TRENTON — An active-duty member of the United States Air Force has admitted in federal court to receiving child pornography while stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, federal prosecutors announced.
Christian Keilberg, 34, of Ocean County, pleaded guilty Tuesday before U.S. District Court Judge Georgette Castner to a charge of receipt of child pornography. The plea was entered in Trenton federal court. Sentencing is scheduled for June 18, 2026.
According to court records and statements made during the hearing, Keilberg committed the offenses between November 2020 and November 2022 while serving as an enlisted Airman with the Department of the Air Force and residing in on-base housing. Prosecutors said Keilberg used online chat platforms and social media to communicate with minor victims in New Jersey and elsewhere.
Authorities said Keilberg exchanged sexually explicit messages with the minors and persuaded them to send images and videos depicting sexually explicit conduct. Investigators later executed a search of Keilberg’s electronic devices at his residence on the joint base, uncovering additional child sexual abuse material.
Federal officials said Keilberg received more than 600 images of child pornography, including material involving minors estimated to be between 12 and 15 years old.
The charge carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years, with a maximum possible penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello credited special agents from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Rebecca B. Bates, with leading the investigation. Assistance was also provided by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.
The case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Justice Department initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated federal, state and local enforcement efforts. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Agnew of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
