Former Navy Chief Petty Officer from Virginia Beach sentenced for attempting to sex traffic a child
A former Navy Chief Petty Officer from Virginia Beach has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for attempting to sex traffic a child. He was caught by an agent posing as a 13-year-old’s mother.
According to a release from U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Daniel Alan Puff, 38, of Virginia Beach, was charged with attempted coercion and enticement, attempted sex trafficking of a minor, obstruction of justice, and false statement to law enforcement officer. Puff was found guilty of the charges on Jan. 26, 2023. Throughout the proceedings following his arrest, Puff has denied all of the charges, according to court documents filed.
Prosecutors say Puff believed he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl’s mother, but he was actually speaking to an undercover investigator. Puff “negotiated to receive a sex act” from the girl, the release states.
The investigation began on March 29, 2022, when Puff contacted the undercover investigator and agreed to pay $60 in exchange for a sex act from what he believed was the child. Puff arrived March 30, 2022, at a meeting location in Chesapeake and checked the area for any law enforcement. According to the release, he gave $60 to the investigator and told them the sex act he wished to engage in with the child. He was then arrested and taken into custody. While in custody, he deleted a texting app from his phone, and falsely claimed he was trying to text someone, prosecutors say.
