A Virginia man was sentenced Friday to a decade behind bars for the coercion and enticement of a minor, according to court documents. Michael Andrew Cook, 42, of Virginia Beach, received his sentence after being found guilty of engaging in online communications with what he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.
The investigation revealed that on April 28, 2024, Cook initiated contact via the social media application Whisper with a user identified as “UC1,” who claimed to be a 14-year-old female residing in Virginia.
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Cook, identifying himself as “Mike,” acknowledged the purported age of UC1. Unbeknownst to Cook, UC1 was a special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) operating in an undercover capacity.
Over a period spanning from April 28, 2024, to July 12, 2024, Cook maintained communication with the undercover agent through text messages, phone calls, and social media messaging. At the time of these interactions, Cook was an active U.S. Navy servicemember assigned to a Naval Command at Naval Station Norfolk.
During their exchanges, UC1 stated she resided with her mother in Carrollton but also stayed with her father in Hampton. Cook learned that UC1’s father was a deployed U.S. Navy servicemember, and in response, suggested he could serve as “a kind of father figure” to her.
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The tone of the communication took a disturbing turn between June 27, 2024, and July 12, 2024, when Cook initiated sexually explicit conversations with the undercover agent.
He repeatedly requested photographs of UC1 and, on July 10, 2024, inquired about when she would be in the Hampton area.
Cook offered to pick her up near her residence and subsequently called her to discuss his travel plans to meet her.
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On July 12, 2024, Cook drove from Virginia Beach to Hampton to meet UC1. Upon his arrival, he messaged the undercover agent stating he was parked in the circle in front of the house. Law enforcement officials promptly arrested Cook at this location.
A search of Cook’s vehicle at the time of his arrest yielded disturbing items, including sexual toys, a pair of women’s underwear in a plastic bag, and human collars commonly associated with sexual fetishes.
Further investigation revealed that Cook had also engaged in similar online contact with two other undercover agents posing as 14-year-old girls on July 9, 2024, and July 10, 2024.
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