LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A former Las Vegas U.S. Air Force commander was relieved of command following accusations of grooming and repeatedly raping a child.
Kevin DiFalco, 40, faces seven counts of lewdness with a child under 18, and one count of child abuse or neglect, according to Las Vegas Justice Court records.
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DiFalco is accused of grooming the child after sending her underwear in the mail and then regularly sexually assaulting her, an arrest report states.
The report also claims DiFalco told the child “not to say anything" about explicit conversations they had regularly over Snapchat. DiFalco would also ask the child to delete all messages from him and often would take her phone and check they were deleted himself, the report said.
The allegations became known after the child disclosed information about DiFalco to a school counselor, which was later bolstered by another person who reported similar accusations to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police. The person reporting the allegations said they had attempted to tell Child Protective Services in another state last year, but the investigation yielded nothing.
The person reporting the allegations also noted a distinct tattoo in DiFalco’s groin area, which investigators corroborated in the report.
In a prepared statement, an Air Force spokesman said DiFalco was relieved of command:
“The 57th Wing Commander, Brig. Gen. Richard Goodman, relieved the 57th Operations Support Squadron Commander on Sept. 8 due to allegations of personal misconduct. Lt. Col. Kevin DiFalco was arrested at his off-base residence Sept. 8 and is under investigation by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, in coordination with the Air Force.”
DiFalco was commander of the 57th Operations Support Squadron and an F-16 pilot assigned to Nellis Air Force Base. He also served in the Thunderbirds program until June 2021.
DiFalco is scheduled to appear in court for a status check on Oct. 11.
