Nellis officer was accused of raping a child, but charges were recently dropped | Sex Crimes

Police in 2022 charged Lt. Col. Kevin DiFalco with abusing, raping, and committing lewd acts in front of a girl. A Metropolitan Police Department arrest report states the girl told police DiFalco sent her underwear and bikinis with notes saying he wanted to see her wear them. She told police he raped her multiple times and that she developed an eating disorder and attempted to overdose as a result of the abuse.

DiFalco could not be reached for comment Monday, but recently told a military news website that he denies the allegations.

He was charged in Las Vegas court with lewdness in the presence of a child and child abuse or neglect, but prosecutors dismissed the charges in October 2022. A note in the file said the case would be “referred to military court.”

In the military court proceedings, DiFalco was accused of sexual assault, sexual abuse of a child, obstruction of justice and exhibitionism, among other charges, according to Major Lauren Ott, an Air Force spokeswoman. The charges were referred to military court on Jan. 22, 2024, Ott said, and were withdrawn and dismissed on June 7.

The charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning “the Air Force reserves the option to refile these charges at a later date,” Ott said.

Referring to an ongoing administrative procedure, Ott said she could not give any further reasons for the withdrawal of the charges.

A hearing before an administrative investigative committee is scheduled for September. The committee has the authority to hear witness testimony, evaluate evidence and decide whether an official should be fired, Ott said.

In the meantime, Ott said, DiFalco is on active duty as a special projects officer at Nellis.

Contact Noble Brigham at [email protected]. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.