Overview

• David Ibarra, an active-duty U.S. Air Force member, was arraigned in federal court in New York on charges of sexual exploitation of a child, coercion, and enticement.
• Prosecutors allege Ibarra posed as a 13-year-old boy and used TikTok and Roblox to initiate contact with the 9-year-old victim before moving to text messages.
• Ibarra reportedly paid the victim $191 through 17 Apple Pay transactions to induce her to produce and share explicit images and videos, which he directed her to create.
• The FBI launched an investigation after the victim’s father discovered the interactions and contacted local police, leading to Ibarra’s arrest in Alaska in February 2025.
• If convicted, Ibarra faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison under the DOJ’s Project Safe Childhood initiative.