NORFOLK, Va. (WRIC) — A Naval Officer previously assigned as the phycologist for the USS Gerald R. Ford in Norfolk has pleaded guilty to a charge related to child exploitation after he allegedly arranged to meet someone who he thought was a teenage girl for sex over the internet.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 34-year-old Michael Andrew Widroff pleaded guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor on Thursday, Oct. 12.
According to court documents, Widroff made contact with someone who he believed to be a 14-year-old girl on Snapchat on May 25. They engaged in conversations that were sexual in nature, with Widroff saying that he thought the girl was “hot” and that he wanted to meet her in person.
According to court documents, while they were talking online, Widroff “instructed the girl on how to masturbate and explained that he wished to engage in numerous sexual acts when they met.”
On June 7, Widroff drove from his workplace to meet the girl for sex. He had deleted the Snapchat app off of his phone when he was arrested.
Widroff is facing a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison when he is sentenced on Feb. 23, 2024.
