A former U.S. Navy sailor, Gabriel Benjamin Hester, has pled guilty to charges related to the receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The 27-year-old was stationed in Portsmouth when he uploaded seven files of CSAM between January 11 and March 23, 2023.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) conducted a search on August 22, 2023, aboard the USS John Warner Barge, leading to the seizure of Hester's cellphone. A subsequent search on August 25 revealed a significant amount of illicit content: 206 pictures and 62 videos of CSAM along with 71 images categorized as child erotica. Additionally, investigators found 60 files of CSAM stored in a private Snapchat folder.
Further examination showed that Hester used the Telegram messaging app to receive, purchase, trade, and distribute CSAM. On April 27, 2023, he engaged in exchanges with another user where he requested and traded multiple videos.
Hester is scheduled for sentencing on April 16, 2025. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison with a potential maximum of up to twenty years. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on various guidelines and statutory factors.
The announcement came from Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, alongside Mack Hickman from NCIS Norfolk Field Office after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask accepted Hester's plea.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse since May 2006. It involves collaboration among federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood or related legal documents regarding this case (Case No. 2:24-cr-127), visit the websites of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia or access PACER.