene materials count carries a maximum of 10 years. Each count also carries a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 9.

The case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, the Justice Department’s initiative to combat child sexual exploitation.