Contractor Charged with Violating Naval Security Regulations

A Camarillo man, Todd Jeremy Senff, is facing federal charges for allegedly abusing his access as a civilian contractor to illegally film and photograph sensitive military equipment and activities at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC). Senff, 46, has been charged with 14 misdemeanors, including 11 counts of violating a defense property security regulation and three counts of entering military property for an unlawful purpose, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Senff is scheduled to be arraigned in the United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. The charges stem from his alleged actions between June 2024 and September 2024, during which he reportedly took unauthorized photographs and videos of military equipment and exercises at NBVC and shared them with associates.

NBVC, which houses approximately 19,000 personnel, is comprised of three installations, including the Point Mugu facility. Point Mugu is notable for housing several naval logistics and weapons testing commands and provides direct access to the Point Mugu Sea Range, the Navy's largest instrumented sea range. This range supports a variety of operations, including air, surface, and submarine exercises, as well as weapons testing and multinational training exercises.

Senff was employed by a Navy construction services contractor that was awarded a three-year construction contract by NBVC in September 2023. He was involved in approximately four projects related to this contract and had obtained credentials granting him access to certain areas of the naval base.

The U.S. Navy has strict regulations regarding photography on naval installations to protect Department of War property from sabotage and subversive actions. NBVC Point Mugu had posted signage prohibiting photography, which Senff allegedly ignored.

If convicted, Senff faces a statutory maximum sentence of one year in federal prison for each count of violating a defense property security regulation and six months for each count of entering military property for an unlawful purpose.

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph S. Guzman of the National Security Division. All charges are allegations, and Senff is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.