PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A former sailor based in Portsmouth recently pleaded guilty to receiving child sexual abuse material last year.
Prosecutors say 27-year-old Gabriel Benjamin Hester uploaded seven files of child sexual abuse material from January of 2023 through March of 2023. At that time, he was an active-duty service member.
In August of 2023, prosecutors say NCIS investigators executed a search and seizure of Hester's phone on the USS John Warner Barge, which is homeported at Naval Station Norfolk. They found hundreds of pictures and videos of child sexual abuse material on his phone.
When searching Hester's phone, investigators learned that he had received, purchased, traded and distributed child sexual abuse material through an app, prosecutors added.
His sentencing is scheduled for April 16, 2025. Prosecutors say he's facing a mandatory minimum for five years in prison, but he could be sentenced to up to 20 years.
