Former Navy officer found guilty of several child pornography charges

NORFOLK, Va. — A Virginia Beach man was convicted Monday by a federal jury after a 12-day trial on 31 counts, including the production, receipt, transportation and possession of child pornography; use of a facility of interstate commerce to entice a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity; and obstruction of justice. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Daniel Chase Harris, 31, of Virginia Beach, was indicted by a federal grand jury on a superseding indictment Sept. 17. According to court records and evidence at trial, Harris was a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy and a Navy top gun instructor stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach. He was originally arrested by the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office in November 2013. The investigation and evidence at trial revealed that Harris posed online as a teenage boy and would convince 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 by threatening to post the original images online or send them to family or friends. Nine victims were involved in this case, three of whom are from Virginia. 

Harris faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced July 13. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.