Air base service member pleads guilty to possessing child sex material

MACON — A Robins Air Force Base service member has pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material in federal court resulting from a Project Safe Childhood investigation instigated by a parent who reported sexually explicit Snapchat communications between the defendant and her middle schooler.

Justin Wayne Pallett, 28, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material before U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self III. Pallett faces a maximum of 20 years of imprisonment to be followed by five years to life of supervised release and a maximum $250,000 fine. In addition, Pallett will have to register as a sex offender upon his release from federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled for March 7.

According to court documents, the mother of a 13-year-old female alerted authorities in Nov. 2020 that her daughter had exchanged sexually explicit messages and images with a 26-year-old male, later determined to be Pallett. Pallett was an active-duty service member assigned to Robins Air Force Base at the time of the offense. Pallett and the girl communicated via Snapchat and Facebook Messenger.

Pallett was engaged in similar sexually explicit communication with numerous other underage females on Snapchat.

On March 25, 2021, agents with the U.S. Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations executed a search warrant at Pallett’s home in Warner Robins, seizing numerous electronic devices belonging to the defendant. A forensic analysis of Pallett’s devices found 178 images and six videos of child sexual abuse material; 14 of the images matched images from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database. Some of the images contained prepubescent minors under the age of 12.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Air Force, Office of Special Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Will R. Keyes is prosecuting the case.

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