An Australian permanent resident was sentenced on May 12 to 345 months in federal prison without the possibility of parole, followed by lifetime supervised release, for distributing child pornography and possessing a phone containing child pornography. Chief Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing at the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.
The case highlights ongoing efforts to combat child sexual exploitation. According to court documents, Gabriel Perkhofer, age 48, communicated with an undercover officer who posed as the mother of two minor daughters. During these communications, Perkhofer described sexual acts he wanted to perform and explicit images he wanted to produce with the minors and sent two files of child pornography to the officer. He later traveled from Missouri to Arkansas intending to meet the “mother” and was arrested for state law violations. Authorities found a large collection of child pornography spanning several years on his phone, along with extensive communications between Perkhofer and other offenders.
Perkhofer was indicted by a Grand Jury in July 2024 in the Western District of Arkansas and pleaded guilty in December 2025.
U.S. Attorney Kimberly D. Harris of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement: “FAYETTEVILLE – An Australian permanent resident was sentenced on May 12, 2026, to 345 months in federal prison without the possibility of parole to be followed by lifetime supervised release for distributing child pornography and possessing a phone containing child pornography.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Benton County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case while Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tyler Williams, Devon Still, and Dustin Roberts prosecuted it.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at fighting online exploitation and abuse through coordinated federal, state, and local resources.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas handles federal prosecutions and civil litigation for western Arkansas through offices located across multiple cities including Fayetteville; it partners with law enforcement agencies such as those involved here as part of its mandate covering 34 counties according to its official website.
