NORFOLK, Va. – A former Navy pilot and Top Gun graduate has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for his role in a sextortion case that involved nine victims, including three from Virginia.
Daniel Chase Harris, 31, of Virginia Beach, was sentenced yesterday to 600 months in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release for his crimes, which included production of child pornography, use of a facility of interstate commerce to entice a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, receipt of child pornography, transportation of child pornography, possession of child pornography and obstruction of justice.
Harris was found guilty on 31 counts on March 9, 2015, after a 12-day trial. He was originally arrested by Bedford County Sheriff’s Office in November 2013.
According to court records and the evidence at trial, Harris, who was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy and a Navy Top Gun graduate stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana, posed online as a teenage boy and convinced young teen girls between the ages of 12 and 17 to send him risqué pictures of themselves.
He then extorted the girls to send him additional, sexually graphic and explicit images of themselves, threatening to post the images online or send them to family or friends if they did not comply.
In pronouncing the sentence, District Judge Mark S. Davis stated Harris’ actions were “sadistic” and equated to “torture.”
The investigation and evidence at trial revealed that Harris used a facility of interstate commerce to entice minors to engage in criminal sexual activity, received and possessed child pornography, transported child pornography, and obstructed justice.
Harris’ sentence is the result of a joint investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations and the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (SOVA ICAC).
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:14-cr-76.
Related Federal Cases
- Daniel Lee Vance, Sex Offender Registry Violation, West Virginia 2024 · Virginia
- Andrew Harris Reshefsky, Child Pornography, Virginia 2024 · Virginia
- Andrew Harris Reshefsky, Receiving Images of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct, Virginia 2023 · Virginia
- Ray Merrill Stapleton, Failing to Register under SORNA, Virginia 2024 · Ohio
- Thomas W. Almberg, Coercing and Enticing Minors to Engage in Illegal Sexual Activity, Virginia 2023 · Virginia
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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