Fort Meade data analyst arrested in New York after seeking to have sexual encounter with girl, FBI says
A U.S. Navy petty officer from Hanover was carrying a large teddy bear when he showed up at a New York train station for what he thought was a sexual encounter with a 13-year-old girl, according to court documents.
But Douglas Engstrom’s meet-up Friday turned out to be with an undercover FBI agent, and now he faces the possibility of 10 years to life in prison.
Engstrom, 36, is a divorced father of two children and works as a data analyst at Fort Meade, law enforcement sources said.
He also went by “bleepbloorp” on the social media app Whisper, where users post anonymous public messages and confessionals.
The FBI agent put out bait on the app on Dec. 6, with a post claiming she “no longer needed dental braces,” according to a criminal complaint. Engstrom replied, and during their correspondence, the agent said several times she was a 13-year-old girl in school, the complaint alleges.
He said he was 36 years old, lived in Maryland, worked for the Navy, and expressed interest in having sex with her, the complaint alleges. He also gave a cell phone number and made similar comments over text, according to the complaint.
The agent set up a Saturday meeting at the Long Island Rail Road station in Valley Stream, and Engstrom flew into New York, arriving at Kennedy Airport, the feds allege.
The FBI agent asked he bring a teddy bear along with him, and he had it with him when law enforcement officials arrested him at the train station Saturday, according to court documents.
Engstrom was arraigned Monday in Long Island Federal Court and ordered held without bond, as he and his lawyer continues to put together an acceptable bail application.
The Federal Defenders of New York, which represented Engstrom at arraignment, declined comment Tuesday.