Soldier pleads guilty to possessing child pornography during trial in Japan

CAMP ZAMA, Japan – An Army private pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography during his court-martial May 29 at the Camp Zama courtroom.

Pfc. Kolby Z. Mayer, a Patriot launching station enhanced operator assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment on Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, was sentenced by the military judge to 20 months in prison, a reduction in rank to E-1, and a bad conduct discharge from the Army.

On May 28, 2025, the Dunn County Sheriff's Office in Menomonie, Wisconsin, received a tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that Mayer was uploading child pornography images using the Snapchat app.

When the Dunn County Sheriff's Office learned that Mayer was in the Army and stationed in Okinawa, Japan, the case was transferred to the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.

Army CID agents seized his cellphone and laptop, enabling forensic investigators to discover approximately 1,175 child pornography images.

Some of the images were marked with “Pedo Bear” icons, a graphic cartoon used to covertly mark pedophilic material.

“Behind every file of child sexual abuse material is a real child who was exploited and harmed. These offenses are uniquely devastating because the abuse is memorialized and can be repeatedly viewed and shared,” said Capt. Diamond Akers, prosecutor, Seventh Circuit, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel. “The impact on survivors extends far beyond the initial abuse, making accountability, prevention, and prosecution of these crimes critical to protecting vulnerable children and our communities.”

“This is a just outcome that we believe provided appropriate punishment, brought justice to the victims, and sent a strong message to others that this sort of misconduct will not be tolerated,” said Capt. Joe Strzempko, prosecutor, 10th Support Group, U.S. Army Japan.

“We have a duty to protect children, the most vulnerable in our society. Army CID is committed to protecting children from those in the military community that would exploit them and do them harm,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael DeFamio, Army CID Far East Field Office. “This case is an example of the work our special agents do every day to protect Soldiers of the Department of the Army and their families.”

Mayer is confined at Military Corrections Facility Yokosuka awaiting orders to transfer to a military corrections facility in the United States. Upon release from prison, he will be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements.

This case was investigated by the Army CID Far East Field Office, Torii Station Resident Unit.

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 and independent 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 http://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 http://www.p3tips.com/armycid.