Oregon Missionary Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing Six Cambodian Children at Orphanage
A Coos Bay, Oregon man, who was a Christian missionary running an orphanage in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, was found guilty by a federal jury of six counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place, traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and aggravated sexual abuse.
Daniel Stephen Johnson, 40, was charged in December 2014 after serving a one-year sentence in Cambodia for sexually abusing some of the same victims.
According to evidence at trial, Johnson was a Christian missionary who traveled between the United States and Cambodia, along with other countries in Southeast Asia. He started an orphanage in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, that housed several Cambodian children. Over a period of years beginning in 2005, Johnson engaged in sexual abuse and attempted to sexually abuse at least nine children who resided at his orphanage. The victims ranged in age from eight to 17-years-old.
The sexual abuse continued until December 2013 when Johnson was arrested by the Cambodian National Police. Based on disclosures made by children at the orphanage, Cambodian officials charged Johnson and detained him pending trial. In May 2014, Johnson was convicted by a Cambodian judge of performing indecent acts on one or more children at the orphanage and sentenced to one year in prison. Following his release from prison, Johnson was escorted back to the United States by the FBI.
Johnson will be sentenced on Aug. 22 before U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. McShane. ‘While Stephen Johnson held himself out as a selfless missionary helping orphans in Cambodia, in reality he exploited that cover to sexually abuse the children entrusted to his care,’ said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Cronan.
‘The despicable nature of this defendant’s conduct is beyond understanding,’ said U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams. ‘Whether you are abusing children in this country or abroad, you will be pursued and held accountable in a court of law.’
Johnson made multiple efforts to tamper with witnesses and obstruct justice while in custody awaiting trial, including contacting his victims online and offering them money and gifts. He will face sentencing for his crimes.
Key Facts
- State: Oregon
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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