VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A U.S. Navy chief petty officer with ties to Virginia Beach was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison on Wednesday for producing child sexual abuse material, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Shane Matthew Harlacher, 39, was sentenced after an investigation revealed he created and possessed explicit material involving a minor victim at a home in Virginia Beach before later transporting that material overseas.
According to court documents, the case began in December 2023 when the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Investigators determined Harlacher used Facebook Messenger to send child sexual abuse material to another user while stationed in Gaeta, Italy…