Andrew Joseph Fernandez, a former Navy sailor, was sentenced in federal court in Norfolk, Va., to 40 years in prison for child sex crimes. Authorities say he tried to coerce three girls between the ages of 8 and 14 to send him sexually explicit images of themselves. (File)
An observant school bus driver helped send a former Navy sailor to prison for trying to induce three girls to send pornographic material of themselves, according to the Justice Department.
Andrew Joseph Fernandez, 33, was sentenced last week to 40 years in prison, according to court papers signed Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen in Norfolk, Va., a DOJ statement said.
He pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to produce visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct and one count of distributing sexually explicit materials.
Seven other counts against him were dismissed in exchange for his guilty plea.
In March 2024, a bus driver overheard a 9-year-old girl describing sexually explicit subjects, court documents state. The driver alerted the school principal, who contacted the girl’s mother, according to the statement.
Fernandez, a married machinist’s mate, had sent the girl a private message asking her to text him. He said that his name was Levi, that he was 13 and that he had previously attended the girl’s school, court documents said.
Fernandez sent a sexually graphic message and video within minutes of the initial message, authorities said.
The girl told Fernandez she was 10, but he repeatedly expressed a sexual interest in her and asked whether she ‘would … ever date someone my age,’ ” according to a 2024 indictment.
An FBI agent who subsequently posed as the girl was sent sexually explicit messages by Fernandez and directed to delete them, the Justice Department said.
He also tried to persuade her to send him pornographic images of herself, saying they would lead to a lucrative modeling audition, the statement said.
Two other girls, ages 8 and 14, also were sent sexually explicit images by Fernandez, who asked them to do the same, according to court filings and the DOJ statement.
Fernandez enlisted in the Navy in 2020, according to court documents. His attorneys requested a prison term of no more than 25 years.
Court records also say that after his arrest in 2024, Fernandez learned that his now ex-wife, who was in the Navy as well, was expecting their first child.
