A former U.S. Navy sailor, Gabriel Benjamin Hester, has pleaded guilty to charges related to the receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to court documents, Hester, who was stationed in Portsmouth at the time, uploaded seven files of CSAM between January 11 and March 23, 2023.

Investigators from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) conducted a search on August 22, 2023, on the USS John Warner Barge where they seized Hester's cellphone. A subsequent search warrant executed on August 25 led to the recovery of 206 pictures and 62 videos of CSAM along with 71 images of child erotica. Additional files were found in a Snapchat folder labeled "my eyes only."

The investigation revealed that Hester used the Telegram messaging app to receive, purchase, trade, and distribute CSAM. On April 27, 2023, he requested files from another user by asking for "cp" and exchanged videos through the platform.

Hester is scheduled for sentencing on April 16, 2025. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and could be sentenced up to 20 years in prison. However, actual sentences are often less than the maximum penalty as determined by a federal district court judge considering various guidelines and factors.

The announcement was made by Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Mack Hickman, Special Agent in Charge of 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 launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts across federal, state, and local levels.

Further information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc. Related court documents are available through the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia or via PACER under Case No. 2:24-cr-127.