The Las Vegas Air Force commander accused of sexually abusing a child still has his military job

According to Las Vegas court records, Kevin DiFalco is charged with seven counts of sexual abuse of a child under 18 and one count of child abuse or neglect. (DVIDS/KLAS)

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A former Las Vegas-based U.S. Air Force commander who was arrested on sexual assault charges nearly two years ago is continuing to work for the Air Force while the allegations are reviewed in a military-administrative process, according to a Nellis Air Force Base spokesman.

As 8 News Now investigators first reported, Lt. Col. Kevin DiFalco was accused of grooming and then repeatedly raping a child.

DiFalco is an active duty member stationed at Nellis Air Force Base and currently serves as the chief of staff of the 561st Weapons Squadron, Maj. Lauren Ott told 8 News Now investigators. DiFalco’s case was recently removed from the Air Force’s process, 8 News Now investigators learned.

Ott confirmed that DiFalco’s case is moving forward through administrative proceedings. Ott cited privacy concerns associated with the Air Force’s administrative proceedings and justified not releasing details to the public.

According to Las Vegas Justice Court records following DiFalco’s arrest in September 2022, DiFalco was charged with seven counts of lewdness with a child under the age of 18 and one count of child abuse or neglect. Two months later, the case was transferred to military court, according to the records.

DiFalco was commander of the 57th Operations Support Squadron and an F-16 pilot at Nellis Air Force Base. He was relieved of command on Sept. 8 but remained on active duty at Nellis Air Force Base, a spokesman said. DiFalco served in the Thunderbirds program until June 2021.

DiFalco is accused of repeatedly tormenting and then sexually abusing the child, according to a report. The report was extremely graphic and much of its content cannot be released to protect the child’s identity.

The report also said DiFalco told the child “not to say anything,” adding that the commander and the individual regularly spoke on Snapchat, a messaging application that causes photos and messages to disappear.

The allegations came to light after a person reported the incident to Las Vegas Metro Police, the report said. The person who reported the allegations said they tried to report it to an out-of-state police agency last year, but “the case was closed.”

The person who reported the allegations also noticed a conspicuous tattoo in DiFalco’s groin area, which investigators confirmed in the report.

According to Ott, DiFalco was commissioned into the Air Force on January 15, 2005.