Army sergeant caught in undercover operation sentenced to four years in prison for attempted sexual assault of a child
WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii – An Army sergeant caught in a multi-agency law enforcement Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force operation pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault of a child during his court-martial Aug. 20 at the Wheeler Army Airfield courtroom.
Sgt. Joey Walker, 38, an air defense enhanced early warning system operator assigned to the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam, Hawaii, was sentenced by the military judge to four years in prison, reduction in rank to E-1 and a dishonorable discharge from the Army.
On Sept. 27, 2025, Walker matched with a female on the dating app Plenty of Fish who was listed as 18 years old. Unbeknownst to him, the profile was operated by an undercover agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
After they started communicating via text messages, the undercover agent told Walker her age was actually 14. Undaunted, he asked her for a photo and continued to pursue communication.
Walker’s texts eventually became sexually explicit, including sending her a photo of his exposed genitalia. Ultimately, he requested they get together for sex and arranged to meet Oct. 5, 2025, on Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
That day, an agent with the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division surveilled Walker as he stopped at the on-post shopette and purchased two bottles of wine, which he promised to bring to the meeting.
Upon arriving at the meet-up location, Walker was arrested by Army CID agents. His phone was seized, and a digital forensic examination confirmed he had been communicating with the undercover agent.
“Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force operations proactively find the child predators who otherwise hide behind electronic screens. This sentence sends a clear warning: the Army will identify, prosecute, and hold accountable those who target children,” said Capt. Catherine Ricci, prosecutor, Eighth Circuit, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel. “We will protect our community.”
“Safeguarding our communities from online predators is an uncompromising mission,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael DeFamio, Army CID’s Asia-Pacific Field Office. “This conviction highlights the dedication of our special agents, digital forensic examiners, and the collaborative strength of military criminal investigative organizations within the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.”
Walker will serve his prison sentence at the Midwest Joint Regional Confinement Facility at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Upon release, he will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements.
This case was investigated by Army CID’s Asia-Pacific Field Office and NCIS’s Hawaii Field Office. It was prosecuted by Ricci and Capt. Monica Glenzer, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Fort Shafter, Hawaii.
About the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel: The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel is composed of specially trained military lawyers, legal professionals and support staff responsible for the expert prosecution of murder, sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, kidnapping and other serious criminal offenses. Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va., OSTC has eight regional headquarters that oversee 28 field offices located worldwide, including locations in Europe and Korea. For more information visit www.army.mil/ostc.
To Report a Crime: If you would like to report a crime, have information about a crime, or have been the subject or survivor of a crime, you can submit anonymous tips to Army CID at www.p3tips.com/armycid.
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