NORFOLK, Va. — Naval Academy and Top Gun graduate Lt. Daniel Harris was sentenced July 13 to 50 years in prison on 29 counts of the production, receipt, transportation, and possession of child pornography, and two counts of obstruction of justice.
He must serve at least 85 percent of that sentence with good conduct before he is eligible to be released. Andrew Sacks, Harris' defense attorney, argued for the mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, and said it is a relief Harris didn't get a life sentence, which was possible. Sacks said his client would appeal.
In rendering his sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Mark Davis noted the "stark contrast" to the picturesque naval aviator and the convicted felon shackled before him. He said Harris had "sadistically tormented," "manipulated," and "blackmailed" nine victims ranging in age from 12 to 17.
"You essentially raped them," Davis said. "In someways what you did was worse because you kept coming back to them."
The judge took strong issue with the fact Harris showed no emotion throughout the trial and sentencing, save for one brief moment when a teenage victim forgave him. Davis also said he found it "very troubling" that Harris never admitted any of his activity despite the voluminous evidence gathered against him, but instead blamed other people and created a fake scapegoat to avoid prosecution. Harris later sent a letter to the Chinese embassy promising military secrets if they broke him out of jail.
"To seek to betray your country for your own personal good is hard for me to process," Davis said.
Harris denied writing the letter, but Davis earlier recognized the Super Hornet pilot as the author.
"My country, that I have faithfully served since 2001, found me guilty of 31 felonies that I did not commit," the letter said. "And to make it worse they took my wife and children from me. So if they no longer believe in me, then I no longer believe in them."
Harris posed online as a teenage boy to convince young teen girls to send risqué pictures. He then extorted the girls to send him additional, sexually graphic images and videos under the threat that he would otherwise post the initial images online or send them to family and friends.
Prosecutors called Harris "the victimizer and manipulator of hundreds of girls" and said his exploits likely started as early as 2008, but he got a new computer in 2011 so they had no way to prove the extent of his activities.
