U.S. Naval Research Laboratory scientist convicted on child pornography charges
Via George Mason Univerity website
WASHINGTON - A U.S. Naval Research Laboratory research scientist and former assistant professor at George Mason University was sentenced Wednesday to over two decades in prison on charges relating to child sexual abuse material and coercion and enticement of minors.
Prosecutors say in November 2021, Daniel Marc Lofaro, 40, of Fairfax, engaged with a then-12-year-old child on a social media app, telling the victim he was 22 years old and detailing how he would have sex with the victim.
According to court documents, Lofaro continued to entice and exploit the child, even when the victim hardly responded. He also requested nude images of the victim and asked the victim to join him in video chats.
In 2019, Lofaro also engaged with a 14-year-old victim through an online dating app.
Lofaro talked with the victim on various social media and messaging apps and had voice and had video calls with the victim, prosecutors say. On multiple occasions, Lofaro asked the victim to send him sexually explicit pictures and videos.
In February 2022, the victim created a sexually explicit video that Lofaro asked for and sent it to him. The minor told authorities that Lofaro asked for the victim’s address so he could visit them, and that the victim stopped talking to Lofaro because he was asking the victim to send him photographs every day, even when the child was at school.
Lofaro last reached out to the victim on May 18, 2022, the morning law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence.
Investigators say Lofaro collected child sex abuse materials for nearly a decade, amassing about 600 images and videos on two computers. The files include images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including the rape of a toddler and prepubescent children.
Between at least August 2021 and February 2022, Lofaro distributed and received numerous child sex abuse files through social media and he was a member of multiple social media groups dedicated to discussing sexual abuse of children and exchanging the vulgar materials.
Lofaro often discussed with other users his sexual interest in children and the sexual abuse of children in real life.
On Feb. 5, 2022, Lofaro spoke with another individual about his sexual abuse of a minor relative while the child slept, and that he was "looking for someone who has a daughter that they are willing to share."
Several agencies collaborated to investigate and arrest Lofaro. He has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
EDITOR’S NOTE | CORRECTION:
In the original version of this story, FOX 5 reported erroneously that Daniel Marc Lofaro currently worked as an assistant professor at George Mason University. John Hollis, George Mason University’s Media Relations Manager, tells FOX 5 that Lofaro has not worked at GMU since May 2021. A corrected version of the story is above.