Former Naval research scientist, assistant professor at George Mason University sentenced for child sexual exploitation
FAIRFAX, Va. (DC News Now) — A former research scientist at U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and Assistant Professor at George Mason University was sentenced Wednesday for sexually exploiting children.
According to court documents and the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO), 40-year-old Daniel Marc Lofaro, of Fairfax, engaged with a 12-year-old on a social media app in November 2021. He told the victim that he was 22 and described in graphic detail how he would have sex with them.
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He continued exploiting the child, even when they hardly responded, requesting nude images and asking the victim to join him in video chats.
In 2019, Lofaro met a 14-year-old through an online dating app and messaged them on social media and messaging apps, calling and chatting with them multiple times. At his request, the victim created and sent a sexually explicit video in February 2022.
The child told law enforcement officials that Lofaro asked them for their address so they could visit, and that the victim stopped talking to him because he asked the minor for photos every day, even when the child was at school.
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Lofaro last reached out to the teenager on May 18, 2022 – the morning officers executed a search warrant at his home.
He collected child sexual abuse material (CSAM) for over a decade, with about 600 photos and videos on two laptops. These files depicted the sexual abuse of children, including the rape of a toddler and prepubescent children, the USAO stated.
Between at least August 2021 and February 2022, Lofaro sent and received many CSAM files via social media. He was also a member of many online groups dedicated to discussing the sexual abuse of children and exchanging material.
He often talked about his sexual interest in children and how he abused children in real life.
On Feb. 5, 2022, the USAO said Lofaro spoke to another person about his abuse of a child and that he was “looking for someone who has a daughter that they are willing to share.”
Lofaro was sentenced to 25 years in prison for receiving, possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material and coercing and enticing minors.
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