Former U.S. Navy Officer Pleads Guilty in Federal Child Exploitation Case Involving Attempted Enticement of Minor

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — A former officer in the United States Navy has pleaded guilty in federal court to attempted interstate coercion and enticement of a minor after a federal investigation uncovered plans for an illegal sexual encounter involving an individual he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.

DOUGLAS ENGSTROM, 38, of Hanover, Maryland, entered the guilty plea before United States District Judge NUSRAT J. CHOUDHURY in the Eastern District of New York. As part of the plea agreement, ENGSTROM additionally admitted to possessing and receiving more than 600 images and videos containing child sexual abuse material recovered during the investigation.

Federal authorities stated ENGSTROM faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and could receive up to life in federal prison at sentencing.

The case was announced by United States Attorney JOSEPH NOCELLA, JR. and FBI Assistant Director in Charge JAMES C. BARNACLE, JR. of the FBI New York Field Office.

According to court filings and statements presented during the plea proceeding, ENGSTROM allegedly communicated online with an individual he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. Investigators stated the conversations became sexually explicit and eventually led to plans for an in-person meeting in New York.

Federal prosecutors stated ENGSTROM identified himself during the communications as a member of the United States Navy and discussed engaging in illegal sexual activity with the purported minor. Authorities later determined the supposed 13-year-old girl was actually an undercover law enforcement officer conducting an online exploitation investigation.

According to prosecutors, ENGSTROM arranged travel from Maryland to New York after booking a flight and hotel room connected to the planned meeting.

On December 16, 2023, law enforcement officers arrested ENGSTROM at the Valley Stream Long Island Rail Road station in Valley Stream, New York. Prosecutors stated he arrived carrying a large teddy bear that had been requested during the undercover communications.

Following the arrest, investigators executed judicially authorized search warrants on ENGSTROM’s electronic devices. Federal authorities reported discovering a substantial collection of child sexual abuse material consisting of more than 600 images and videos.

The investigation reflects the continuing use of undercover digital operations by federal law enforcement agencies targeting individuals accused of attempting to exploit minors through internet communications, messaging platforms, and online social networks.

Federal investigators have repeatedly warned that online exploitation cases increasingly involve interstate travel, anonymous communications, encrypted applications, and digital grooming tactics designed to target minors through online environments. Authorities additionally continue to emphasize the critical role of forensic examinations of electronic devices in identifying additional evidence connected to exploitation offenses.

The prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative focused on combating child exploitation, online enticement, trafficking, and internet-facilitated abuse involving minors. The initiative combines federal, state, and local investigative resources to identify offenders, recover victims, and prosecute crimes involving online exploitation networks and child sexual abuse material.

Federal authorities are requesting that anyone with information regarding possible exploitation connected to ENGSTROM contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation through official FBI reporting channels or the FBI New York Field Office.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney JAMES R. SIMMONS of the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist ADAM BERNARD and Legal Assistant DANIELLE ROMPEL.

The charges and admissions referenced in the proceedings remain subject to final sentencing by the court under federal sentencing guidelines and statutory sentencing factors.

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