Navy officer gets 14 year sentence for attempted sexual coercion of minor
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — An ex-Navy officer and former psychologist for the USS Gerald R. Ford will serve 14 years in prison for the attempted sexual coercion and enticement of a minor, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia said Friday.
Previously: Ex-Navy officer takes plea deal in child exploitation case
The sentencing comes after Michael Andrew Widroff, 34, accepted a plea deal last October. He had also faced charges of attempted production of child pornography and attempted transfer of obscene matter to a minor after he was arrested last June.
Court documents noted that Widroff was a Navy officer serving as a psychologist in Norfolk when he got law enforcement’s attention.
Using the Whisper social media platform, he posted a photo of a man dressed in a U.S. Navy service dress white uniform, with text indicating that he wanted “to engage in fraternization or other violations of military law.”
In a military context, fraternization is when there are improper relationships between officers and enlisted personnel, including, as Widroff said “when 2 people who aren’t supposed to date-hook up do,” court documents stated.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service responded to the post “in an undercover capacity as a 14-year-old girl.”
The court documents stated that Widroff thought he was chatting with a child, and he moved the conversation to Snapchat, also changing the tone of the chat from casual to sexual.
Widroff, according to the court documents, described to the child a number of sexual acts he wanted them to engage in, and asked for “sexy” and nude photos of the child, along with sexually explicit recordings. He then tried to arrange a meeting, repeatedly asking the person to share where she lived. Widroff, according to court documents, expressed anxiety about being seen and planned to go into her house through the back door.
Widroff was in the neighborhood of what he thought was a 14-year-old to engage in sex when law enforcement stopped him, and as he was being pulled over, he deleted Snapchat from his phone, court documents state.
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